Country guide
How to Migrate to Austria
You would not be reading about Austria unless the Red-White-Red Card might fit your skills. Austria offers a rare combination of Alpine quality of life, strong wages and a structured, points-based immigration system built specifically to attract skilled workers.
5 years
To permanent residence
Why Austria?
- Main language
- German
- Avg. salary
- €45,000 to €70,000/year
- PR timeline
- 5 years
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Austria pairs central-European access, first-class healthcare and famously high living standards with a genuine, transparent route for skilled migrants.
- Vienna is regularly ranked the world's most liveable city, public transport is excellent and cheap, and wages in engineering, IT, healthcare and skilled trades are competitive.
- The country has an ageing population and persistent labour shortages, so the government actively recruits through its criteria-driven Red-White-Red Card and the EU Blue Card.
- The trade-offs are a real German-language expectation for most jobs and daily life, and bureaucracy that rewards thorough, well-documented applications over improvisation.
Visa routes
Red-White-Red Card (Very Highly Qualified Workers)
- Best for
- Top graduates, senior professionals and researchers
- Timeline
- 3 to 8 weeks after complete application
Points-based route scoring qualifications, work experience, age, language skills and salary. Very Highly Qualified Workers can enter on a six-month jobseeker visa to find a role before switching to the card.
Red-White-Red Card (Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations)
- Best for
- Trades and professions on the official shortage list
- Timeline
- 3 to 8 weeks after complete application
For occupations on Austria's annual shortage list (Mangelberufe). Requires a matching job offer at the prescribed minimum pay and enough points across the criteria.
EU Blue Card (Austria)
- Best for
- University graduates with a high-salary job offer
- Timeline
- 4 to 8 weeks
Requires a degree (or equivalent experience) and a binding job offer meeting the Blue Card salary threshold: at least €55,678 gross per year in 2026 (including special payments). Offers faster EU mobility and family reunification.
Red-White-Red Card (Graduates of Austrian Universities)
- Best for
- International students finishing a degree in Austria
- Timeline
- 3 to 8 weeks
Graduates of Austrian higher-education institutions can stay to find qualified work and apply once they hold a matching job offer meeting the graduate salary minimum.
Start-up Founder Red-White-Red Card
- Best for
- Entrepreneurs launching an innovative business
- Timeline
- 6 to 12 weeks
Requires roughly €30,000 capital (at least half as equity), a viable innovative business plan and enough points; typically needs endorsement of the business concept.
Step by step
- 1
Check your route and points
Use the official migration.gv.at points calculator to see whether you qualify as a Very Highly Qualified Worker, Skilled Worker in a shortage occupation, university graduate, or via the EU Blue Card salary threshold.
- 2
Secure a qualifying job offer (or use a jobseeker visa)
Most cards require a binding offer meeting the minimum salary. Very Highly Qualified Workers can instead enter on a six-month jobseeker visa to interview and land a role first.
- 3
Gather and legalise your documents
Collect your passport, qualifications, employment references and criminal record check, then get certified German translations and apostilles. Arrange qualification recognition (Nostrifizierung) where your profession requires it.
- 4
Submit the application
Apply at the Austrian embassy or consulate in your country, or in some cases directly to the local settlement authority (Niederlassungsbehörde). Your employer often files a parallel notification with the labour market service (AMS).
- 5
Await the AMS check and decision
The AMS confirms the role, salary and points; the immigration authority then decides, typically within 3 to 8 weeks of a complete file. You collect the card and enter Austria.
- 6
Register and settle in
After arrival, complete your residence registration (Meldezettel) and collect your card. Our Austria arrival guide covers the full first-week checklist for landing.
What you need
Requirements
- A valid passport and clean criminal record
- A recognised qualification (degree, diploma or completed vocational training) matching your route
- A concrete job offer or, for jobseeker/founder routes, a qualifying plan or points score
- Salary meeting the minimum threshold for your specific card or Blue Card
- Proof of accommodation in Austria and comprehensive health insurance
- Certified translations of key documents (into German) and, where relevant, formal qualification recognition (Nostrifizierung)
Language and tests
There is no single national language test, but German runs through both the immigration criteria and daily working life. On the Red-White-Red Card points grid, certified German (A1/A2/B1) and English skills earn valuable points and can decide a borderline case. Many international IT and research roles operate in English, yet most skilled trades, healthcare and public-facing jobs expect solid German. Crucially, German competence becomes effectively mandatory later for permanent residency and citizenship.
Jobs in demand
- Software Developers and IT Specialists
- Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Registered Nurses and Care Workers
- Doctors and Medical Specialists
- Electricians and Skilled Tradespeople
- Plumbers and HVAC Technicians
- Roofers and Construction Workers
- Data Scientists and Analysts
What it costs
Austria's official immigration fees are modest and fixed, so your real budget goes on document preparation (certified translations, apostilles and qualification recognition) plus relocation and the deposit for your first flat. Health insurance and proof of funds are checked, not paid to the state.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Red-White-Red Card / Blue Card application fee | €218 application fee (2026) |
| Certified document translations | €300 to €800 depending on volume |
| Qualification recognition (Nostrifizierung), if required | €150 to €600+ |
| Flight (one way) | €150 to €600 |
| Apartment deposit and agency fees | 3 to 6 months' rent |
| First month living costs | €1,500 to €2,500 |
Path to PR and citizenship
- After roughly five years of continuous, lawful residence you can apply for a long-term settlement permit (Daueraufenthalt-EU), Austria's permanent residency, which requires stable income, health insurance and typically German at B1 level plus an integration exam.
- Citizenship is far stricter: generally ten years of residence (sometimes six with strong integration or B2 German), a clean record and proven means.
- Austria does not normally permit dual citizenship, so naturalising usually means renouncing your original nationality, one of the strictest rules in Europe.
FAQs
Do I need a job offer to move to Austria?
Usually yes. Most Red-White-Red Card routes and the EU Blue Card require a binding job offer meeting a minimum salary. The main exception is the Very Highly Qualified Workers route, which lets high-scoring applicants enter on a six-month jobseeker visa to find a role first, and the start-up founder card, which needs a business plan and capital instead.
How does the Red-White-Red Card points system work?
It scores you across qualifications, work experience, age, language skills (German and English) and, for some categories, salary. Each route has its own points threshold. You can test yourself free on the official migration.gv.at calculator before committing to translations or an application.
Can I get permanent residency in Austria, and how long does it take?
Yes. After about five years of continuous lawful residence you can apply for the Daueraufenthalt-EU long-term settlement permit, provided you have stable income, health insurance and meet the German-language and integration requirements (typically B1).
Does Austria allow dual citizenship?
Generally no. Austria has one of Europe's strictest rules and normally requires you to renounce your existing nationality when naturalising, with only limited exceptions. Permanent residency, however, lets you live and work in Austria indefinitely while keeping your current passport.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and rules change often. Always confirm the current requirements on the official government website for your destination. How we research & source our guides.
What is changing in Austria, and when
- Tightened
EU temporary protection for Ukrainians ends (extended to 2028)
Temporary protection now runs until 4 March 2028, so use the time to move onto a national work or residence permit. Source (Council of the EU)
Could Austria work for you?
Most refusals come from the wrong route or a weak document. Check yours before you spend.
Already there? Read the arrival guide for Austria →
