Moving to Austria 2026: Visas, Registration and Costs

Austria sorts newcomers into two groups. Citizens of EEA countries and Switzerland can move there under EU law, subject to its conditions, and register instead of applying for a permit. Everyone else is a third-country national and needs a residence permit for any stay longer than six months, issued for one specific purpose such as work, study or family. This guide follows both paths through the first weeks: the permit or registration certificate, the three-day address registration, health insurance, housing, school and prices, as published by the Austrian authorities on 14 October 2026.

Which rules apply to you

The EEA is the European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Austrian residence permits are always issued for a specific purpose, and the official guidance states that you cannot apply for several purposes at once or submit several applications at the same time.

Moving to Austria as an American

The Interior Ministry's country list shows the United States as exempt from the EU visa requirement for 90 days within 180 days. That covers a visit. It does not cover work: the Foreign Ministry states that the exemption applies in case of no gainful employment, and that third-country nationals who wish to pursue gainful employment always require a visa.

• To live in Austria for more than six months you need a residence permit. The ones the Foreign Ministry says are most often applied for are the Red-White-Red Card, the residence permit for pupils, students and researchers, family reunification, and the settlement permit with gainful employment excepted.
• Where you file: in principle in person at the Austrian consulate for your place of residence, before entry. The Foreign Ministry lists third-country nationals who are entitled to enter without a visa among those who can also apply directly in Austria during their legal stay.
• Do not count on waiting in Austria: the same page states that submitting the initial application in Austria does not create a right of residence beyond the visa-free period, and that the decision has to be awaited abroad if necessary. The migration portal describes an exception for Red-White-Red Card applications submitted in person, which we set out in our work visa guide.
• Looking for a job first: the migration portal says that someone who may enter visa-free and meets the criteria for a Red-White-Red Card can look for employment during the lawful visa-free stay and apply in Austria once they have a job matching their qualification.
• Without paid work: the settlement permit with gainful employment excluded needs a regular monthly income, such as a pension or income from assets, equal to the 2026 standard rates, health insurance covering all risks, adequate accommodation and German at A1 level.

Our guide to moving to Austria from the USA covers the American case on its own.

Work and study routes for third-country nationals

The Red-White-Red Card is issued for 24 months and ties you to the employer named in the application. The migration portal puts the whole application process at approximately eight weeks. Details are in our Austria work visa guide and Austria student visa guide.

Moving to Austria as an EU citizen

EEA and Swiss citizens can enter Austria without a visa and are allowed to reside there for a period of three months. You may stay longer if you meet one of three conditions:

• You are employed or self-employed in Austria.
• You have adequate means of subsistence for yourself and your dependants, and sufficient health insurance coverage.
• You attend an Austrian school or recognised educational institution as the main purpose of your stay, with sufficient means and health insurance.

1. Request the confirmation of registration (Anmeldebescheinigung) within four months of your arrival, at the District Administration or municipal authority for your place of residence. In Vienna that is MA 35.
2. Bring the completed and signed application form, a valid identity card or passport, and proof of employment or self-employment. If you are not working, bring proof of health insurance, for example a European Health Insurance Card, and proof of sufficient finances.
3. After five years of continuous lawful residence you can obtain a long-term residence certificate on application.

The migration portal states that EEA and Swiss citizens enjoy free movement of workers and may take up employment in Austria under the same conditions as Austrian citizens. A family member who is not an EEA or Swiss citizen requests a residence card within four months of arriving. That card costs 91 Euro, or 39 Euro for persons under 16.

Your first days: registration step by step

1. Register your address within three days of moving into accommodation. Anyone who takes up accommodation in a dwelling in Austria has to register, along with all co-habiting minors, at the registration authority for the new place of residence: the Municipal Office, or in Vienna the Municipal District Office.
2. Use the registration form, filled in for each person and signed by your accommodation provider, such as the owner or the main tenant. Bring your travel document and official records of your personal details, for example a passport and birth certificate. You receive a written confirmation of registration.
3. Pay nothing: there are no fees or charges for registration.
4. Collect your residence permit or request your registration certificate. Students, for example, need the residence registration to collect the permit.
5. Get covered by social insurance. As an employee you are covered automatically, and your employer registers you with the insurance institutions and deducts your contributions from your gross pay every month.

