A successful application for a residence permit requires several documents from the employer as well as the applicant. To do this, we have listed the main documents for interested parties who want to apply for a visa in Austria.
Documents to obtain a work visa in Austria (Rot-Weiss-Rot Kart)
First step: prepare and submit your residence permit application
The employer and the candidate gather all the necessary documents . The candidate decides where he will live in Austria.
The employer sends the candidate's application to the Austrian Immigration and Residency Authority. Alternatively, the candidate can submit the application to the Austrian Embassy/Consulate in the country of residence.
Next step: order processing
While different Austrian authorities process the application , the applicant can submit missing documents via email if necessary.
The Immigration and Residency Authority approves the application . Depending on the applicant's nationality and country of residence, he or she may first need to acquire a special visa to enter Austria.
Final stage: starting employment
When immigrating to Austria, the applicant has their fingerprints taken and presents all original personal documents at an appointment with the Austrian Immigration and Residency Authority. The residence permit is then printed.
The candidate receives the residence permit and starts working!
Documents required by the employer
Austrian authorities generally only accept documents in German . The following documents are required from the employer to apply for a residence permit:
Signed job offer/binding employment contract
Employer's declaration ( "Arbeitgebererklärung" )
Detailed job description
Optional: additional explanation about the candidate's eligibility for the position
Documents required by the candidate
Although the employer only needs to prepare the documents listed above, the candidate must meet a list, from educational proof, qualifications and professional experiences, and personal documents. If the applicant plans to immigrate with family members, additional documents will be required.
Personal documents
Passport
Photo in passport format (35mm x 45mm)
Criminal record certificate
Documents related to qualifications
Proof of professional education, e.g. university degree.
Proof of professional experience, contracts, job offer letters, signed work card.
If available: proof of other skills, leadership certificates and technical courses.
Documents that can be delivered later
Certain documents can usually be delivered by email to the Austrian Immigration and Residency Authority after submitting the application. This is only possible if the employer sends the candidate's application for a residence permit in Austria:
Proof of temporary housing
Personal document checks
Proof of Austrian registration ("Meldezettel") upon arrival
All documents that are not in English or German must be translated by an accredited sworn translator. Furthermore, all personal documents must have certain verifications, such as apostilles or diplomatic legislations.
Submitting the residence permit application
There are two main options when it comes to submitting the application for the Austrian work visa:
Option 1: The employer submits the application
The employer submits the application to the Austrian Immigration and Residency Authority on behalf of the applicant. Depending on the responsible Immigration and Residency Authority agency, this is possible in person, by email or by post. We strongly recommend Option 1 due to the shorter processing time.
Option 2: The applicant submits the application The applicant submits his/her application to the Austrian Embassy/Consulate in his/her country of residence. In this case, the application must be complete at the time of submission, which means that all documents must be ready. Normally, no documents can be delivered later. The embassy/consulate sends the candidate's file to Austria only after completing the application, via diplomatic postal services. In both cases, the candidate must have already decided where they will live in Austria. This is because it depends on the future place of residence (town or city) to define which immigration and residence authority will be responsible for the registration.
