Entry Permits (Visa)

• I) Airport Transit Visa (Visa A)
• II) Travel/Schengen Visa (Visa C)
  For travel up to 90 days (within a 6 month period) in Austria and/or the Schengen countries.
  Australian and New Zealand citizens do not require a Visa C unless the stay is work related (short term employment in Austria, work-related training course).
• III) Visitor Visa (Austrian National Visa D)
  For stays between 91 days and 6 months/year in Austria.
• IV) Austrian Job-Seeker Visa
  For highly qualified professionals (business leaders, researchers etc.)

• The "Schengen Visa Application Form" has to be used for all visa categories;
• For information on supporting documents for Visa categories A and D see "Documents to be submitted" of the Schengen-Visa (C) information below;
• It is recommended to lodge the application at least 15 days prior to your travel;

• Overview of Visa Categories
• General Information on Visa Appliation for Austria
• I) Airport Transit Visa (Visa A)
• II) Schengen Visa (Visa C) - General information
• Where should you apply?
• Documents to be submitted
• III) Austrian National Visa D (Visitor and Student Visa)
• Temporary Employment and Work-related Training in Austria (up to 6 months)
• IV) Austrian Job-Seeker Visa

Airport Transit: Connecting through an international airport in the Schengen countries without leaving the transit area of the airport (arriving from a non-Schengen country and exiting to a non-Schengen country).

Only travellers of the following countries require an Airport Transit Visa when transiting through an international airport in the Schengen-area: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka.

Please note: For transit between two Schengen-countries you will have to pass the border control and enter the Schengen-region. Therefore a Schengen visa C will be required.

Exemptions apply for holders of entry/residence permits of one of the Schengen member states and certain other countries (e.g. Canada, USA).

Please use the Schengen-visa application form to apply for this visa.

A Schengen visa is valid and for the following 26 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland for a maximum stay of 90 days within a 6 month period.

A Schengen visa issued by an Embassy or Consulate of the above stated countries incidentally allows the holder to travel freely in all of these countries.

Note: A Schengen visa does not grant the right to work; in order to work in one of the Schengen countries a work permit is necessary. Please inquire with the representation.

1. If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your main destination. It is generally defined in terms of length and purpose of the stay.
2.  If an equal amount of time is intended to be spent in two or more Schengen countries, apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your first point of entry.

Note: Some countries are represented by another Schengen country concerning visa matters. Please consult the table below.

A. Documentation relating to the applicant

• A passport or official travel document with a validity that exceeds the end of your intended stay by at least three months. Please make sure your passport has at least 2 double spare pages to affix the visa.
  Note: If the passport or travel document is not recognized by one or more Schengen countries, it is still possible to obtain a visa. This visa will then be restricted to those Schengen countries which accept the passport or travel document.
• One visa application form. Please fill out the application form completely and legibly in blue or black ink. Please consult the "Schengen Visa Application Table" above regarding personal appearance.
• One recent passport-size photo which is of biometric passport photo quality. Please refer to the website of the representation for information regarding the requirements of the photos.

See biometric passport picture criteria for information on passport pictures. 

B. Documentation relating to the purpose of the Journey

Please provide original documents only. In certain cases a copy by fax or email may be accepted.

Business trips: 

• An invitation from a firm or an authority to attend meetings, conferences or events connected with trade, industry or work;
• Other documents which show the existence of trade relations or relations for work purposes;
• Entry tickets for fairs and congresses, if appropriate;
• Documents proving the business activities of the company;
• Documents proving the applicant's employment status in the company;

Journeys undertaken for the purposes of study or other types of training:

• A certificate of enrolment at an educational establishment for the purposes of attending vocational or theoretical courses within the framework of basic and further training;
• Student cards or certificates of the courses to be attended;

Journeys undertaken for the purposes of tourism or for private reasons:

• Documents relating to accommodation:
  • Invitation and officially registered sponsorship form from the host if staying with one; for Austria: Electronic Guarantee Letter (see information leaflet in German below)
  • Document from the establishment providing accommodation or any other appropriate document indicating the accommodation envisaged (e.g. hotel reservation); for Austria: registration of residency of the host in Austria - 'Meldezettel'
  • For Poland: Official invitation registered in Poland (in proper Urzad Wojewodzki)
• Documents relating to the itinerary:
  • Confirmation of the booking of an organised trip or any other appropriate document indicating the envisaged travel plans;
  • In the case of transit: visa or other entry permit for the third country of destination; tickets for onward journey;

