Moving to Austria
Things to know before moving to Austria
Austria is one of the richest countries in the world (in terms of GDP) and it is located in Central Europe, surrounded by eight countries. The country has a population of 8,439,137 people and Vienna, the largest city in Austria has a population of 1,794,770. The life expectancy at birth is 79.5 years. According to Mercer’s 2014 Quality of Living, Survey Vienna is the top regional spot among European cities.
Austria is highly mountainous with crystal clear lakes and extended forests. Foreigners and expats will enjoy the climate of Austria. The cold and snowy weather opens up a wide range of snow activities: skiing, snowboarding, sleigh rides, and skating are very popular during winter. Expats who are fond of hiking can tackle the famous Austrian Alps during summer.
A wide-angle shot of schönbrunn palace in vienna, austria with a cloudy blue sky in the background
Why should you consider moving to Austria?
Expats who are beer lovers will enjoy the superb taste of Austrian beer, not to mention Austria’s exciting nightlife. As part of your decision to move it is also necessary to learn basic German. Some other languages spoken are Croatian, Hungarian, and Slovenian. Austria is also home to famous composers like Beethoven and Mozart. For this reason, Vienna is considered the European capital of classical music.
Expats and visitors will be amazed by the excellent transportation system ranging from underground trains to trams and buses. With a low crime rate and a stable government.
General tips
- Relocating to Austria may require shipping over some personal possessions from home, and expats will need to be aware that there will be regulations to comply with and duties.
- Expats who are preparing to relocate to Austria will find a variety of available job opportunities, particularly in the electronics, chemical, electrical and mechanical, and steel industries.
- Banned from entering this country are all pornographic materials in any medium.
- European citizens do not need a visa or permit to work or stay in Austria. The only requirement is to register at the local police station within three days of arrival.
Culture of Austria
Austrian culture has been greatly influenced by its neighbors. Vienna has long been considered the music capital of Europe and is home to world-class music schools. Famous composers such as Johann Strauss, Joseph Hayden, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart all learned, composed, taught, and played in Vienna. This means that Vienna is also home to some of the best venues on the planet, such as the Golden Hall, the Vienna State Opera, and the Musikverein. There is always something going on in the music scene in Vienna, including numerous festivals.
Sport
Austria is a highly mountainous country and has a great love for winter sports. For this reason, alpine skiing and ice hockey snowboarding are prominent sports in Austria. Next to these, football, rugby, and motorsport are also widely popular.
Public transport in Austria
Public transport in Austria offers travelers different options for exploring the country’s cities. Due to the extensive train network reaching multiple destinations is relatively easy and cheap. For instance, when tickets are booked in advance the price can be as low as around €25 ($28).
There are four main companies that connect Austria to other European countries:
- RailJet: To Budapest and Prague
- ICE International: To Munich and Frankfurt
- Eurostar: To Brussels and London
- TGV: To Marsailles and Lyon
While the national train service is provided by:
- Eurocity: Long-distance fast trains for intercity travel.
- REX: Regional train service calling at smaller villages and towns.
- S Bahn: Suburban train services for big cities like Vienna and Salzburg.
Buses and Trams
Austrian cities are well connected with both local bus and tram services. Public transportation runs daily between 5 am to 11 pm in most of the country’s biggest cities. Tickets can be purchased at railway and metro stations. You can even buy tickets on trams and buses, or at most tobacconists (marked “Tabak Trafik”).
Metro
Vienna has its own city-wide metro system. The Metro links up the biggest local attractions and helps commuters travel easily around the country. A single ticket costs just €2.40 ($2,71). For children under five years, the metro is free.
Taxis
Taxis in Austria are relatively inexpensive. For a basic 1km journey, the price is approximately €5-8 ($5,65-7). However, the taxi driver expects a 10% tip when using a taxi in Austria.
Whilst most Austrians usually hire taxis by phone, app, or at taxi ranks, it is also possible to flag down a cab on the street too as is common in the US and other European cities.
House rentals
Renting a property in Austria is relatively straightforward. This is mainly because the rental market is processed through real estate agents. The cost for using estate agents can be between one and two months’ rent, but they make the property searching process much easier. Other options are property websites or local newspaper advertisements. It is important to know that, in Austria, it is better to search for property in some seasons than others. For example, the beginning of the academic year (September) can be really frustrating, due to the high influx of foreign students.
The typical length for a tenancy lease is three years, with a month’s rent charged for each year, to be held as a security deposit. For tenancies of this duration, a three-month notice period is also common.
Utility bills are often paid separately to rent. However, in some cases, you can request to pay the estate agent a flat fee to cover your monthly bills.
