Students without entrance examination694Students with entrance examination694Family members694Other important information694

You have to apply for the residence permit in person at the competent Austrian representative authority (embassy, consulate-general) abroad before travelling to Austria. The application will be forwarded to Austria by the representative authority and processed by the competent Austrian authority.
Since you have to await the decision in your home country you should apply at least 3 months before the intended entry to Austria.

If the Austrian authority decides to grant you the permit, the representative authority will inform you and issue a residence visa D for entry to Austria. You have to apply for this visa within 3 months of getting the information. You then have to collect the residence permit in Austria within 6 months of getting the information, in any case within the validity period of the visa.

Exception: If you are allowed to enter Austria without a visa you can apply for your residence permit during your visa-free stay in Austria. The application, however, does not permit you to stay longer than your visa-free stay; therefore you should apply for the residence permit as soon as possible after coming to Austria without a visa.

The residence permit is issued in the form of a credit card-sized card with photo, it also serves as an ID document. You should carry your residence permit at all times in Austria or keep it in a place near you.

To apply you need the following documents:

• fully completed and signed application form for a residence permit for students (Aufenthaltsbewilligung "Studierender"; explanation)
• recent colour photograph, size between 3.5 x 4.5 cm and 4.0 x 5.0 cm
• valid passport
• birth certificate
• Notification of admission (Zulassungsbescheid, Aufnahmebestätigung) of the university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) or other educational institution
• Proof of sufficient financial means to finance your stay: students up to 24 years of age have to prove that they have at least 462.60 euros per month, students of 24 years of age or older have to prove that they have at least 837.63 euros per month [as of 2013] – these amounts have to be proved for a maximum of 12 months – e.g. by means of a savings account or a bank account at a bank (the account has to be accessible from Austria) or a (declaration of guarantee) of a person living in Austria or proof of purchase of traveller’s cheques for the necessary amount or a confirmation of the award of a scholarship/grant;
  if the costs for accommodation exceed 267.64 euros/month, you have to prove additional funds
• Proof of accommodation in Austria: e.g. tenancy contract, assignment for the right of use of accommodation with private person (e.g. family memebr, flat share, friend, ...), accommodation contract of a student hall of residence, confirmation of the reservation of accommodation by the OeAD Housing Office
• Proof of a health insurance ("travel health insurance") valid from entry to the beginning of your studies in Austria or to the beginning of your student insurance. The application for a student insurance with the Austrian national health insurance carrier (Gebietskrankenkasse) has to be proved upon request of the Austrian authority.
• police record/certificate of good conduct (where available)

Please note

You have to submit all documents in the original and in photocopy. All documents have to be legalised and documents in languages other than German have to be submitted together with a legalised German translation.

A fee of 120 euros is payable for the residence permit. 80 euros of this have to be paid when you apply at the representative authority. Another 20 euros for the collection of police identification data ("Personalisierungsgebühr"). The remaining 20 euros you have to pay when collecting your residence permit in Austria. Additional fees may occur.

top

If you have to sit an entrance examination at an Austrian university or university of the arts, you have to do the following (unless you are allowed to enter Austria without a visa):

Upon application the university will issue a "conditional letter of admission" (bedingter Zulassungsbescheid). With the conditional letter of admission and all other necessary documents (see above) you have to apply in person for a residence permit at the competent Austrian representative authority.

Sufficient financial means and accommodation, however, only have to be “shown credibly” for the time being, e.g. by a confirmation of maintenance payments by your parents, preliminary rental contract or reservation of a room in a student hall of residence.

Since you have to await the processing of your application in your home country you should apply for your residence permit at least three months before the date of the entrance examination.

In case of a favourable decision of the Austrian authority about your residence permit application you have to apply at the representative authority for a visa D for travelling to Austria. The representation authority will issue the visa D for a validity period of 4 months.

