Moving to Austria, step by step

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no visa or permit. If you stay longer than three months, you apply for a registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) within four months of arrival. See EU, EEA and Swiss citizens in Austria.
• Non-EU nationals need a residence permit to stay longer than six months, for example a Red-White-Red Card, an EU Blue Card, a student permit or a family permit. Some nationalities can enter visa-free and apply in Austria; others apply at an Austrian embassy and enter with a visa D. See Residence permits for Austria.

Typical documents are a valid passport or EU ID card, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate if you are married, diplomas and work references, and proof of health insurance and income. Documents not in German or English usually need a translation by a certified court interpreter, and many foreign civil-status documents also need an apostille or diplomatic legalisation. Getting these from abroad can take weeks.

Everyone who moves into accommodation in Austria must register the address within three days (Meldezettel). The form is signed by the person who provides the accommodation, so make sure your first flat, sublet or serviced apartment allows registration. In Vienna, see Registering your address in Vienna and Finding housing in Vienna.

Employees are registered with the health insurer by their employer before they start work, usually with the ÖGK, and receive an e-card. Self-employed people are insured with the SVS. If you are not working, you need private cover or statutory self-insurance; residence permits require health insurance that covers all risks. See Health insurance in Austria.

• Bank account: salaries and rent are paid by bank transfer. Everyone lawfully resident in the EU has a right to a basic account (Basiskonto). See Opening a bank account in Austria.
• Mobile phone: new SIM cards, including prepaid cards, must be registered with your identity, for example with an official photo ID in a shop, through your bank or by video call.
• ID Austria: the national digital ID used for FinanzOnline and many online services. Foreign citizens aged 14 or over with a connection to Austria, such as a registered address or a job, can register in person at a police directorate (Landespolizeidirektion) or a tax office.

• Rent and operating costs: the largest item; see the housing guides for how rents are regulated.
• ORF contribution (ORF-Beitrag): €15.30 a month per main residence for private households.
• Public transport in Vienna: the annual pass costs €467 paid at once (€461 digitally); a single trip costs €3.20 (€3.00 digitally).
• Health insurance: deducted from your salary if you are employed. Statutory self-insurance with the ÖGK costs €565.25 a month (reductions possible on request) and has a six-month waiting period for most benefits unless you were insured just before.
• Residence documents: for example €218 for a Red-White-Red Card application or €44 for an EU registration certificate (2026).

• EU and EEA licences are recognised in Austria and do not have to be converted.
• Other licences must be converted (Umschreibung) within six months of first registering Austria as your main residence; after that they are no longer valid for driving in Austria. A practical driving test is generally required, but holders of licences from certain countries are exempt (for category B, for example, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Israel; for all categories, for example the UK, Switzerland and Japan). The exchange fee is €90 (2026). In Vienna the responsible authority is the traffic department of the Vienna police directorate (Landespolizeidirektion Wien – Verkehrsamt).
• A licence not in German is only valid together with an international driving permit or a translation.

Look at Job search in Austria and Employment rights in Austria for the labour market, Learning German in Austria for courses and the integration agreement, and Family and schools in Austria for family allowance, kindergarten and school enrolment.