Renting in Austria as a foreigner
It’s legal throughout Austria to sublet an already-leased room, and often those types of listings don’t go through brokers. Because leases in Austria are typically long-term it’s not uncommon to find an apartment with one to two years left on its lease. In this case, you can deal directly with the current renter.
Furnished or unfurnished apartments?
It’s very uncommon to find a furnished apartment in Austria, even in sublet situations. Unfurnished apartments in Vienna are ideal for those that plan to stay longer. Tenants can equip their apartments with furniture just the way they like it. Very often apartments are already equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom as well as a toilet.
Long-term contracts in furnished apartments range from three to five or ten years. There is also the possibility of indefinite contracts. Long-term tenants need to stay twelve months plus a cancellation period of three months.
Requirements and documents to rent
Renting only requires a signed lease and proof of identity. However, landlords have the right to ask for proof of employment, your visa, or references (in German).
Rental process and rules
Most of the rented flats in Vienna are subject to the Austrian Landlord and Tenant Act MRG. The tenancy law specifies the maximum amount of rent you can be charged for a flat. It also contains regulations concerning fixed-term contracts.
Rental contract and deposit
The security deposit is usually the equivalent of three months’ rent. However, it can be up to the equivalent of six months’ rent. If before you sign your rental contract and move in you know there is a chance you will have to move out due to work before the three years is up, you can ask to have a Diplomatic or Repatriate Clause inserted in the contract. This allows you to leave the property before the three years are up by giving two months’ notice to your landlord. In this case, you would still get your security deposit returned.
Buying a property as a foreigner
For people coming from the European Union, the requirements to buy a property in Austria are very straightforward. There are virtually no restrictions on buying property. However, some Austrian provinces prohibit purchasing real estate in certain areas if someone is not using the property as their permanent residence.
Requirements to buy a property in Austria
Only those possessing an EU residence permit can buy a property in Austria. Citizens of developing countries intending to buy real estate first should apply for approval of the Land Commission.
House prices in Austria
In Austria, house prices vary throughout the city’s twenty-three districts. The lowest average property price is in the 10th district. The highest average property price is in the expensive 1st district.
Other average house prices in Austria:
- Graz €165,000 ($182,000)
- Vienna €198,000 EUR ($218,400)
- Salzburg €269,750 ($297,600)
Get a mortgage in Austria
A mortgage can be obtained regardless of your citizenship status. Loan durations are flexible, and interest rates typically sit between 2.5% and 3.5%. An example of a mortgage offered in Austria is a loan of 70% of a property’s value, with a repayment term of twenty to thirty years.
Process and steps to buy a house in Austria
Once you have found the ideal property for you, the process is as follows:
Make a Formal Offer
Once you find a property that you like, your first step towards purchasing it is to make a formal offer via a real estate agent.
Sale Contract
Once the seller has agreed to your offer, it’s time to draw up a purchase agreement or sale contract. For this action, you usually need an Austrian solicitor.
Deposit
Once the contract is signed by all parties, the buyer might have to pay 10% of the purchase price as a deposit. This amount is put in a safe account until the property sale goes through.
Register Ownership
When the sale is final, your lawyer should register the transfer of ownership with the local registry office. Transfer and registration duties will also need to be paid.
Registration Period
Property registration costs approximately 4.5% of the property’s value. It takes between nine and 32 days for the property to be registered.
Guide to additional expenses when buying a home in Austria
- relevant transaction costs (9.4 to 13%),
- legal fees, any property transfer tax (at 3.5%),
- registration duty (1.1% of the sale price),
- the notary fee ( 20% VAT),
- real estate agent fees (3 to 4% plus 20% VAT).
Utility companies: Electricity and gas
Before moving into your new place, check if electricity and gas have already been switched off. You need to get meter readings before you start living in your new property to ensure you only pay for the energy you use. Also, propane gas tanks may need to be refilled. In the case of a new property, your utilities may also need to be connected to certain power services for the first time.
Be aware that you might need to have an Austrian bank account to pay for your new utilities. Here are some service providers for electricity and gas:
- Vienna: Wien Energie
- Graz: Energie Steiermarkt
- Linz: Energie AG
- Salzburg: Salzburg AG
Utilities: Water
Each province has its own water suppliers. For example, Vienna Waterworks is a water supplier in Vienna. You will need to look into the correct water provider depending on the province to which you are moving.
What you need to know
- To open a new electricity account, you must contact a supplier and provide them with your personal and property details.
- Unlike many other countries, Austria is able to cover its entire drinking water demand using water from protected groundwater deposits. The water usually comes to consumers in its natural state and with consistently excellent quality levels.
