Au pair Austria 2026: requirements, visa, pocket money and health insurance
Under au pair Austria rules (AMS, 2026), a non-EU au pair must be 18 to under 28, and the host family notifies the AMS at least two weeks before the start; the confirmation runs six months, extendable by up to six. EU, EEA and Swiss au pairs need no AMS approval. The 2026 minimum is €551.10 gross a month, plus board and lodging. At that pay only accident insurance is compulsory, so you need health cover for your whole stay.
Information only. This page shows no insurance price and no application link. Care Concept’s policy terms name au pairs, but until Care Concept confirms the au-pair case to us in writing we describe the rules only. As of November 2026, all amounts on this page are the 2026 figures; facts checked 30 October 2026.
Which situation are you in?
I am an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
You need no residence permit and no approval from the labour market authorities (AMS); if you stay more than three months, you apply for a registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) within four months of entry (usp.gv.at). The minimum pay and social insurance still apply.
See requirements and pocket money.
I am from outside the EU and still abroad
You need a residence permit for special cases of gainful employment and all-risk health insurance that pays in Austria.
Read on at au pair visa and health insurance.
I am already an au pair and want to stay longer or switch family
From outside the EU, the AMS confirmation gives six plus up to six months. Check that your insurance continues with the new family (under Care Concept’s terms, the contract can be continued by the au pair or the new host family without losing the Education discount if the change is reported within two months and the further conditions are met; otherwise the discount ends 14 days after the change).
More in the FAQ on staying longer.
My partner or family want to come with me
Family reunification is not possible on an au-pair permit.
Details in the FAQ on family.
Au pair in Austria in 10 official facts
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Age (non-EU, AMS confirmation) | At least 18 and younger than 28 | AMS info sheet (1 January 2026) |
| AMS notification (non-EU) | By the host family, at least two weeks before the start; EU, EEA and Swiss au pairs need no labour-market approval | AMS |
| Duration (non-EU) | AMS confirmation valid 6 months, extendable by up to 6 months | AMS, usp.gv.at |
| Previous au-pair time (non-EU) | Not more than one year in Austria within the last five years | AMS |
| German (non-EU) | A1 level, or at least one year of German lessons | AMS |
| Hours | Maximum 16.5 hours a week, including standby time | AMS |
| Minimum pay 2026 | €551.10 gross cash a month, plus board and lodging (contracts from 1 January 2026) | BGBl. II Nr. 286/2025 |
| Social insurance | Registration required; up to the marginal-earnings limit, accident insurance is enough | AMS |
| Non-EU au pairs | Residence permit for special employment; all-risk accident and health insurance paying in Austria | usp.gv.at |
| Family | Family reunification “not possible” | migration.gv.at |
What are the au pair Austria requirements?
For au pairs from outside the EU, the au pair in Austria requirements are the conditions for the AMS confirmation (Arbeitsmarktservice, the Public Employment Service), namely that you are 18 to under 28, you speak basic German (see German A1 for an Austrian residence permit), you have not been an au pair here for more than a year in the last five years, and your host family notifies the AMS at least two weeks before you start (AMS info sheet, PDF). The purpose is to get to know Austria and improve your German, with light housework and childcare in return. The host family must include at least one parent or guardian living with a child. Au pairs from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland “do not need any approval from labour market authorities” (usp.gv.at); the minimum wage, the hours and social insurance still apply to them.
Au pair Austria age limit. The AMS wording is “at least 18 and younger than 28”, and a notification confirmation can only be issued until your 28th birthday. Some summaries say “not older than 28”; we follow the AMS text. For non-EU applicants, these AMS conditions come on top of the au pair in Austria visa requirements below.
- 1Find a host family
Directly or through a licensed agency. The family needs at least one parent or guardian with a child.
- 2Non-EU: prove German at A1
A1 certificate or at least one year of German lessons on a school or study certificate (AMS).
- 3Non-EU: host family notifies the AMS
At least two weeks before the start, with the notification form; the AMS issues the notification confirmation (Anzeigebestätigung).
- 4Arrange health and accident insurance
All-risk cover that pays in Austria for the whole stay, and an agreement on who pays.
