Austrian e-card 2026: Photo Card, Fees and Digital e-card

The e-card is Austria’s electronic social insurance card. It is essential for accessing healthcare services in Austria and helps healthcare providers verify your insurance entitlement securely and efficiently.

Visit the official e-card website for further information in German.

What the e-card does

The e-card confirms your entitlement to healthcare services. Doctors’ practices, outpatient clinics and hospitals can scan it to check whether you are insured and under which conditions you can use the service, such as whether you are exempt from prescription fees.

The card also provides access to the Electronic Health Record (ELGA). This allows healthcare providers to access relevant health data quickly and securely, which can be particularly important in an emergency.

Photo e-card requirements

Since 1 January 2020, every newly issued or replaced e-card has included a photo if the cardholder is at least 14 years old. The social insurance system obtains the photo from existing official records, including:

• Austrian passport
• Austrian identity card
• Bank-card-format driving licence
• ID Austria registration
• The foreign nationals register

If your photo is already available in one of these records, you do not need to do anything and will receive the new e-card automatically. If no photo is available, you must submit one at the appropriate registration office.

Who receives an e-card without a photo?

• Children under 14 always receive an e-card without a photo.
• A photo is not required for people who turn 70 in the year the card is issued or who have already turned 70.
• A photo is not required for people receiving Pflegegeld at level 4, 5, 6 or 7.

If a photo is available in an official record for someone in one of the latter groups, it will be used on the card. Otherwise, the card is issued without a photo.

How to receive an e-card

When you start working in Austria, your employer registers you with the social insurance system. You then become insured and receive an Austrian social insurance number. The e-card is issued automatically and sent by post by the social insurance provider.

An e-card can only be issued when the required photo is available in the database. If no photo is held in the official records listed above, you must submit one to the appropriate registration office.

See the detailed photo e-card application guide.

The e-card fee in 2026

An annual service fee, known as Service-Entgelt, is charged for the e-card. The fee is due on 15 November of the previous year. For employees, the employer deducts it and transfers it to the health insurance provider.

• The fee for 2026 was €25.00, collected on 15 November 2025. Previously, it was €13.80.
• The fee for 2027 is €26.85, due on 15 November 2026.

No fee is payable for co-insured relatives (mitversichert). People facing financial hardship can apply to their insurance provider for an exemption. More information about the fee is available on the official e-card website.

Where and when you can use the e-card

The e-card can be used at contracted doctors, contracted healthcare institutions, social insurance institutions and most hospitals. Presenting the card allows your insurance entitlement to be checked quickly.

During a holiday within Austria, use the e-card as usual. When seeking medical treatment, present the card and explain that you need care while on holiday.

Using the e-card abroad

The back of the e-card contains the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It provides access to healthcare in European Union member states and other countries that have a social insurance agreement. The EHIC allows you to receive necessary medical assistance under the same conditions as someone insured in that country.

Check that every data field on the EHIC is completed and that your insurance in Austria is active.

Digital e-card on a smartphone

Since April 2026, the e-card has also been available digitally in the social insurance apps MeineSV, MeineÖGK, MeineBVAEB and svsGO.

After signing in with ID Austria, you can add the digital e-card to an NFC-enabled smartphone. It can then be used at doctors’ practices and pharmacies with e-card readers in the same way as the plastic card.

• An internet connection is required; the digital e-card does not work offline.
• It is available only from the age of 14 because ID Austria can only be obtained from that age.
• For data protection reasons, it is valid for 12 months.
• The apps and the digital e-card are free.

Find further information about the digital e-card on gesundheit.gv.at.

If your e-card is lost or stolen

Report a lost or stolen e-card as soon as possible to the social insurance provider or the e-card customer service. The card will be blocked and a replacement will be sent by post within a few days.

You can still receive medical treatment while waiting for the replacement if you know your social insurance number and insurance provider. A police report is not required; reporting the loss to the social insurance provider is sufficient.

Changing jobs or insurance status

Your e-card remains valid when you change jobs or your insurance status changes. You do not need to replace the card because the relevant information is stored in the e-card system rather than on the card itself. Your insurance entitlement and related data are updated in the system.

Practical steps

1. Check whether your photo is available in an Austrian passport, identity card, bank-card-format driving licence, ID Austria registration or the foreign nationals register.
2. If no photo is available, submit one at the appropriate registration office.
3. After starting insured employment, wait for the e-card to be sent automatically by post.
4. Keep the card and check the EHIC details on its back before travelling abroad.
5. For digital use, install the relevant social insurance app, sign in with ID Austria and use an NFC-enabled smartphone with an internet connection.
6. If the card is lost or stolen, contact the social insurance provider or e-card customer service promptly.