Depending upon their nationality, students who wish to study in Austria for 90 days or less can do so without the need for a visa. To determine if you can travel to Austria without a visa please see the list of non-visa required countries on the Austrian Consulate.

A Visa C: entitles non-EU/non-EEA Students to stay in Austria and in all other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days.

Since the UK is visa exempt, you are allowed to enter Austria without a visa.

EU Students do not need a visa to enter and reside, work or study in visa in Austria. However, you should bring with you:

• Proof of financial means
• Valid health insurance

Gather Your Documents

• Fully completed application form. 
• Passport with at least two blank pages. 
• Copy of bio data page of the passport.
• Copy of the United Kingdom residence permit (if applicable)
• Copies of previous Schengen Visa of the last three years, if any.
• One passport-size photograph 
• Insurance certificate of an all-risk medical travel insurance, including repatriation, valid for all Schengen countries, covering EUR 30.000,- (when travelling between November and April winter sport must be included) for your stay has to be provided. The insurance must include a Covid-19 cover.
• Proof of confirmed transportation 
• Proof of accommodation in Austria (hotel booking etc.).
• Recent United Kingdom bank statement 
• If you are financially supported by her/his spouse/parents
  • General employment: Recent, official and signed letter from employer 
  • Self-employment: recent letter from accountant, banker or solicitor 
• Students: recent, official and signed letter from United Kingdom school, college or university stating date of issue (not older than 10 days), name of the applicant and type of studies and number of lessons (hours) per week and attendance record

For detailed information about the Schengen Visa Application requirements can be found here.

Please note some documents need to be translation and legalised.

Further information can be found on the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria.

How to Apply

Visas can only be applied at your nearest Austrian representative authority (embassy, consulate-general) before travelling to Austria.

The Austrian Embassy in the United Kingdom has outsourced its visa services to the external service provider VFS. Please be informed that all applications will continue to be assessed by the Austrian Embassy London.

After successful booking of an appointment, the application must be lodged at the respective Visa Centers: 

• Cardiff: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, Temple Court, 13a Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9HA
• Edinburgh: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, 1 Rennie's Isle, Edinburgh-Leith EH6 6QT
• London: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, 66 Wilson Street, London EC2A 2BT
• Manchester: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, 50 Devonshire Street North, Manchester M12 6JH

or directly at the Austrian Embassy London. Please be aware that the Embassy opens up very few appointments and these are taken up very fast. Please write an email and book an appointment at the Embassy.

Further instructions on how to apply and appointment booking can be found here.

UK Students studying for a duration of at least 91 days up to a maximum of 6 months should apply for a Visa D.

Visa D is a specific long-term stay (up to 6 months) which cover the following reasons:

• Research (with hosting agreement acc. § 67 NAG),
• Seasonal labour
• Intern students (one semester)
• Working holiday for nationals of New Zealand

Gather Your Documents

Requirements for short-term stay (ONLY for specific long stay Visa D):

• Your passport, copy of your passport, residence permit and previous Schengen visas of last 3 years
• One photograph: shall be in accordance with the international standards as set out in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICA) and not older than 6 months
• Acceptance letter or Contract or Confirmation from Labour Market Service
• Financial means, i.e. bank statements last 3 months etc.
• Proof of accommodation for entire period e.g. a rental agreement
• Travel insurance for the entire period (not only 90 days in a period of 180 days)
• Flight reservations
• Student letter, employment letter etc.

For detailed information about the Schengen Visa Application requirements can be found here.

Please note some documents need to be translated and legalised.

Further information can be found on the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria.

How to Apply

All Visa D applications have to be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in London. Please send an email to secure an appointment at the Embassy. Visa D applications can only be submitted three months prior to the departure date.

Fingerprints will be taken from every applicant 12 years and over.

UK Students studying for a duration of at least 181 days up to a maximum of 12 months should apply for a Visa D (with Residence Permit). Upon entry students need to apply for a residence permit for study purposes ("Aufenthaltsbewilligung - Student") entitles you to stays for more than 6 months.

UK Students and “Visa-Free” Students can apply for a residence permit directly in Austria having entered during their 90 visa free days (within 180 days).

Further information regarding Visa D for Austria can be found here.

Gather Your Documents

You will need to gather the following documents for your Residence Permit:

•  signed application form 
• Valid travel document
• Passport-sized photograph not older than 6 months
• Proof of sufficient financial means 
• Proof of these funds for twelve months in advance. The funds have to be in a (foreign) savings book or (foreign) bank account that must bear the applicant’s name and be accessible from Austria.
• An alternative possibility would be a declaration of guarantee ("Haftungserklärung" of person residing in the European Union), the purchase of traveller’s cheques or a confirmation of the award of a scholarship.
  If the costs for accommodation exceed EUR 309.93/month [as of 2022], you have to prove additional funds. You also have to prove sufficient funds for the necessary health insurance.

Examples of accepted proof:

• Source of Income (e.g., savings, loan, scholarship, sale of an apartment/house, inheritance)
• Bank statement of the last 6 months (including payments into the account, payment orders, etc.)
• proof of employment of the applicant her- or himself if the money comes from employed and/or self-employed work (employment contract plus the last 6 pay slips and proof of payment of the salary or trade licence plus last tax assessment) of the applicant
• Confirmation of scholarship, sales contract, loan agreement etc.
• Bank statement of the account of your parents or other sponsors of the last 6 months if the money comes from them
• Declaration of the parents or the sponsor that the provided funds are on free disposal of the applicant and where the money comes from (e.g., savings, loan, sale of an apartment/house, inheritance) if the parents or a sponsor supports your stay financially
• Proof of employment of the parents or other sponsors if the money comes from their employed and/or self-employed work (employment contract plus the last 6 pay slips and proof of payment of the salary or trade licence plus last tax assessment)

• Declaration of regular expenses (loans, maintenance payments or other financial burdens)
• Accommodation in Austria for a minimum of 3 months (e.g. rental agreement, accommodation contract with a student hall of residence, accommodation agreement ["Wohnrechtsvereinbarung"]) in connection with proof of the required funds to cover the living costs (the calculation is based on the presented costs for accomodation)
• Proof of health insurance 
• Copy of the passport (all pages)
• Birth certificate or equivalent document (legalised and afterwards translated)
• Police clearance certificate from your country of residence (in individual cases also from your country of origin) not older than 3 months at the time of application (legalised and afterwards translated)
• Notification/confirmation of admission of the Austrian higher education institution
• Proof of a travel health insurance (covering costs of at least EUR 30,000, costs for treatment of the COVID-19 disease and guarantee to cover possible recovery and repatriation costs) valid in the Schengen area for the period between entering Austria and e.g. the start of coverage within the student insurance in Austria

A full checklist of documents can be found here.

It is recommended to submit all foreign documents in German language.

Foreign documents and proofs (e.g. birth certificate, police clearance certificate) need to be legalised according to the applicable regulations and have those translated afterwards into German language by a sworn and court-certified interpreter as the residence authority can ask for a German translation.

Documents issued by authorities of a member state of the EU only need to be translated if the authority has not attached a multilingual form (will be issued by the authority of the EU member state) to the document as well.

Further information can be found here.

How to Apply

All Visa D applications have to be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in London. The Austrian Embassy London accepts application documents for Austrian residence permits when applying in person at the Embassy only. The documents will then be sent by official courier (every fortnight) to the processing domestic authority.

Whilst you can apply in Austria, the successful outcome of your application must be given to you within your 90 visa free days have expired. If you are nearing your 90 days and you have not received a decision on your final day, you will need to leave Austria and the Schengen zone.

Further information regarding Residency and Visa D can be found here.

For detailed information about the Schengen Visa Application requirements can be found here.

Please note some documents need to be translation and legalized

Further information can be found on the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria.

Arriving in Austria

Students should apply for a residence permit directly in Austria during their visa-free stay of 90 days (within 180 days) at the relevant authority responsible for the area they intend to live in (“Magistrat” or “Bezirkshauptmannschaft”). 

