Residential registration is mandatory in Austria. Any person establishing his/her residence in Austria is obliged to register with the respective competent authority within three (3) days of establishing the residence (“Meldezettel”). Registering is free, but you must do it in person by visiting the appropriate office in your district (“Magistratische Bezirksämter”).
As a qualified employee and citizen of a third country (a country outside the EU) seeking to live and work in Austria, your VISA application process begins with applying for a Red-White-Red Card. Your family members can apply for this as well.
The Red-White-Red Card is issued for a period of 24 months and entitles you to fixed-term residency and employment by the employer specified in your application. For Red-White-Red Card applicants there is a points system that evaluates your eligibility.
Points calculator:
https://www.migration.gv.at/fileadmin/schnelltest/index.php?st_start=1&st_lang=en
Responsible authority in Vienna: Municipal department 35 (Magistratsabteilung MA 35)
Family members (spouse and children aged 14 and older) of a RWR card-holder should have an A1 certificate in German before arriving in Austria. This means that they should attend German language courses in your home country before seeking residency in Austria.
If you’re coming from a non-EU country and expect to earn a gross annual income of at least one and a half times the average gross annual income of full-time employees (in 2018: at least € 60,948 which is about € 4,353 gross monthly income plus special payments), you may be eligible for an EU Blue Card. The EU Blue Card is a work permit issued by 25 out of 28 EU Member States to “highly-qualified” non-EU citizens.
For EU Blue Card applicants there is no points system.
Family members (spouse and children aged 14 and older) of EU Blue Card holders do not need an A1 certificate in German. Instead, they are asked to sign an integration agreement and commit to demonstrating their German skills within two years.
After holding your RWR card for 24 months, you will apply for the “RWR Card Plus,” which is good for three years.
The Red-White-Red Card plus entitles third-country nationals to fixed-term residency and unlimited access to the Austrian labour market (as a self-employed or an employed person, not limited to a specific employer).
Family members (spouse and children aged 14 and older) should have a B1 certificate in German. Unless they obtained this in your home country before coming to Austria, they will need to attend German courses and receive their certificate/s in Austria.Children who attend school in Austria can provide a school certificate and school attendance confirmation.
After five years of legal and continuous residency in Austria, you are eligible for the “Long-term resident — EU” permit.
The residence permit “Long-term resident – EU” grants permanent right of residence and unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market. The ID permit itself is shaped like a credit card and is valid for five years. When it expires, you must re-apply and it will be re-issued unless the residence permit has become invalid, unnecessary or has lapsed. This is similar to renewing a driver’s license. “ The application process for this residence permit includes an integration exam (covering Austrian history and civics) and B1 language certification.
Citizenship (after 10 years):
After a minimum 10 years of legal and nonstop residence in Austria, you can apply for Austrian citizenship.
You are required to present valid identification with photo (passport), residence confirmation (“Meldezettel”), and RWR card/Blue card in order to open a bank account (an account into which your salary is paid: “Gehaltskonto”). In addition to your standard account functions, you will also receive an ATM (“Bankomatkarte”) card from Maestro for cash and cash transactions, that functions like a credit card but only uses your available account funds. In addition, you can apply for a credit card. Normally, 7 to 14 working days pass before the cards arrive. Opening an account in Austria is typically not free, and monthly fees depend upon the bank.
More details are available at banks and financial institutions:
