Moving to Austria Step by Step: Checklist for EU Citizens in 2026

EU citizens can move to Austria without a visa, but several important deadlines begin immediately after arrival. This step-by-step checklist brings together the key arrangements, deadlines and amounts that apply in 2026.

Before you leave

You do not need a visa to enter Austria, but you must have a valid passport or identity card. This also applies to citizens of Schengen states.

It is useful to bring:

• Important personal documents, such as your birth and marriage certificates.
• Proof of health insurance, such as an e-card or a similar form.
• Certificates, diplomas and employer confirmations in the original, with translations where necessary.
• Children’s school certificates translated into English or German.

Arrange accommodation before arriving and make sure you have enough money to cover your first few months. Opening a bank account may also be useful. Notify the relevant authorities in your current country, such as the address register and the school, about the move as soon as possible.

Register your address within 3 days

Anyone moving into accommodation in Austria must register with the responsible registration authority, the Meldebehörde. The deadline is three days after moving in. This requirement also applies to minor children living in the same household.

If your existing main residence becomes a secondary residence, or your secondary residence becomes your main residence, you have one month to report the change.

Failing to meet the registration obligation is an administrative offence. It can result in a fine of up to 726 euros, or up to 2180 euros in the event of a repeated offence.

Apply for the registration certificate

As an EU citizen, you can normally stay in Austria for 3 months. A longer stay is possible under certain conditions, for example if you take up employment.

If you stay longer, you must apply for a registration certificate, known as an Anmeldebescheinigung, within four months of entering Austria. The application is made to the authority responsible for settlement matters, the Niederlassungsbehörde.

Once you have the Anmeldebescheinigung, you can separately apply for the photo identity card for EEA citizens, the Lichtbildausweis für EWR-Bürger. This is recognised as an identity document in Austria.

Key deadlines

• Address registration: 3 days after moving in.
• Changing main and secondary residence status: 1 month.
• Registration certificate: 4 months after entering Austria.
• Use of a foreign vehicle registration plate: no more than 1 month after establishing your main residence.

Cars and driving licences

An EU driving licence remains valid in Austria. Changing it to an Austrian licence is voluntary.

The rules for cars are stricter. After establishing your main residence, you may use a vehicle with a foreign registration plate for no more than one month. After that, the vehicle must be registered in Austria and have Austrian registration plates.

Registering a car in Austria

1. Bring the car to Austria, for example with a foreign temporary registration plate.
2. If the vehicle has EU type approval, enter its details into the approval database, the Genehmigungsdatenbank. If it does not have EU approval, which is typically the case for approvals issued before 1 January 1996, an individual type inspection, or Typisierung, is required.
3. Pay the registration tax, Normverbrauchsabgabe (NoVA), when the vehicle is first registered in Austria.
4. Complete the registration at an insurer’s vehicle registration office, the Zulassungsstelle.

Motorway use is subject to a charge through the motorway sticker, or Vignette. You should also familiarise yourself with Austrian traffic rules, including the winter tyre requirement.

Social insurance and tax

Anyone carrying out gainful employment in Austria is subject to mandatory insurance. This begins automatically once the conditions are met, even if the person concerned is unaware of it.

If your monthly pay is below 551.10 euros in 2026, mandatory health and pension insurance does not apply. In this situation, voluntary insurance, or Selbstversicherung, can be arranged.

People with low earnings, those working under service contracts and family members of insured people may need to apply to the responsible insurer for a social insurance number and an e-card. An e-card can only be issued when a photograph is available.

Family members can be included in health insurance as co-insured relatives. Anyone who works in Austria for more than one year and has paid contributions may generally be entitled to an Austrian pension.

For employees, the employer deducts wage income tax, or Lohnsteuer, from pay. Any overpayment can be reclaimed through an employee tax assessment, or Arbeitnehmerveranlagung.

Self-employed people must apply for a tax number, or Steuernummer. In 2026, tax is payable if annual taxable income exceeds 13,539 euros.

Children, school and family allowance

Children who live in Austria on a long-term basis are subject to compulsory schooling. This starts on 1 September following their sixth birthday and lasts for nine years.

• Years 1 to 4: typically ages 6 to 10, at a Volksschule.
• Years 5 to 8: typically ages 10 to 14, at a Mittelschule or the lower level of an AHS.
• Year 9: typically ages 14 to 15, at a Polytechnische Schule, the upper level of an AHS or a vocational school.

Family allowance, or Familienbeihilfe, must be claimed from the tax office responsible for your place of residence. The conditions include that the centre of your life is in Austria and that you live in the same household as the child. It is payable in any case for children under 18.

Housing, household costs and pets

After establishing a main residence, you must pay the ORF contribution, or ORF-Beitrag, regardless of whether you have a device. You must also arrange electricity, heating and internet. Comparing providers and prices is recommended.

An animal passport is required when bringing a dog, cat or ferret. Dogs in Austria must be identified and registered. A dog tax, or Hundeabgabe, is generally payable, and most municipalities have muzzle and leash rules.

Other useful information

Can EU citizens vote in Austria?

EU citizens can generally vote in municipal elections, in Vienna in district representative elections, and in European Parliament elections.

Practical steps after deciding to move

1. Check that your passport or identity card is valid.
2. Secure accommodation and prepare enough money for the first few months.
3. Collect original certificates, diplomas, insurance documents and translations where needed.
4. Register your address with the Meldebehörde within 3 days of moving in.
5. If you will stay longer than 3 months, apply for the Anmeldebescheinigung within 4 months of entering Austria.
6. Review your health insurance status, social insurance number and e-card arrangements.
7. Arrange tax matters, including a Steuernummer if you are self-employed.
8. If you bring a car, begin the Zulassung process before the one-month foreign-plate limit expires.
9. Register children for school and apply for Familienbeihilfe if the conditions are met.
10. Arrange the ORF-Beitrag, household utilities and any required pet registrations.

Important: This article is based on information available online and is not professional advice. For individual guidance, contact a lawyer, legal professional, healthcare professional, employment or labour-law specialist, or another relevant expert.

Source: oesterreich.gv.at