Austria work visa (RWR Card for key workers)

Qualification (maximum 30): vocational training or special know-how 20, university entrance qualification 25, tertiary programme of three years or more 30. Work experience (maximum 20): 1 point per half-year, 2 per half-year in Austria. Languages (maximum 25): German A1 5, A2 10, B1 15; English A2 5, B1 10; other listed languages B1 5. Age (maximum 15): under 30 15, under 40 10. Bonus: English as company language 5; professional athletes and coaches 20.

The job must pay at least EUR 3,465 gross a month in 2026, in addition to the usual collective-agreement rules.

The AMS checks the points, salary and labour-market situation. The rest of the procedure is the same as for other Red-White-Red Cards: application abroad or by the employer in Austria, then a type D visa.

Once the residence authority approves the title, the Austrian mission informs you. With that notification you lodge the type D visa application (EUR 195), enter Austria and collect the card from the residence authority.

According to the official portal the whole procedure takes about eight weeks, depending on the completeness of the file and the workload of the authorities. The AMS only approves the card if no suitable jobseeker registered with it can fill the position.

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.

After at least 21 months of qualifying employment within the preceding 24 months you can obtain the Red-White-Red Card plus, which gives unlimited access to the labour market. Long-term resident EU status follows after five years with Module 2 of the integration agreement.

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.

Spouses or registered partners aged 21 or over and minor children of a Red-White-Red Card holder can apply for the Red-White-Red Card plus straight away, with unrestricted labour-market access and without quota. A1 German is required at first application unless an exemption applies.

The card is tied to the employer named in the application. To change job you file a new application; you may start provisionally with the new employer 45 days after a complete application, and missing documents stop that period.