Preparing the application for a Settlement permit ("Niederlassungsbewilligung")
Where does one apply for a Settlement Permit?
Depending on factors such as citizenship and current country of residence, the application for the Settlement Permit must either be submitted to the Austrian Embassy/Consulate in the country of residence or can be submitted to the correct branch of the Austrian Immigration and Residence Authority in Austria, the location of which depends on the (future) Austrian place of residence.
Application form
This application form needs to be filled in and signed. Please choose the option "(4) Settlement Permit".
Documents to be prepared
In order to obtain a Settlement Permit ("Niederlassungsbewilligung"), one needs to submit a variety of documents.
- Valid Passport
- One EU passport sized photo, not older than 6 months (with invoice)
- Application form
- Birth certificate, only for children
- Police clearance certificate, not older than 3 months
- {translate.from} {contryOfResidenceName}
- {translate.from} {nationalityName}
- Proof that you are in a permanent relationship
e.g., rental agreement showing that you have already lived together abroad, proof of joint trips, proof of communication between you - Registration Certificate (“Anmeldebescheinigung”) of the EU/EEA/Swiss national
- Passport copy of the EU/EEA/Swiss national
- Declaration of liability ("Haftungserklärung) by the EU/EEA/Swiss citizen
- Proof of sufficient financial means
e.g, pay slips, bank account statements - Proof of health insurance coverage in Austria
- Proof of long-term accommodation in Austria
e.g, rental agreement or excerpt from land registry - Proof of German language skills at an A1 level for family members over the age of 14
OR any university diploma from a recognized university, if available
- Please note that German certificates are usually only recognized when they are not older than one year and issued by ÖSD, Goethe-Institut, Telc GmbH, or Österreichischer Integrationsfonds.
- If you choose the university diploma option, please make sure to consider verification necessitiesverification necessities () and to have the main diploma page translated by a court-certified translator into either German or English.
Please note that personal documents that are not in English or German need to be translated by a court-certified translator. Depending on the country the documents were issued in, they must also have verifications. Find out more more ()about that!