Living in Austria

This guide sets out essential information for British citizens moving to or living in Austria. Read about how our embassy in Austria can help.

This information is provided as a guide only. You should get definitive information from the Austrian authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.

Read general guidance on moving or retiring abroad.

To stay up to date:

• sign up for email alerts to this guidance
• follow the British Embassy Vienna on Facebook and Twitter

If you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

Some parts of this guide only apply if you have been living in Austria since before 1 January 2021. You should read these in addition to the rest of the guidance in each section.

You should also read our Living in Europe page for detailed guidance about citizens’ rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Coronavirus

Follow the advice of the Austrian Government and your local authority. You should also read the Austria travel advice.

For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a UK national in Austria read coronavirus travel advice.

Visas and residency

You must tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

Check the entry requirements for Austria. The immigration rules for third country nationals apply. A third country national is someone who does not have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality.

Visas and residency if you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

If you applied for your new Article 50 residence card by 31 December 2021 your rights are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, pending a decision on your application. You should continue the process to get your new residence card if you do not have it yet.

You must renew your Article 50 residence card before it expires. You will not receive an official reminder to do this, so note the expiry date. You can renew it at your regional immigration authority. In Vienna, this is the MA35, in other regions, the local ‘Magistrat’ or ‘Bezirkshauptmannschaft’.

If you have not had a decision on your Article 50 residence card application, keep the ‘Bestätigung über die Antragstellung’ letter you received when applying as evidence of your application. You should check your junk or spam email folders for an email from the authorities.

Appeal process

If your application is refused, you will be told why and receive instructions on how to appeal. If you want to appeal, you must do so promptly, before the deadline you have been given.

If you cannot pay for a lawyer, read the Austrian government’s information about legal aid (in German). Legal aid does not cover the costs of the other party (including their court and lawyer fees) if you lose the case.

If your Article 50 card application is refused, you may be able to apply for residence as a third country national.

Read guidance on third country national residency cards in Austria. If it takes more than 90 days to get an alternative residency status, you may need to leave Austria and the Schengen area while you wait for this.

If you are not eligible for another residency status, you will have to leave Austria.

Late applications

The deadline for applying for an Article 50 residence card was 31 December 2021. You can still apply if you have reasonable grounds for missing it. These include severe illness, or, for children, if their parent or guardian did not apply earlier for them. Contact your local Magistrat or Bezirkshauptmannschaft to apply as soon as possible.

Family members

Your close family members continue to be able to join you and settle in Austria at any pointtime in the future. Find more information on who this applies to in the Living in Europe guidance. They must travel to Austria and then submit an Article 50 residence card application as your family member.

Nationals of certain non-EU countries may need a visa before travel. The Austrian authorities should issue family reunion visas free of charge.

Passports and travel

Coronavirus travel restrictions may affect travel to and from Austria.

You can apply for or renew your British passport from Austria.

Check the Austria travel advice for passport validity requirements.

Always carry your passport when travelling within the Schengen area. If you have citizenship of an EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country, in addition to your British citizenship, you should enter and leave Austria using your EU or EFTA passport.

If you stay in Austria with an Austrian residence permit or long-stay visa, this time does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit for the Schengen area.

If you visit other Schengen area countries outside Austria, make sure you do not exceed the visa-free 90 days in any 180-day period. You are responsible for counting how long you stay under the Schengen visa waiver, and you must comply with its conditions.

Different rules apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen area. Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.

If you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

When you travel, carry your Article 50 residence card or frontier worker permit issued under the Withdrawal Agreement, in addition to your valid passport.

You must proactively show your residence document, or other evidence of residence status, if you are asked to show your passport at border control. If you have applied for, but not yet received, your residence document, show your certificate of application.

If you cannot prove that you are a resident in Austria, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the EU. Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in the country or countries where you live or work. If a passport is stamped, the stamp is considered null and void when you can show evidence of lawful residence.

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can enter and exit Austria with a valid passport. You do not need any additional validity on the passport beyond the dates on which you are travelling.

Healthcare

Read our guidance on healthcare in Austria and make sure you are correctly registered for your circumstances.

Travel insurance is not intended to cover healthcare costs if you live overseas.

You should also read our guidance on:

• finding an English-speaking doctor in Austria (in German)
• searching for an English-speaking doctor in Vienna (in German)
• finding English-speaking medical facilities and practitioners in Austria
• travelling with medicines

Mountain rescue is not covered by standard Austrian health insurance.

