Austria · Permanent Residency
Permanent-residence routes: eligibility, required years of residence, and the official application steps — including any investment routes where a country offers them.
AI-drafted, editorial review pending. The official links below are checked — confirm specifics with the authority.
Austria’s permanent status for non-EU nationals is the residence title “Long-term Resident – EU” (Daueraufenthalt – EU). It can be granted to people who have been entitled to reside in Austria without interruption for the past five years, meet the general requirements for a residence title — regular income at least at the standard social-insurance rates, health insurance and adequate accommodation — and have completed Module 2 of the Integration Agreement. Module 2 means German at B1 level plus advanced knowledge of the fundamental values of the legal and social system; it is optional for most people but required for this title, and generally for citizenship. The title allows long-term settlement and free access to the labour market. The card is issued for five years at a time, and the application fee is €275. Applications go to the residence authority — the district administration, the city council in statutory cities, or MA 35 in Vienna. Many people reach this point via the Red-White-Red Card, which counts as completing Module 1 (German at A2), and then the Red-White-Red Card plus.
- “Long-term Resident – EU” after five years’ uninterrupted residence.
- Module 2 of the Integration Agreement (German B1) is required.
- Application fee €275; card issued for five years at a time.
- Free access to the labour market.
- Migration platform of the Austrian Federal Government — Long-term Resident – EU and other settlement permits
Conditions, validity and the €275 fee.
- Migration platform of the Austrian Federal Government — Integration Agreement
Modules 1 and 2, language levels and exemptions.
- Migration platform of the Austrian Federal Government — Temporary residence: general requirements
The income, insurance and housing requirements for any residence title.
Government portals
- oesterreich.gv.at — Austrian Government Portal — Guidance and online services for residents, including residence registration and ID Austria.
- USP — Business Service Portal — Online company formation (e-start-up), beneficial-owner filings and business dealings with the authorities.
- Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) — Tax, customs and online filing through FinanzOnline.
- Migration Platform of the Austrian Federal Government — Red-White-Red Card, EU Blue Card and family reunification, with a points calculator.