Austrian Passport
The new biometric passport with fingerprints
All applicants (age 12 and older) for a new passport have to come to the Consulate General in Los Angeles in person to get fingerprinted.
Only the Austrian embassy or the following consulates are authorized to take fingerprints:
Consulate General Los Angeles
Embassy Washington, DC
Consulate General New York
Consulate General Chicago
Honorary Consulate Miami
Honorary Consulate Vancouver, BC
All current valid passports remain valid until their expiration date.
Austrian citizens living abroad permanently may also apply for an Austrian passport with the local authorities (city or county government) while in Austria.
It is no longer possible to have children entered in their parents' passport. The existing entries will stay valid until June 15, 2012.
Address and public hours, Consular fees
A) Issuance of new passports:
Austrian passports are usually valid for ten (10) years and can not be renewed. The machine-readable passports are issued in Austria; thus, it usually takes approx. four to six weeks before the new passport may be handed over to the applicant. (Please refrain from status-calls, you will be contacted by the Consulate upon the arrival of the passport!)
Please submit complete applications, as missing details will cause a substantial delay! MAKE SURE YOU SEND THE RIGHT PASSPORT-FOTOS (see below)
Documents, e.g. birth- or marriage certificates issued in the US must be authenticated by an Apostille according to the Hague Convention, issued by the Secretary of State. Documents issued by other countries need to be officially legalized and translated (list of states).
The following documents must be presented:
1. Application form - completed
For applications of minors, please check the information below.
Please adjust both printer and document to the correct paper size (A4 or letter)!
2. Affidavit - completed and signed
3. two recent EU-passport pictures
mouth closed, no background shadow - for more details see "passport picture criteria" below
4. Original Permanent Resident Card (or valid US-Visa/"Notice of Action")
5. Original Birth Certificate (US documents with Apostille from the Secretary of State)
6. Original Certificate of Citizenship
7. drivers licence with current address or utility bill as proof of residence in US
8. old passport or police report (if passport has been lost or stolen)
9. if applicable: original marriage certificate (US documents with Apostille from the Secretary of State)
10. if applicable: original of divorce decree(s) of former marriage(s) (US documents with Apostille from the Secretary of State)
11. if applicable: proof of academic degree in original
12. if applicable: proof of dual citizenship (Beibehaltungsbescheid), Certificate of Naturalization and US-passport
13. if applicable: proof of name change
14. Passport fee: Please enclose Money Order or Cashier's Check payable to the "Consulate General of Austria" (personal checks cannot be accepted!). You can also pay cash (always the exact change!). The fee changes slightly on the first day of every month: to find out the current fee click here
15. self-addressed and stamped envelope if you want your passport returned by mail
(the Consulate cannot be held liable for any loss or theft of documents while handled by a mail/postal service)
Please submit the original documents plus copies.
Please note the following regulations:
a) Minors:
Passports issued to minors are valid for:
less than two years old: two (2) years
over two years old but less than twelve years old: five (5) years
over twelve years of age: ten (10) years
Who can apply for a passport for minors?
- if parents are married: Both parents must sign the application form at the Consulate General or at an Honorary Consulate.
- if parents are not or no longer married: only the parent who has been granted the right to legally represent the child (divorce decree must be presented) can apply. This parent must either sign the application form at the Consulate General or at an Honorary Consulate.
Every child needs it's own passport. Over the age of 12, the child needs to get fingerprinted. It is not possible anymore to enter a child in either parent's passport.
The passport application for children under the age of 14 must be signed by both parents either at the Consulate General or at an Honorary Consulate. If the parents are divorced, the divorce decree must be presented.
Minors over the age of 14 may apply for a passport themselves provided both parents have signed the written consent on the back of the application form (either at the Consulate General or at an Honorary Consulate).
Minor passports:
passports for minors (without chip) that were issued between June 16 2006 and October 25 2006 do not require a visa to enter the USA until the expiration of the passport.
Surrogacy:
Surrogacy is banned in Austria, § § 2 and 3 Reproductive Medicine, Reproductive Medicine Act as amended, Federal Law Gazette 275/1992.
According o § 137b Civil Code the mother of a child is always the woman who gave birth to the child, that is, the surrogate mother - and not the contractor of the surrogacy.
The child of a (foreign) surrogate mother does not acquire Austrian citizenship under the § 7 of the Nationality Act 1985 as amended (Federal Law Gazette 311/1985) from the Austrian contractor of the surrogacy.
Under these circumstances the Austrian representative authorities abroad can therefore not provide an Austrian proof of citizenship nor an Austrian passport, nor issue an Austrian identity card for the child.
b) Family name of spouse:
If the wedding took place before May 1, 1995, the female spouse may add her maiden name to the new family name by means of a hyphen (e.g. familiy name - maiden name).
If the wedding took place on or after May 1, 1995, the family name that will be entered in the passport is the name both parties agreed to in writing at the wedding ceremony (as long as this name is in accordance with the Austrian legal system). If the shared family name is not explicitly stated on the marriage certificate, the family name of the husband is assumed to be the new family name of both spouses.
B) Changes in still valid passports:
It is not possible to change the family name in a current passport or to enter a child in your old or new passport. In that case, you have to apply for a new passport.
