Austria Immigration Services

Newland Chase offers full support with all aspects of corporate immigration to Austria. Please find an overview of the typical corporate immigration processes below. Every situation is unique, so please do get in touch, either through your usual Newland Chase contact or using the details on the right hand side of the page. Our immigration experts will be glad to discuss your needs in greater detail.

Immigration Summary

The Red-White-Red Card, which is a criteria-led (points-based) immigration system for locally-hired foreign nationals, leads to a combined work and residence permit and is applicable for a number of categories. Key Personnel must score at least 55 out of 90 points from categories including: qualification, work experience matching qualification, German language skills, English language skills and age. Applicants over 30 year of age must meet a higher minimum salary threshold. Applicants in designated Shortage Occupations have no minimum salary. Very Highly Qualified applicants must score at least 70 points.

The EU Blue Card is an EU-wide (with some exceptions) immigration process for highly-skilled employees with a three-year university degree, local job offer in the destination country and a salary at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary. This salary requirement is higher than that for the Very Highly Qualified category, but the EU Blue Card has fewer other qualifying criteria.

The Posting to Client Site (Betriebsentsendung) is applicable to applicants who are not nationals of EU or EFTA member states, and posted to Austria, if the sending company has no entity of its own in Austria, and the applicant is being sent to fulfil a contractual duty, for example to work in the facility of a client for a project. For postings longer than six months and up to two years, a residence permit is required.

For postings up to four months in projects lasting up to six months, a Posting Permit (Entsendebewilligung) may be an alternative to the Betriebsentsendung.

The Intra-Company Transfer Permit (EU Directive 2014/66) is only applicable to assignees falling into management/specialist or trainee categories sent to Austria for over 90 days from outside the EU and has a maximum total duration of stay of three years for managers/specialists and one year for trainees. Managers/specialists must have been employed by the sending company for at least nine months, and trainees for at least six months, prior to the transfer.

ICT permits under Directive 2014/66 allow mobility within EU member states - i.e. work permission is not required for EU ICT permit holders to work in other member states for less than 90 days and a streamlined Mobile ICT permit application may be applicable if working in other member states for longer than 90 days.

Non-EU/EFTA nationals employed outside the EU/EFTA and involved in a joint venture in Austria for up to six months (Temporary Assignment for Joint Venture (up to Six Months)) can apply for a Joint Venture Permit from the Austrian Employment Service instead of work authorisation.

Non-EU/EFTA nationals employed within the EU/EFTA and posted to Austria must submit a Posted Worker Notification and obtain a work visa.

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals do not require immigration documentation to live or work in Austria, unless accompanied by non-EU/EEA/Swiss family members, but must register their address within three days of arrival in Austria and, for stays longer than 90 days, must complete a residence registration.

A posted worker notification is required If the EU/EEA/Swiss national is seconded to Austria from within the EU, EEA or Switzerland.