- Austria’s new government has announced it will equip one million homes with photovoltaic solar panels by 2030, as part of its bid to source all of its electricity from renewable sources by this time.
- Now, Austria has a target to meet 100% of the electricity needs of its 8.95 million inhabitants in 2030 and neutral carbon emissions by 2040.
Languages of Austria
Standard Austrian German is the official language of Austria and is used in education and general publications. Nevertheless, the official language of Austria is Austro-Bavarian which has several regional dialects. Next to this, other significant minority languages are:
- Turkish
- Slovene
- Serbian
Most Austrians are taught at least two other languages in school and university. Austrian schools teach English to a very high standard, and many Austrians are only too happy to practice it in the workplace or the cafes.
Here are some basic words translated into Austrian:
Hello: Hallo
Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen
Please: Bitte
Thanks: Danke
You’re welcome: Gern geschehen
Yes: Ja
No: Nein
Language Percentage
- Italian: 5.5%
- Spanish: 2.5%
- Croatian: 2.25%
- Turkish: 1.75%
German is the official language in Austria. It is the nation’s first language and nearly all Austrians learn it and speak it. Roughly 97% to 98% of people in Austria speak German while a little over 93% call it their mother tongue. The dialect of German spoken in Austria, except in the west, is Bavarian, sometimes called Austro-Bavarian. About seven million people speak Bavarian in Austria. A Middle Bavarian subdialect is spoken chiefly in Ober- and Niederösterreich as well as in Vienna.
Minimum wage and average wage
The average monthly net salary in Austria is €1,848 ($ 2,369) while the average monthly gross salary is €2,688 ($ 2,996).
Minimum salary
In Austria, there is no minimum wage decided by law. However, Austria agreed to implement a monthly gross minimum wage of €1,500 ($ 1,695) for all sectors by 2020.
What is a good salary in Austria?
When considering all the expenses for a single household, a good average annual salary should be approximately €32,250 ($35,964).
Average annual salary
Several factors are influencing the average salary in Austria. For example, location plays a significant role. So, full-time employees in the region of Vorarlberg enjoy the highest income, whereas people working in Tyrol have the lowest salaries. Incomes in Vienna are right in the middle.
Occupation Average salary in euros/ USD:
- Nurse: €36,000 – $40,000
- Primary teacher: €32,760 -$37,140
- Architect: €58,000 – $64,500
- Software Engineer: €45,000 – $50,000
- UX Designer: €40,000 – $45,000
- Web Developer: €33,500 – $37,400
- Product manager: €57,000 – $63,600
The most demanded jobs and their remuneration
There are several industries in Austria that offer employment opportunities throughout the year. For example, the healthcare and the education sector will experience a significant amount of job opportunities in the near future. Indeed, there is a high demand for jobs like dentist, medical doctor, or surgeon which are amongst the best-paid jobs in Austria.
Other positions that need more workers are:
- Data processing professionals €46,920 – $60,320
- Mechanical engineers €44,880 – $50,890
- Power engineers €44,520 – $50,480
The work culture of Austria
- Austrian business culture has a well-defined and strictly observed hierarchy. This means that responsibilities and distinctions between roles and departments are clear.
- An important aspect is Austria’s work is ethics. Employees define themselves as part of the corporation they are working for and quickly identify themselves with the product and/ or services offered.
- Austrians value a healthy work-life balance.
- Workers benefit from one of the most generous annual leave entitlements in the world.
- Employees benefit from broad protection and rights.
- Employers will register employees for social security when they are hired.
Austrian Work Culture: Dress Code
When it comes to dressing code, Austria is conservative. For instance, businessmen should wear dark-colored, conservative business suits. Ties and other accessories should be both modest in color and style. Shoes should be closed-toe oxfords in brown or black, not loafers. On the other hand, businesswomen should wear either fashionable business suits or conservative dresses. complemented with elegant accessories. Even in this case, you should consider more traditional accessories.
Moving to Austria
For those coming from a non-EU country to live in Austria, you will not have to pay tax and duties to import the following non-commercial items:
- Household effects, such as furnishings and linen for personal use
- Bicycles, motorcycles, motor vehicles and trailers, camper vans, private airplanes, and pleasure craft (boats)
- General supplies for the house in normal quantities
- Domestic pets
- Portable instruments for applied or liberal arts
If you are relocating to Austria from another country in the European Union, you will be able to move goods freely thanks to the free movement of goods in the EU laws. This is the case for all goods, apart from tobacco or alcoholic beverages in your personal luggage. If you want to bring excessive amounts of these items to Austria in your personal luggage, you will have to prove that they are only for personal use.