Working in Austria

If you are planning to come to Austria and work, you may need a visa. Read the Austrian government’s guidance on work visas and migration to Austria.

To apply for a job you may need to provide:

• UK police certificate
• Austrian criminal records certificate (Strafregisterbescheinigung)

Read:

• working or providing services in Austria
• working in an EU country
• EU guidance on working in an EU country

If you work in Austria, even if you work for a UK-based company, this may affect where you pay National Insurance-type contributions. Read the National insurance and social security contributions section for more information.

If you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

You have the right to work under the Withdrawal Agreement if you have an Article 50 residence card, or have applied for one.

If you live in Austria and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EFTA country before 1 January 2021, read our guidance for frontier workers.

Professional qualifications

You may need to get your professional qualification recognised if you want to work in a profession that is regulated in Austria.

If you are offering a professional service in Austria check your qualification or professional status is currently recognised. It may not be if you are not currently an active, fee-paying member of the relevant business chamber. Find out if you need to take any further action:

• ENIC NARIC is the information centre for the academic and professional recognition of qualifications
• contact the Austrian single point of contact for service providers (in German)
• check with the business chamber that covers your professional area, such as the Chamber of Lawyers, (in German), the Chamber of Auditors (in German) and Chamber of Doctors (in German)
• contact the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (teachers only) (in German)

If you are unsure which is the relevant organisation, contact the National Contact Point in Austria.

Read guidance on:

• recognition of professional qualifications
• how to get your qualification recognised in Austria

Recognition of legal qualifications

If you’re a UK-qualified lawyer working in Austria, using either an Austrian or UK professional title, you should contact the local Bar Association in the region in which you are working or the Austrian Federal Bar Association for specific advice.

If you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

If the relevant regulator in Austria officially recognised your professional qualification before 1 January 2021, or you started the recognition process by this date, make sure you understand the terms of your decision. You should get advice from the relevant regulator.

Studying in Austria

If you plan to study in Austria, you must meet all visa requirements before you travel.

Contact the relevant higher education provider in Austria to check what fees you may have to pay.

Read the Austrian Agency for International cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD) website for more information on entry and admission requirements.

Read guidance on:

• continuing your studies in the EU
• studying in the European Union
• healthcare for students in Austria

If you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

The studying in the European Union guidance includes information if you were already living in Austria before 1 January 2021.

Tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Austria so that you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.

As an Austrian resident, you must declare your global income to the Austrian authorities, no matter which country it came from. You can ask the relevant tax authority about double taxation relief.

You should get professional advice on paying tax in Austria. You can find a tax adviser (Steuerberater) or accountant at Kammer der Wirtschaftstreuhänder (in Austrian)German) or find an English-speaking lawyer in Austria.

Read guidance on:

• tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
• tax on your UK income if you live abroad
• paying income tax in Austria
• tax if you get a pension and live abroad
• paying income tax in Austria
• EU factsheet on buying goods online from UK websites

National insurance and social security contributions

National Insurance-type contributions (NIC) are called ‘social security contributions’ (SSC) in Austria. Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Austria.

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Benefits

UK benefits

Read guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Austria.

Check which UK benefits you can claim while abroad and how to claim them.

Many income-related benefits such as pension credit and housing benefit cannot be paid to you if you’re abroad for more than 4 weeks.

Austrian benefits

You may be eligible to claim some Austrian social security benefits.

If you were living in Austria before 1 January 2021

If you have your Article 50 residence card or applied for one before 31 December 2021 and have not yet received a decision, you have the same access to Austrian benefits as EU nationals. You may be eligible to claim some Austrian social security benefits.

Pensions

Read guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Austria.

Read State Pension guidance if you have lived in Australia, Canada or New Zealand and you are claiming or waiting to claim your UK State Pension.

If you retire in Austria, you can claim:

• your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre for further information
• your Austrian State Pension if you worked in Austria
• pensions if you’ve worked in other EU countries

Read the Money and Pension Service Moneyhelper’s guidance on pension and retirement for more information on cross-border pensions.

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you must respond as soon as possible. Your payments may be suspended if you do not.

Money and banking

Whether UK banks can provide services to customers living in the EEA depends on local laws and regulation. Read the Money and Pension Service’s MoneyHelper guidance on banking, insurance and financial services for more information on cross-border banking.

Accommodation and buying property

Property ownership laws in Austria vary by province.

Read guidance on how to buy a property abroad.