Failing to register or de-register is an administrative offence punishable by a fine of up to 726 Euro, and registering without actually living at the address is punishable as a sham registration. A stay in a hotel or other tourist accommodation is recorded in the guest register there.

Health insurance and what you pay yourself

• Who is covered: compulsory health insurance applies to almost all those in paid employment, most self-employed persons, people claiming unemployment benefits, pensioners and the dependants of all these groups.
• Family: children can be included in the insurance free of charge. This also applies to spouses, registered partners and life companions in families with children. For childless spouses inclusion is subject to a charge.
• Doctors: you are entitled to care from a general practitioner, specialist or dentist who has a contract with the health insurance fund.
• Prescription charge: € 7.55 per item in 2026.
• E-card: the annual charge for the social insurance card is € 25.00 for 2026, with exceptions.
• For a residence permit you must show health insurance covering all risks. Compulsory insurance through a job in Austria is sufficient.

Income, tax and prices

• The income benchmark: where a residence permit requires proof of means, income is sufficient at the equalisation supplement reference rate. From 1 January 2026 that is € 1,308.39 for a single person, € 2,064.12 for a couple and € 201.88 more for each child. Regular costs such as rent count against it in so far as they exceed 386,43 Euro.
• Pay: the migration portal gives the median gross annual earnings of full-time employees in 2024 as € 55,678.
• Income tax is progressive and, for employees, is deducted from wages at source by the employer together with social insurance contributions. The tax withheld is a prepayment, settled by the annual tax assessment.
• Inflation: Statistics Austria reported inflation of 3.2% in August 2026 and a flash estimate of 3.6% for September 2026. For the year 2025 it reported 3.6%.

Housing

• Two kinds of tenancy: a primary leasehold (Hauptmiete), agreed for example with the owner of the building or apartment, and a sublet (Untermiete), agreed with a primary leaseholder. They differ in the amount of rent and in protection against being given notice.
• Limited agreements: a limited tenancy agreement has a legal minimum term of three years.
• Rent rules: rents for the majority of primary leasehold apartments and for local authority and housing association apartments are regulated by the Landlord and Tenant Act (Mietrechtsgesetz). As a general rule, single-family houses are not covered by it.
• Before you sign: the portal recommends having a lease or purchase contract checked by an advice service such as the Tenants' Association or the Chamber of Labour.
• Buying: ownership passes only on registration in the land register. The portal advises calculating approximately 10 percent of the purchase price for additional costs. EU and EEA citizens have the same status as Austrian citizens. Other foreigners need a mandatory approval from the provincial or district authority, on terms that differ from province to province.

German and the Integration Agreement

• Before you arrive: for certain first residence permits, including the Red-White-Red Card plus that family members receive, you must prove German at A1 level. The diploma must not be more than one year old.
• Exempt: children under 14, and family members of holders of a Red-White-Red Card for highly qualified individuals or an EU Blue Card.
• After you arrive: Module 1 of the Integration Agreement, German at A2 level plus knowledge of the fundamental values of Austrian law and society, must be fulfilled within two years of certain permits being issued. For holders of a Red-White-Red Card it is deemed fulfilled by operation of law.
• The agreement does not apply to EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.

Children and school

• Kindergarten: attendance is voluntary with one exception. The final year before starting school is compulsory and free of charge.
• School: schooling is compulsory for nine years, from age six to 15. State schools charge no fees.
• After that: all young persons must continue school or go into professional training until the age of 18.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• migration.gv.at — Permanent immigration and the Red-White-Red Card
• migration.gv.at — Mobility of EU citizens within the EU
• migration.gv.at — Health insurance
• migration.gv.at — Housing
• oesterreich.gv.at — Registration of a new main residence
• oesterreich.gv.at — Third-country nationals, general information on residence
• oesterreich.gv.at — General conditions for the issue of residence permits
• oesterreich.gv.at — Integration agreement
• Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs — Settlement and Residence
• Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs — Visa
• Federal Ministry of the Interior — Visa requirements by country (German)
• Statistics Austria — Consumer price index

All amounts, fees and rules verified against the official sources above on 14 October 2026. Amounts are the 2026 figures. Information, not legal advice.