Austria family reunification visa

Family of Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card holders, long-term residents, certain settlement or researcher permit holders and refugees receive the RWR card plus. Family of Austrian citizens receive the "Family Member" permit. Family of settlement permit holders receive a settlement permit, subject to quota where it applies. No quota applies to family of RWR or Blue Card holders, Austrian citizens or researchers.

Other dependants of Austrian citizens, such as parents or life partners, can receive a "Settlement Permit – Dependant" with the sponsor’s liability declaration; it allows self-employment only. A child born in Austria can be registered for a permit in Austria within six months of birth if the parent holds a valid title.

At first application you must show basic German at A1 level with a recognised diploma (for example ÖIF, Goethe-Institut or telc), not older than one year. Exempt are children under 14, people whose health prevents it, family of certain highly qualified sponsors, family of refugees and those staying no longer than 24 months within three years.

A written declaration that you will stay no more than 24 months within three years, combined with an irrevocable waiver of a later extension, also exempts you from the A1 requirement; a medical exemption needs a report from an Austrian consular doctor.

The family needs a fixed, regular income at least at the 2026 standard rates: EUR 1,308.39 for a single person, EUR 2,064.12 for a married couple, plus EUR 201.88 per child. Social welfare benefits are not accepted. Housing must be adequate for the family by local standards, and health insurance must cover all risks in Austria; family of RWR or Blue Card holders and of Austrian citizens are usually co-insured.

Applications are usually filed at the Austrian representation abroad; family of Austrian citizens may file in Austria after lawful entry. The fee is EUR 218, and the authority must decide within six months.

Register your address at the registration office (Meldezettel) within three days of moving in and collect the residence card from the competent residence authority. Holders of most residence titles must fulfil the integration agreement (Module 1, A2 German) within two years.

Family permits are generally issued for 12 months. The Red-White-Red Card plus and the Family Member permit are issued for three years once Module 1 of the integration agreement is completed and you have lived lawfully in Austria for two uninterrupted years. Renew in person at the residence authority for your place of residence in Austria, no earlier than three months before the card expires and no later than its expiry date; the fee is EUR 218. A timely application keeps your right of residence and your current labour-market access until the decision, and a confirmation valid for up to three months can be placed in your passport so that you can travel back to Austria. A late application only counts as a renewal if an unforeseeable event stopped you and you apply within two weeks after it ends; otherwise it is treated as a first application.

The authority must decide without undue delay and at the latest six months after receiving the application. A refusal can be challenged before the Provincial Administrative Court of the federal state, which is bound by the same six-month limit.