Regardless of your nationality if you are staying in Austria for more than 3 months you have to register (Anmeldebescheinigung) with the competent municipal authority (Magistrat, Bezirkshauptmannschaft) within 4 months of your stay. More information can be found  here.

Holders of an EEA (EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) or Swiss passport do not require a visa to work, study or live in Austria.

UK Students complete the following activities during their 90 days visa-free allowance:

• Touristic travel
• Visiting family and friends
• For business travel
• Short-termed educational purposes

For paid work placements British/Non-EU/Non-EEA students need to apply for a Visa C for gainful employment. This allows entry to all Schengen countries and to stay in those countries for a total period of up to 90 days within 180 days provided that you fulfil the general entry conditions.

Prior to gaining employment and applying for your visa in Austria your employer has to apply for a work permit. Your employer has to submit your work permit at the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice/AMS) before you take up work.

If you have a Student Residence Permit you will be able to get a work permit for working for up to 20 hours/week. This permit will be granted without a labour market check.

Gather Your Documents

You must attach your signed application form and alongside the originals please present the following:

• Visa C or Visa D
• Valid travel document; the validity period of which must exceed the validity period of the visa by at least three months; the travel document must contain at least two empty pages and it must have been issued within the past ten years
• Passport-sized photograph according to the ICAO criteria (colour photograph, size 3.5 x 4.5 cm)
• Declaration of liability of a research institution owned to an extent of at least 50 percent by a public body or a certified research institution
• Proof of appropriate travel health insurance (insurance cover well over EUR 30,000.00, including guarantee to cover possible recovery and repatriation costs and costs for treatment of the COVID-19 disease; the insurance must be valid in the whole Schengen area) for the planned duration of your stay in Austria or until the start of insurance in connection with your employment (statutory insurance). Should you already have statutory insurance, you have to prove this when applying for the visa.

How to Apply

Students should gather their relevant documents and apply for the visa at the competent representative authority at the earliest six months before your planned travel date.

Visas can only be applied at your nearest Austrian representative authority (embassy, consulate-general) before travelling to Austria.

The Austrian Embassy in the United Kingdom has outsourced its visa services to the external service provider VFS. Please be informed that all applications will continue to be assessed by the Austrian Embassy London.

After successful booking of an appointment, the application must be lodged at the respective Visa Centers: The respective Visa Centers are:

• Cardiff: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, Temple Court, 13a Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9HA
• Edinburgh: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, 1 Rennie's Isle, Edinburgh-Leith EH6 6QT
• London: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, 66 Wilson Street, London EC2A 2BT
• Manchester: VFS Austria Visa Application Center, 50 Devonshire Street North, Manchester M12 6JH

or directly at the Austrian Embassy London. Please be aware that the Embassy opens up very few appointments and these are taken up very fast. Please write an email and book an appointment at the Embassy.

Austria maintains three representations in the United Kingdom apart from the embassy in London. Individuals interested in obtaining an Austrian visa, whether a short-term or long-term visa will need to apply in-person at the Austrian Embassy in London via email: london-ob@bmeia.gv.at

Further instructions on how to apply and Appointment Booking can be found here.

UK/Non-EU/Non-EEA Students need to apply for a Visa D for gainful employment. This is called “Aufenthaltsbewilligung Sonderfälle unselbstständiger Erwerbstätigkeit”. In addition to the visa you will also need confirmation issued by the Austrian Public Employment Service.

Gather Your Documents

For a Visa D + declaration of gainful employment you need to submit the following documents:

• Application form Visa D
• A photograph according to ICAO guidelines, not older than 6 months
• Passport with at least two blank pages. Note that the passport needs to be valid for at least three months beyond the validity of the requested visa. Passports which were issued over 10 years ago cannot be accepted for visa applications
• Copy of bio data page of the passport
• UK bank statement and credit card statements for the last 3 months (balance not older than 7 days)
• AMS Work Permit
• Proof of accommodation in Austria
• Proof of transportation to Austria and back to the UK
• Travel insurance valid for ALL Schengen countries with a minimum coverage of EUR 30.000,- illnesses arising from Covid must be covered
• General employment in UK: Recent, official and signed letter from employer (headed letter with name, position of signatory and date of issue, address, recent telephone number, email address, website address and registration number in the United Kingdom) and pay slips of the last 3 months
• Students in UK: Recent, official and signed letter from United Kingdom school, college or university stating date of issue (not older than 10 days), name of the applicant and type of studies and number of lessons (hours) per week and attendance record
• Prepaid (special delivery) envelope if you want the passport to be sent to you. Please keep in mind that this might take longer than the personal pick-up at the Embassy

Source accessed: https://oead.at/en/to-austria/entry-and-residence/visa-c-or-visa-d-for-gainful-employment/#checklists

It is recommended to submit all foreign documents in German language.