Driving in Austria

Read the guidance on what you must do to drive legally in Austria:

• what you need to drive in the EU
• driving licence rules in Austria if you live there
• road travel in Austria

Third-party car insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung) is compulsory in Austria.

You cannot renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence if you live in Austria. If you lose your licence you need a ‘certificate of entitlement’ to apply for an Austrian licence.

A ‘certificate of entitlement’ sets out the categories of vehicles you are entitled to drive. You should obtain this from the authority which issued your licence. You need to have the certificate translated into German.

Exchanging your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence

If you live in Austria, you must exchange your licence for an Austrian one within 6 months of arriving. After 6 months you can no longer use your licence to drive in Austria, but can still exchange it for an Austrian one, for as long as it is valid. You do not need to take a driving test to exchange your licence. You cannot use an International Driving Permit (IDP) instead of exchanging your licence.

Disabled drivers

If you have a UK Blue Badge and live in Austria, you must return it to the original UK issuing authority in the UK. You can apply for a new Austrian disabled parking card. Read the EU guidance on the EU parking card for people with disabilities.

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to Austria

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

If you bring your personal vehicle with you from the UK when moving to Austria, you have to apply for an exemption (‘Abgabenbefreieung’)(Abgabenbefreieung) to not pay any import duty.

If you import a vehicle from the UK after moving to Austria, you will have to pay import duties based on the value of your car, and potentially tariffs, depending on the origin of the vehicle.

Read the Austrian government’s guidance on taxes when moving to Austria.

If your primary residence is in Austria, you may use your vehicle with foreign number plates for 1 month in Austria. You must then:

• register your vehicle
• pay a one-off fuel consumption tax (NoVA - Normverbrauchsabgabe) at your local tax office
• exchange your UK number plates for Austrian plates at your nearest vehicle registration office (Kfz-Zulassungsstelle)

You need proof of insurance before you can get your number plates (Autokennzeichen) and car registration document (Zulassungsschein). Your insurer can advise you how to get these.

Driving outside Austria with an Austrian licence

You can use your Austrian licence when visiting the UK. Keep up-to-date with the UK Highway Code.

If you go to live in the UK, you can exchange your Austrian licence for a UK one without taking a test.

To drive in another country, in addition to your Austrian licence, you may need to apply for an IDP.

Read the EU guidance on:

• EU driving licences and insurance
• driving licence exchange and recognition in the EU

Voting

You cannot vote in elections in Austria.

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter

Births, deaths, marriage and civil partnerships

If your child is born in Austria, you can register the birth with the UK authorities in addition to registering locally. If your child has British nationality, you do not need to register the birth with the UK authorities to apply for a British passport.

If someone dies in Austria you can read our guidance on:

• what to do after someone dies abroad
• bereavement in Austria
• finding English-speaking funeral directors in Austria

Find out how you can get married or a civil partnership abroad.

You may also need:

• notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Austria
• English-speaking lawyers in Austria
• translators and interpreters in Austria

Pets

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Before you travel, check the rules for the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements.

Emergencies

Dial the European emergency number 112 in Austria for the police, ambulance or fire brigade, or dial:

• 122 for the fire brigade
• 128 for gas-related emergencies
• 133 for police
• 140 for mountain rescue
• 141 for doctors
• 142 for telephone counselling
• 144 for rescue/ambulance
• 147 for emergency services for children and young people

Dial the EU 116 000 hotline to report a missing child in the EU country where you live or in another EU country.

If you need guidance on child abduction, read the guidance on international parental child abduction; the EU guidance on child abduction and EU guidance on child abduction to another EU country.

If you’re the victim of a crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis, contact the British Embassy Vienna.

Returning to the UK

Check the COVID-19 travel guidance for entering the UK.

Tell the Austrian and UK authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently.

To help prove you are now living in the UK, de-register with your:

• local registration office (Gemeindeamt or Magistrat)
• health insurance provider (Krankenkasse)
• bank and local service providers

To move your pension to the UK, contact the International Pension Centre and your local social insurance organisation (in Austrian).German).

If you get healthcare in Austria through the S1 form, you must contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 (0)191 218 1999 and your local social insurance organisation to make sure your S1 is cancelled at the right time.

Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, bringing family members, tax and access to services.

Useful information

Support for British nationals abroad: a guide sets out how to stay safe abroad, and explains how the FCDO can support you if you get into difficulty.