WORK in AUSTRIA website

Studying in Austria as an EU/EEA or Swiss National

As an EU/EEA or Swiss national, you can immigrate to Austria without a problem!

Where did you receive your secondary school diploma?

You being allowed to enter Austria to study is not dependent upon the specific country where you graduated from school. However, where you graduated from secondary school is relevant for the admission process to university: 

  • Secondary school diplomas from the European Union, Switzerland and the EEA (European Economic Area) are considered to have the same value as an Austrian secondary school diploma (“Matura”).
  • However, if you graduated from a secondary school in another country, you may have to present additional documents in order to be permitted to study in Austria.

Please clarify the specific prerequisites directly with your Austrian university! 

Checklist for your first weeks in Austria

  • Process Authority

    Residence registration within the first three days

    You are required to register in the municipality you move to within the first three days of your stay in Austria. You are subsequently given a residence registration (“Meldezettel”) which you frequently need in Austria.

  • Prepare process

    Registration Certificate within the first four months

    You have to register as an EU/EEA/Swiss national in the first four months after arriving in Austria. The certificate you apply for is called the Registration Certificate (“Anmeldebescheinigung“).  

Documents you have to pepare

The following documents must be presented to the competent Immigration and Residence Authority when applying for the Registration Certificate (“Anmeldebescheinigung”):

  • Application form
    Application Form
  • Valid EU passport or identity card 
  • Residence registration ("Meldezettel") 
    as proof of your place of residence in Austria
  • Student record sheet (“Studienblatt”)
    or other proof of enrolment
  • Proof of sufficient means of subsistence
    (salary slips, bank account statements, etc.)
  • Proof of health insurance coverage
    (Austrian e-card, European Health Insurance Card, social insurance data sheet (“Versicherungsdatenauszug”), etc.)
  • Relevant documents on your family status
    (marriage certificate, partnership document, birth certificate of children etc.)
  • € 15 

 

Additional information about applying for a Registration Certificate

Verifications and translations

Expiration date and format

You may be fined if you fail to apply or submit your application for the Registration Certificate too late.  

More information about the Registration Certificate

  • If you have a Registration Certificate or an equivalent, you may also apply for the photo ID for EEA nationals (“Lichtbildausweis für EWR-Bürger”) at any time. It comes in a credit card format and can be used as an identity card. However, you are not required to apply for this type of identification. This identification is valid for a period of five years.
  • After residing in Austria for five years, you have the right to permanent residence (“Daueraufenthalt”). You can submit an application to your Immigration and Residence Authority for a document certifying permanent residence (“Bescheinigung des Daueraufenthalts”). For this purpose, you will have to prove that you actually lived in Austria for at least five years and have had health insurance coverage during this time.  

Relocation to Austria

Do you want to know where best to live as a student? Are you planning to relocate to Austria with your family and looking to inform yourself about the school system? ABA Relocation Services gladly supports you with any information you might need about life in Austria.

ABA Relocation Service