Residence permits for Austria, from the Red-White-Red Card to student permits

The Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte) is the main work permit for qualified non-EU workers. It is usually issued for 24 months and allows you to settle and to work for the employer named in the application. You need a binding job offer and, for most categories, enough points in a points system.

• Very highly qualified workers: at least 70 of 100 points, for example for degrees (up to 40 points for a PhD), work experience, German or English skills and age. This is the only group that can get a six-month job-seeker visa (€195 in 2026) to look for work in Austria; visa-free nationals can instead apply for the card during their legal stay.
• Skilled workers in shortage occupations: at least 55 points, a job on the annual shortage list and at least the pay set by law or collective agreement.
• Other key workers: at least 55 points, a minimum gross salary of €3,465 a month (2026) and a labour market test showing that no equally qualified job seeker registered with the AMS is available.
• Further categories exist for graduates of Austrian universities, regular workers in tourism, agriculture and forestry, self-employed key workers and start-up founders.

If English is the main language at your company, you receive five extra points. Use the official points calculator to check your score.

The EU Blue Card is for people with a degree of at least three years (or, for IT professionals and service managers, comparable experience) who have a binding job offer that matches their qualification. The salary must be at least €55,678 gross a year (2026), including special payments. A labour market test applies. The card is issued for 24 months. After 12 months of Blue Card employment you can change jobs without a waiting period; before that, a 30-day waiting period applies.

• From abroad: in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence.
• In Austria through your employer: your employer can file the application with the residence authority, in Vienna with MA 35.
• In Austria yourself: after lawful entry, for example visa-free, you can apply in person. If you apply in person during a visa-free period or on a visa, you may stay even after that period ends while the case is pending.

Apply at least eight weeks before the job starts; the authority must decide within eight weeks. The authority passes the file to the AMS, which checks points, qualifications and pay, and then checks the other conditions such as health insurance. You collect the card in person by appointment. If you need a visa to enter, the embassy issues a visa D: apply for it within three months of being told the result, and collect the card within six months in total.

The application fee is €218 (2026). Bring originals and copies; documents not in German or English need a translation, and an apostille may be required.

The Business Immigration Office, run by the Vienna Business Agency together with the City of Vienna at Zelinkagasse 9, gives free, confidential advice to international professionals and their employers on the Red-White-Red Card, the EU Blue Card, researcher and self-employment permits and intra-company transfers. Contact details are on its website.

Non-EU students staying longer than six months need a residence permit – student (Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Studierender). Most people apply at the Austrian embassy in their country and, after approval, enter with a four-month visa D to collect the card; visa-free nationals can apply in Austria. The decision period is 90 days, so apply three to six months ahead.

For 2026 you must show €722.58 a month if you are under 24 and €1,308.39 a month from 24, for twelve months in advance, plus health insurance (student self-insurance with the ÖGK costs €78.84 a month in 2026). The fee is €218. You may work up to 20 hours a week with a work permit your employer obtains from the AMS. To renew, you show progress of 16 ECTS credits (or eight semester hours) per academic year.

Spouses and registered partners (aged 21 or over) and unmarried minor children of Red-White-Red Card and Blue Card holders can receive a Red-White-Red Card plus, which gives unrestricted access to the labour market. Applications are usually filed at the embassy abroad. Family members generally need German at level A1 for the first application, but family of EU Blue Card holders and of very highly qualified workers are exempt. The fee is €218 (2026), and the family needs sufficient income, health insurance and adequate accommodation.

From 1 January 2026 the reference income for most permits is €1,308.39 a month for a single person and €2,064.12 for a couple, plus €201.88 per child. You also need health insurance that covers all risks in Austria, and for many permits (but not the Red-White-Red Card or the EU Blue Card) proof of adequate accommodation. Your stay must not threaten public order.

• Renewing: apply in person before your card expires, and no earlier than three months before. A late application counts as a first application and breaks your continuous right of residence.
• Changing employer: with a Red-White-Red Card you may usually start a new job provisionally 45 days after filing the change application, if your documents are complete.
• Red-White-Red Card plus: after at least 21 months of employment under the card's criteria within 24 months, you can apply for the card plus, which is not tied to one employer.
• Long-term residence – EU (Daueraufenthalt – EU): after five years of uninterrupted settlement and once you have completed Module 2 of the integration agreement (German at B1), you can apply in person at MA 35. The fee is €275 (2026). Periods on a student permit count only half.

Holders of certain permits, for example family members, must complete Module 1 (German at A2 plus civic knowledge) within 24 months. Holders of a Red-White-Red Card are considered by law to have fulfilled Module 1. See Learning German in Austria.