Greetings, Sie and Du, and academic titles

Newcomers commonly report that first contacts in Austria, especially at work and with authorities, follow a fairly formal pattern:

• Greeting with a handshake and eye contact. The Austrian Integration Fund's guidance for new arrivals says it is usual to greet people in a friendly way, look them in the eye, and often shake hands.
• "Sie" before "Du". The federal WORK in AUSTRIA service advises using the formal Sie at first contact, especially with supervisors and business partners, and switching to the informal du only once it has been offered.
• Academic titles. WORK in AUSTRIA notes that academic degrees and titles are actively used in Austria and appear in e-mail signatures and on business cards. You may meet forms such as Mag. (Magister/Magistra) or Dr. before a name, including in official correspondence.
• "Grüß Gott". This greeting is common in Austria and southern Germany, both in everyday life and in official communication.

• Titles have a legal basis. Austrian academic degrees may be used in private life (for example on business cards) and in dealings with authorities, and in abbreviated form they can be entered in official documents. Female forms such as Mag.a or Dr.in are permitted. Using titles is optional: holders "can, but do not have to" use them.
• Politeness through form. Using the correct form of address is a way of showing respect in a first contact, which is why newcomers are advised to follow the other person's lead.
• Small talk. WORK in AUSTRIA suggests neutral topics such as skiing, hiking, food, scenery and sights, and advises against religion and politics.

How formal people are depends on the person, the workplace and the situation. WORK in AUSTRIA's advice is to orient yourself by your colleagues, for example in how they dress, and the same approach works for forms of address: some teams switch to du early, others keep Sie and titles for a long time. "Grüß Gott" is widespread but not universal; some people avoid it because of its religious origin and say Guten Tag or another greeting instead. Treat the descriptions here as general patterns rather than rules, and avoid explaining every formal exchange as "typically Austrian".