Customs regulations and permits for Austria
For third-country nationals / moving from outside the EU
Prohibited and restricted items in Austria
These are the limits for tobacco and alcoholic beverages:
- Cigarettes: 800 items
- Cigarillos: 400 items
- Cigars: 200 items
- Smoking tobacco: 1kg
- “Heated ‘heat-not-burn tobacco”: 800 tobacco sticks or, in different packaging: 250g of tobacco content
- Spirits: 10 liters
- Alcoholic beverages other than beer, sparkling wine, or wine, up to 22% volume
- Wine: a maximum of 60 liters of sparkling wine, or 90 liters of other wine
- Beer: 110 liters
If you are coming from Hungary, the most cigarettes you can import without paying tax is 300 pieces. If you want to bring more than 300 pieces, you need to declare this at the customs office and pay tobacco duties.
You cannot enter the following items in Austria:
The following items are prohibited from checked baggage and carry-on baggage:
- Fireworks and sparklers
- Oxygen cylinders
- Gasoline and fuel paste
- Camping gas
- Oxidizing and corrosive substances
- Tasers
- Paint
- Alcohol with more than 70% strength
- Poison and household chemicals
- Battery-powered transportation devices, such as hoverboards
Visa Permits
Citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland do not need a visa to visit, live or work in Austria. Whereas, citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and a number of other countries do not require a visa for visits of up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
Residents of all other countries must have a valid visa to enter Austria for any purpose. If you wish to live in Austria for longer than 90 days or to work there, and you are not a citizen of the EU, the EEA, or Switzerland, you will need a work permit and a residence permit. In order to obtain the permits, you will need to submit all the necessary documents in either German or English.
Work permits and employment-based visas
Work permits and employment visas in Austria come in several different forms. Some of the main work permits non-EU citizens may need in Austria are the “restricted work permit” (valid for one year), the standard “work permit” (valid for two years), and the “unrestricted work permit” (valid for five years).
What documents do you need?
Your application must be supported by:
- A valid passport
- Two identical colors, full-face passport-size photographs of yourself
- Copies of any previous Schengen visas, if relevant
- A cover letter explaining the purpose of your visit and your itinerary
- Proof of Schengen Area health insurance
- Details of your flights, with dates and flight numbers
- Proof of accommodation in Austria
If you are with a minor child you need to provide the following documents:
- the minor’s birth certificates (signed by both parents)
- both parents’ passports or I.D
- a family court order in case you are divorced and have full custody.
Requirements for a work permit in Austria
Nationals of developing countries planning to work in Austria can apply for a Red-White-Red Card. The card has a duration of 24 months and allows you to live in Austria. During this time, you can only work for the employer specified in your application.
Do you need a residence permit in Austria?
Nationals of developing countries who stay or intend to stay in Austria for more than six months require a residence permit.
EEA, EU, or Swiss citizens have to request a “confirmation of registration of Right of Residence under EU law” from the competent authority if they want to stay longer than 3 months in Austria. If you intend to work in Austria, you may apply for a job seeker visa, a Red-White-Red Card, or a European Blue Card.
Long-term visa for Austria
Visa D, a national visa, is subject to national legislation and entitles the holder to stay in Austria for a period of 91 days up to six months. They can be issued for single or multiple entries.
A Visa D also entitles the holder to move to the territory of the other Schengen member states for up to 90 days per period of 180 days.
Long-term visa application
The purpose for the issuance of a Visa D:
- Specific long-term stay (up to 6 months)
- Entry Visa D with regard to collection of a residence permit granted by the relevant Austrian authorities
Work visa requirements in Austria
Not every foreigner who enters Austria needs a visa. For example, European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals do not need a visa. However, all applicants from outside these areas must apply at the closest Austrian embassy or consulate general in person.
Austria uses a points-based system to help determine which category applicants fall under. These categories then help determine what type of visa the applicant is eligible for.
All of these categories are eligible for a Red-White-Red Card, which is what most foreigners apply for when working in Austria. For example, to be considered a very highly qualified worker, individuals will need:
- A passport
- A birth certificate or equivalent document
- A photo was taken within the last six months
- Proof of accommodation
- Payslips
Referrals of other expats
“A year ago, I had to move from Switzerland to UAE and I came across ReloAdvisor services. The team approached me very quick and I received the quotes within a day. I was fascinated by a quick reaction and cooperation. I recommend others to use ReloAdvisor.”
Melissa
“4 months ago, I had to relocate with my family due to job changes from the Netherlands to Canada. I was looking for information online and I was overwhelmed by a huge selection of services. I tried other services, but it is nothing comparing to ReloAdvisor. I saw the application and without thinking, I submitted it. The team called me and helped me to find four moving companies. I received the prices within a day. I was happy that the service was for free.”
Jop