Appointments, punctuality and official letters

Newcomers commonly report a few patterns when dealing with Austrian authorities:

• Appointments. Many offices see visitors only by appointment: Vienna's immigration office MA 35, for example, receives people in person only with a prior appointment, and the Finanzamt Österreich also asks you to book before visiting. Vienna's registration offices take walk-ins in the morning and appointments in the afternoon.
• Punctuality. The Austrian Integration Fund tells new arrivals to be on time, especially for appointments at offices, and describes arriving late as impolite. WORK in AUSTRIA gives the same advice for business meetings: keep to the agreed time and let people know in advance if you will be late.
• Registered letters. Official decisions often arrive as registered mail. An RSa letter (Rückscheinbrief, the "blue letter") may only be handed to the addressee personally; if that is not possible, it is deposited at the nearest post office branch for you to collect.

• Formal delivery. Official documents are often delivered with proof of delivery, and for some matters, such as administrative penalty proceedings, the law requires an RSa letter.
• Going digital. With ID Austria you can receive official documents electronically in the federal mailbox Mein Postkorb. Deliveries with proof of delivery work similarly to RSa and RSb letters: you are notified by e-mail, opening the document counts as collecting it, and you must collect it within 14 days, after which it can no longer be collected.

Practice differs between offices: some services take walk-ins at set times, others work only online or by appointment, and opening hours vary. Check the specific office's website before you go.