Central Europe · Immigration

Austria

52 immigration routes

Austria sits in Central Europe. Its immigration system runs 52 distinct routes — led by work, family and residence-based status, each set out in official law. 49 of them cite an official government source, shown on the route with the date we last read it. Who actually qualifies depends on your full profile.

1 further route is recorded for Austria but not shown here — its details are still under review.

Immigration routes
52across 13 route categories, each set out in official law
Source-cited routes
49 of 52cite an official government source, with the date we last read it
Largest category
Work16 of the 52 routes — see them under Work below
Region
Central Europe
Capital
Vienna
Population
9,208,163
Official language
German
Currency
EUR
Time zone
UTC+01:00
Source-cited pathways

Immigration routes

All 52 routes, grouped by purpose — 49 of 52 cite an official government source directly. Any route below without one says so on the route.

Work

16 routes

Highly qualified employment title for a third-country national with qualifying education or recent ICT experience, a matching six-month offer and the 2026 salary floor.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 3Process & costs: 1Report facts: 14
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Six-month Visa D for a very highly qualified third-country national who scores at least seventy points and does not yet have an Austrian job offer.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 2Process & costs: 2Report facts: 7
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Temporary project-specific route for a specially qualified worker employed exclusively on a defined company project for its implementation period.

Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 1Report facts: 11
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Employer-specific title for a third-country graduate of qualifying Austrian higher education who obtains a qualification-matched offer within the graduate job-search period.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Process & costs: 1Report facts: 10
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Employer-specific title for a third-country key worker meeting the 2026 salary floor, labour-market test and fifty-five-point minimum.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Process & costs: 1Report facts: 10
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Employer-specific residence and work title for a very highly qualified third-country national with at least seventy points and a matching adequately paid Austrian job offer.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Process & costs: 2Report facts: 10
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Direct intra-corporate transfer from a third country for a manager, specialist or graduate trainee temporarily assigned to an Austrian branch of the same company or group.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Process & costs: 3Report facts: 12
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Long-term intra-corporate mobility to Austria exceeding ninety days for a manager, specialist or trainee who already holds an ICT permit from another EU Member State.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 4Process & costs: 1Report facts: 11
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Residence title for a third-country worker posted to Austria by a foreign employer for more than six months to perform a temporary assignment.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 4Process & costs: 1Report facts: 10
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 3 sources

Time-limited tourism, agriculture or forestry work supported by an employer-filed AMS seasonal employment permit and the appropriate Visa C or D.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 1Report facts: 13
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Short-term dependent work, self-employment, seasonal work or a qualifying traineeship supported by the employment-law documents applicable to the activity.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 2Report facts: 7
Official government source: bmeia.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Business & self-employment

3 routes

Self-employment title for a third-country national whose Austrian activity creates macroeconomic benefit beyond the business's own operating benefit.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 4Report facts: 13
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Founder route for an innovative Austrian company supported by a coherent business plan, controlling management influence, minimum capital and at least fifty points.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Report facts: 13
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Temporary residence for a third-country national contracted to perform specified self-employed services in Austria for more than six months.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 4Process & costs: 1Report facts: 8
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Talent & merit

3 routes

Research mobility to Austria for a researcher already resident in another EU Member State under the EU research framework.

Eligibility: 3Documents: 4Report facts: 8
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-08-03 · 3 sources

Settlement for a third-country national whose dependent or self-employed activity consists primarily of artistic creation.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 5Process & costs: 3Report facts: 6
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-08-03 · 2 sources

Research settlement for a third-country national admitted by a certified research facility or an exempt qualifying institution such as a university.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 4Process & costs: 2Report facts: 7
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-08-03 · 3 sources

Study

2 routes

Temporary residence for a pupil at a qualifying public, public-law private or certified non-academic institution, including listed nursing training.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Process & costs: 3Report facts: 8
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Temporary residence for qualifying regular or extraordinary higher education, a qualifying university course or legally required post-study training.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 3Process & costs: 2Report facts: 11
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Family

7 of 8 source-cited · from €2,064.12/mo
8 routes

Embassy-filed family reunification for the spouse and unmarried minor children of a recognized refugee, or parents and minor siblings of a person who was a minor when applying for asylum.