Foreign documents and proofs (e.g. birth certificate, police clearance certificate) need to be legalised according to the applicable regulations and have those translated afterwards into German language by a sworn and court-certified interpretor as the residence authority can ask for a German translation.

Further information can be found here.

Arrival in Austria

You have to register within three working days of arrival in Austria with the registration office at your place of residence.
A registration with the registration office is not needed if you reside in a tourist accommodation (e.g., hotel, guest house, campsite, private room, AirBnB) for a maximum of 2 months.

In order to collect the residence permit from the competent residence authority in Austria you need to show the residence registration ("Meldezettel") and the final admission at the Austrian university. It may be needed to show further documents on request of the residence authority.

Please inform the competent residence authority in Austria case of loss or theft of the residence permit as soon as possible together with a notice of loss (lost property office) or the theft report (police).

Further information regarding Residence Permits can be found here.

Trainees are defined as: “persons who are employed for up to three months per calendar year for the sole purpose of acquiring practical knowledge and skills without commitment to work and without any right to remuneration”

In both cases no work permit is required but the employer must notify the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice/AMS) and the tax authorities in advance at least three weeks before the beginning of the employment. In case of a favourable decision the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice/AMS) will issue a confirmation of notification.

If you are a UK/non-EU/non-EEA Student working as an intern for a period of 91 to 180 days in Austria, you will require a Visa D for Interns with Gainful Employment approval.

Although the information suggests that a confirmation issued by the AMS is also not mandatory if the internship is promoted by Erasmus+.

If your internship requires a visa, the embassy or consulate official may demand to see this confirmation. For this reason, Newcastle University recommend you to apply for your confirmation regardless of whether your internship is funded by Erasmus+ or another provider.

An intern is a person who studies towards a university degree in a third country or who has earned a university degree no more than two years before and who is employed in an appropriately qualified job by a host institution or company within the framework of a study related internship agreement to acquire knowledge, practical knowledge and experience in a professional environment.

It is not necessary to obtain a work permit, but your employer must notify the Public Employment Service (AMS) and the tax authorities at least three weeks before the intern starts the internship. If the Public Employment Service (AMS) approves the internship, it will issue a confirmation of notification.

If you already have an Austrian Visa D or a residence permit, you also apply for the Visa D for interns in Austria (at the police headquarters of the relevant federal province).

Source Accessed: https://oead.at/fileadmin/Dokumente/oead.at/KIM/Nach_Oesterreich/Einreise_und_Aufenthalt/Datenbank_Einreise_Aufenthalt/Infoblaetter/Englisch/Allgemeine_Info_-_Arbeiten_en.pdf

All students will ony be eligible to apply for a full academic year assistantships in Austria. In the academic year 2023-2024 no short term assistantships are avaliable.

Assistants going to Austria who do not have an EU passport or pre-existing Austrian residency will have to apply for a Residence Permit (Aufenthaltstitel).

UK students will need to enter Austria as a Tourist using their 90 visa-free days allowance. No entry visa is required, however you must ensure you have enough visa-free days in the Schengen area remaining to enter Austria and apply for the Residence Permit.

All students should ensure thier passport is valid 6 months beyond the end of your assistantship and has been issued within the last ten years (even if it has six months or more left).  

Applications for Residence permit must be made at the Austrian Embassy in London in July.

Please note you cannot work in any other capacity other than a Language Asssistant with your Residence Permit.

Source: https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/1._ela_in_austria_-_the_guide.pdf 
Source: https://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/austrian-embassy-london/