Living in Austria

Austria is an EU member state with nine federal provinces (Bundesländer). Vienna (Wien) is both the capital and a province of its own, and it is home to about a fifth of the population: 2,042,036 of Austria's 9,219,113 residents at the start of 2026, according to provisional figures published by Statistik Austria and the City of Vienna.

Who handles what

• The registration office (Meldebehörde) records where you live in the Central Register of Residents. Everyone who moves into a home in Austria registers within three days, Austrian or not. In Vienna this is the Meldeservice at the district offices (Magistratische Bezirksämter).
• The residence authority (Niederlassungsbehörde) issues residence permits to non-EU nationals and registration certificates (Anmeldebescheinigung) to EU, EEA and Swiss citizens. In Vienna this is the Municipal Department 35 (MA 35), Immigration and Citizenship.
• The Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice, AMS) checks the labour-market criteria for work-based permits such as the Red-White-Red Card, helps job seekers and pays unemployment benefit.
• The social insurance funds cover health, accident and pension insurance. Most employees are insured with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse, ÖGK); the self-employed are insured with the SVS. Your insurance card is the e-card.
• The Finanzamt Österreich handles income tax, the annual employee tax assessment and the family allowance (Familienbeihilfe). Most of this works online through FinanzOnline.

What most newcomers deal with first

1. Residence status. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit but must apply for a registration certificate within four months of arrival if they stay longer than three months. Most other nationals need a residence permit, for example a Red-White-Red Card or an EU Blue Card, and many apply before travelling.
2. Registration of your address (Meldezettel) within three days of moving in.
3. Health insurance. Employees are registered by their employer before they start work; others arrange cover themselves.
4. A bank account, a phone number and a home. In Vienna, the private rental market, cooperative flats and the large municipal housing stock (Gemeindebau) follow different rules.

Getting help

• Emergencies: 112 (Europe-wide), police 133, ambulance 144, fire brigade 122.
• Health advice by phone: 1450, around the clock.
• The Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer) advises employees on employment, tenancy and consumer questions; membership follows from working in Austria.
• The Austrian Integration Fund (Österreichischer Integrationsfonds, ÖIF) informs about German courses and the integration exams.

HomiStart guides are general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Fees and thresholds change, often on 1 January, so confirm details with the official sources linked in each guide.