If you are a citizen of the European Union and plan to stay in Vienna, Austria long-term, you will need to apply for a Meldezettel, also known as address registration.
This must be done within 3 days of arrival in Austria (although there is some flexibility in this regard), and is a mandatory document that every EU citizen living in Vienna must obtain.
To get Meldezettel, you will need to fill out a one-page application form. You can complete it before arriving at one of the Residence Registration Service Centers (Meldeservice) by downloading it here. Meldezettel itself is free.
You do not need to make an appointment to order an Austrian Meldezettel. You can simply go to the Meldeservice office in your area and hand in the application form to them. A list of all offices is available on the Stadt Wien website , so you can easily find the specific office location in your Vienna district.
When handing in your Meldezettel application form, you must also have your passport at hand. Make sure your landlord has signed the application form certifying where you are living in that property. If you share an apartment, the person whose name is on the lease can sign it instead of the landlord. If you do not have a signature certifying your place of residence, your application will not be accepted. However, if you have purchased property in Vienna, your own signature is satisfactory.
Meldeservice offices have restricted opening hours for Meldezettel orders without an appointment.
Typically, these hours are Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 1pm and Thursday from 8am to 5:30pm.
If you are unable to come to the office during these times, you can make an appointment at another time by phone or email (phone numbers and email addresses for each location are on the Stadt Wien website).
Otherwise, for most of the day, set aside about 30 minutes from the time you arrive until you leave with your Meldezettel in hand.
The 3-Day Registration Rule
As a rule, you must request a Meldezettel within 3 days of arriving in Austria, but you must also cancel this Meldezettel when moving out of your apartment and request a new one when moving to a new residence. This must also be done within 3 days of moving in. Otherwise, you may receive a fine.
It has been my understanding that unless you are weeks or months behind in registering something in Austria, many Austrian authorities are quite understanding.