Eligibility: 3Documents: 1Process & costs: 1Report facts: 5
Official government source: help.unhcr.org · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Family settlement for the spouse, registered partner or unmarried minor child of a qualifying Red-White-Red, Blue Card, long-term, Plus, self-employed, researcher or listed special-employment sponsor.

Income from €2,064.12/mo
Eligibility: 2Documents: 6Process & costs: 3Report facts: 10
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Temporary family permit for the spouse, registered partner or unmarried minor child of a qualifying ICT, mobile ICT, researcher-mobility, special-employment or student sponsor.

Income from €2,064.12/mo
Eligibility: 2Documents: 5Process & costs: 1Report facts: 8
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 3 sources

Settlement for an extended dependant of an Austrian national, including a maintained direct ascendant, qualifying long-term partner or other listed relative.

Income from €2,064.12/mo
Eligibility: 1Documents: 6Process & costs: 1Report facts: 12
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Quota-dependent family settlement for a qualifying spouse, partner or minor child of a holder of a settlement, dependant, artist or listed special-employment settlement permit.

Income from €2,064.12/mo
Eligibility: 2Documents: 6Process & costs: 1Report facts: 10
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Independent means

from €2,616.78/mo
1 route

Quota-limited settlement without work for a financially independent third-country national, including pensioners, who meets enhanced 2026 income levels.

Income from €2,616.78/mo
Eligibility: 1Documents: 4Process & costs: 1Report facts: 11
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-08-03 · 2 sources

Residence-based status

7 routes

Long-term status for a third-country national with five years of uninterrupted qualifying residence, general residence conditions and Integration Agreement Module 2.

Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 2Report facts: 8
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Conversion for a Red-White-Red Card or Austrian EU Blue Card holder who worked under the qualifying conditions for at least twenty-one of the preceding twenty-four months.

Eligibility: 1Process & costs: 2Report facts: 9
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Free movement

3 routes

Registration for an EEA or Swiss citizen staying in Austria for more than three months as a worker, self-employed person, self-sufficient person or student.

Eligibility: 2Documents: 4Process & costs: 1Report facts: 4
Official government source: oesterreich.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Derived residence registration for an EEA or Swiss family member accompanying or joining an EEA, Swiss or qualifying Austrian sponsor exercising EU free-movement rights.

Eligibility: 3Documents: 3Process & costs: 1Report facts: 4
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Youth mobility

1 route

Youth-mobility visa for a citizen of an Austrian working-holiday partner country who is normally aged 18 to 30 and meets the country-specific agreement.

Eligibility: 3Documents: 2Process & costs: 2Report facts: 6
Official government source: bmeia.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Cultural, religious & volunteer

2 routes

One-year non-renewable stay for unpaid social service with a non-partisan charitable non-profit organization outside the foreign-employment act.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 1Report facts: 14
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Temporary residence for work with an organization in the framework of the European Voluntary Service.

Eligibility: 1Documents: 1Report facts: 12
Official government source: migration.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26 · 3 sources

Short stay & visit

2 routes

Humanitarian protection

1 of 3 source-cited
3 routes

In-person protection claim in Austria by a person seeking recognition as a refugee or, if refugee status is not granted, subsidiary protection against a real risk of serious harm.

Official government source: help.unhcr.org · checked 2026-07-26 · 2 sources

Exceptional residence framework for cases involving private and family life, prolonged qualifying stay or other humanitarian circumstances assessed under Austrian law.

Official government source: bfa.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Temporary protection in Austria for people displaced from Ukraine who fall within the protected groups under Austria's displaced-person regime.

— Secondary source — not the enacting authority · checked 2026-07-26

Transit

1 route

Airport-transit permission for nationals who require a visa to remain in the international transit zone during an Austrian stopover.

Official government source: bmeia.gv.at · checked 2026-07-26

Official sources

Compiled by António Mira, founder · How we verify our data · Not legal advice — immigration rules and thresholds change; confirm with the official sources above before deciding.

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