Journeys undertaken for political, scientific, cultural, sports or religious events or other reasons: 

• Invitation, entry tickets, enrolments or programmes stating (wherever possible) the name of the host organisation and the length of stay or any other appropriate document indicating the purpose of the journey;

Journeys of members of official delegations who, following an official invitation addressed to the government of the third country concerned, participate in meetings, consultations, negotiations or exchange programmes as well as in events held in the territory of a Member State by intergovernmental organisations: 

• Letter issued by an authority of the third country concerned confirming that the applicant is a member of the official delegation travelling to a Member State to participate in the above mentioned events, accompanied by a copy of the official invitation;

Journeys undertaken for medical reasons: 

• Official document of the medical institution confirming necessity for medical care in that institution and proof of sufficient financial means to pay for the medical treatment.

C. Documentation allowing for the assessment of the applicants intention to leave the territory of the member states

• Reservation of return or round ticket;
• Proof of financial means in the country of residence: bank statements
• Proof of employment;
• Proof of real estate property;
• Proof of integration into the country of residence: family ties: professional status.

D. Documentation in relation to the applicants family status

• Consent of parental authority or legal guardian (when a minor does not travel with them);
• Proof of family ties with the host/inviting person.

E. Other documentation

• Proof of travel insurance covering the cost of repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical treatment and/or urgent hospitalisation or costs incurred in the event of your death while in the Schengen area. The insurance must be valid throughout all of the Schengen countries and must cover the whole duration of your stay. The minimum cover is EUR 30.000.
• Visa handling fee (see Practical Advice for consular fees list)

Note:

1. The application may be lodged not earlier than 3 months before the start of the intended travel
2. The applicant is informed that submitting the above mentioned documents does not guarantee automatic issuance of the visa. The officer may always require supplementary documentation to verify if the visa application is justified.
3. Once the application file has been accepted for processing a stamp indicating date of acceptance and the Embassy seal will be affixed in the passport, regardless of whether the visa will be issued.
4. All original documents will be returned to the applicant.

Personal appearance:

A personal appearance is required. Please consult the "Schengen Visa Application Table" above in this regard. The visa officer may still decide that an interview at the Consulate is required.

If you intend to stay in Austria for more than 90 days and less than six months (tourism, business trip, student exchange) per year and you are neither EU or EFTA citizen, you require an Austrian national visa (Visa D).

According to the Schengen Visa Codex the holder of a national visa issued by Austria or one of the Schengen-countries is entitled to travel the other Schengen-countries for a maximum of 90 days within a 6 months period (i.e. the maximum validity of the Austrian visa D) during the validity of the national visa and after the visa has expired.

The National visa D is not a work permit! See "temporary employment" for details.

The application for the Visa D has to be lodged in person at the Embassy in Canberra or at one of our Consulates in Australia or New Zealand (see "Austrian offices").

Please use the Schengen-visa application form to apply for this visa.

Visa-free entry for eligible (non-EU) countries only applies for tourism purposes and short business trips (meetings, conferences etc.).

A visa will be required if you

• plan to take up temporary employment (with the relevant work permit or registration - under clearly specified circumstances e.g. seconded employee, artist or entertainer on short-term engagement, journalist on short-term assignment etc.); 
• you are sent for work related training to Austria (registration with the Austrian Employment Office - "AMS-Anzeigebestätigung" necessary);
• plan to do an internship or voluntary work in Austria ("AMS-Anzeigebetätigung" required)

Visa category:

• For stays up to 90 days: Visa C
• For stays between 91 days and 6 months: Visa D
• For stays exceeding 6 months per year: Austrian Residence Permit

This visa is designed to allow highly qualified professionals (such as business leaders, researchers, university professors etc.) to search for employment in Austria directly. The application process takes approx. 2 months, the visa will be issued with a maximum validity of 6 months.
To continue the legal stay in Austria after a job offer was found the relevant residence permit (Red-White-Red-Card) has to be applied for during the legal stay in Austria (validity of the visa). If the holder of this visa was unable to find employment in Austria he has to leave the country before the visa expires.
Re-application of this visa is only possible 12 months after the previous visa has expired.

Last updated: 20 January 2012