With the visa D you can travel to Austria to sit the entrance exam. If you pass the entrance exam you have to submit your definite notification of admission (Zulassungsbescheid/Aufnahmebestätigung) and documents that prove that you have sufficient financial means and accommodation to the competent Austrian authority (examples see above) to get your residence permit. You have to collect your residence permit within the validity period of your visa.

Students who are allowed to enter Austria without a visa can sit the exam without a visa and afterwards apply for their residence permit in Austria during their visa-free stay.

The residence permit is issued in the form of a credit card-sized card with photo, it also serves as an ID document. You should carry your residence permit at all times in Austria or keep it in a place near you.

To apply you need the following documents:

• fully completed and signed application form for a residence permit for students (Aufenthaltsbewilligung "Studierender"; explanation)<//span>
• recent colour photograph, size between 3.5 x 4.5 cm and 4.0 x 5.0 cm
• valid passport
• birth certificate
• Notification of admission (Zulassungsbescheid, Aufnahmebestätigung) of the university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) or other educational institution
• Proof of sufficient financial means to finance your stay: students up to 24 years of age have to prove that they have at least 462.60 euros per month, students of 24 years of age or older have to prove that they have at least 837.63 euros per month [as of 2013] – these amounts have to be proved for a maximum of 12 months – e.g. by means of a savings account or a bank account at a bank (the account has to be accessible from Austria) or a (declaration of guarantee) of a person living in Austria or proof of purchase of traveller’s cheques for the necessary amount or a confirmation of the award of a scholarship/grant;
  if the costs for accommodation exceed 267.64 euros/month, you have to prove additional funds<//span>
• Proof of accommodation in Austria: e.g. tenancy contract, assignment for the right of use of accommodation with private person (e.g. family member, flat share, friend, ...) accommodation contract of a student hall of residence, confirmation of the reservation of accommodation by the OeAD Housing Office
• Proof of a health insurance ("travel health insurance") valid from entry to the beginning of your studies in Austria or to the beginning of your student insurance. The application for a student insurance with the Austrian national health insurance carrier (Gebietskrankenkasse) has to be proved upon request of the Austrian authority.
• police record/certificate of good conduct (where available)

Please note

You have to submit all documents in the original and in photocopy. All documents have to be legalised and documents in languages other than German have to be submitted together with a legalised German translation.

A fee of 120 euros is payable for the residence permit. 80 euros of this have to be paid when you apply at the representative authority. Another 20 euros for the collection of police identification data ("Personalisierungsgebühr"). The remaining 20 euros you have to pay when collecting your residence permit in Austria. Additional fees may occur. The visa for collecting the residence permit in Austria after having been informed by the Austrian authority is free of charge.

top

Family members of students (spouse, unmarried minors) each have to apply for a residence permit Family (Aufenthaltsbewilligung “Familiengemeinschaft”) for entry to Austria.

In addition to a valid residence permit of the student all the above-mentioned documents must also be submitted for each member of the family, such as funding of at least 1,255.89 euros per month for couples, an additional 129.24 euros per month for each child [as at 2013]) and proof of being related to the student (e.g. marriage certificate) and of living together as a family in the home country has to be produced.

top

During its validity period the residence or settlement permit also entitles you to travel through other Schengen countries and to stay in these countries for a maximum duration of 3 months.

Schengen countries are the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Within 3 working days of arrival in Austria you have to register with the registration office (Meldeamt) at your place of residence.

If you wish to work in Austria beside your studies please make sure to enquire about the legal regulations before taking up a job! Working in Austria illegally may lead to fines or prison sentences as well as to expulsion from Austria. Further information is available in the category Working in Austria.

Before expiry of the residence permit you can apply for its renewal in Austria.

Graduates who have completed at least the second part of a diploma programme or a full Master programme at an Austrian university, university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) or accredited private university and who have found employment in Austria may apply for a "Rot-Weiss-Rot – Karte". More Information

top

top Print this page

OeAD-GmbH 1010 Wien Ebendorferstraße 7 | T +43 1 534 08-0 webmaster@oead.at | ISO 9001 | 19.06.2013