- 5Non-EU: apply for the residence permit
Permit for special cases of gainful employment, as a rule (§ 21 NAG) filed at the Austrian embassy abroad; start work only after you hold it.
- 6Start and register
The host family registers you with social insurance (accident insurance at marginal pay) and pays at least the minimum wage.
How does the au pair visa Austria process work for non-EU citizens?
Non-EU au pairs need a residence permit for “special cases of gainful employment” (Sonderfälle unselbständiger Erwerbstätigkeit), and may only start working once they hold it (usp.gv.at). As a rule (§ 21 NAG), the first application is filed at the Austrian embassy or consulate abroad. Nationals who may enter visa-free can also file in Austria after lawful entry (§ 21 (2) Z 5 NAG), but this gives no right to stay beyond the visa-free period (§ 21 (6), RIS). The deciding authority is the district authority or, in Vienna, MA 35 (migration.gv.at; see MA 35 Vienna in English). The general conditions apply, namely means of subsistence, accommodation (with the host family), no threat to public order, and “health insurance coverage providing benefits in Austria”. The fee for a first temporary residence permit is a flat €218 (from 1 January 2026, oesterreich.gv.at).
The USP says the permit must cover “the full duration” of the au-pair employment (usp.gv.at). We found no official page on whether a stay of up to six months can be done on a visa D instead; ask the embassy. EU, EEA and Swiss au pairs need no permit. How permits work in general is on Austrian residence permits and visa D.
How much is au pair Austria pocket money in 2026?
The au pair Austria salary is set by law, and the au pair minimum wage for contracts concluded from 1 January 2026 is €551.10 gross cash a month (BGBl. II Nr. 286/2025), for 16.5 hours a week including standby time, plus free board and lodging. “Pocket money” is the everyday word, but legally it is a gross minimum wage, paid 15 times a year. Contracts signed before 2026 keep the previous tariff. How minimum pay is set for other jobs is on minimum wage in Austria.
| Item | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | €551.10 gross a month for 16.5 hours a week | BGBl. II Nr. 286/2025 |
| Special payments | 15 monthly payments a year (holiday bonus 2, Christmas bonus 1), pro rata for shorter stays | AMS |
| Board and lodging | Provided by the host family; not counted as pay for social insurance | AMS |
| German course | Host family pays at least half the cost | § 4 (2) of the regulation |
| Severance fund | Host family pays BMSVG contributions; dated pay slip required | AMS |
| Marginal-earnings limit 2026 | €551.10 a month — the same as the minimum wage | oegk.at |
The marginal-earnings limit (Geringfügigkeitsgrenze) is €551.10 a month (ÖGK, 2026), so an au pair paid the 2026 minimum is exactly at that limit, and the job brings accident insurance, not health insurance. We found no data on whether au pairs are paid more than the minimum. Living costs outside the host family are on cost of living in Austria.
Do you need au pair Austria health insurance, and who pays?
Au pairs in Austria need health insurance for the whole stay, not only until they arrive. In 2026 the au pair minimum, €551.10 gross, is exactly the marginal-earnings limit (€551.10, ÖGK), so the job gives accident cover only and no health cover. The AMS says that up to the marginal-earnings limit, registering the au pair for statutory accident insurance “is sufficient” (AMS, our translation). Non-EU au pairs must also hold “an all-risks accident and health insurance policy that will provide benefits in Austria” for the permit (usp.gv.at), and travel health insurance is “in any case not sufficient” for a residence permit (bmi.gv.at, our translation). ÖGK self-insurance for marginal workers costs €83.49 a month (ÖGK, 2026), but it needs residence in Austria and the job, so it cannot be part of a first permit file filed from abroad.
Who pays? If your host family pays for your private health insurance, that payment does not count as pay and is contribution-free (AMS, ÖGK). It is an option for the family, not a duty written into the AMS sheet, and some au pair platforms describe contracts where the au pair pays. Put it in writing before you travel. The general permit rule is on health insurance for a residence permit.
| Option | Cost | When it works | Open points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory accident insurance (via the host family) | Paid by the host family as employer | Compulsory; covers work accidents | Not health insurance; private accident insurance does not replace it |
| ÖGK self-insurance for marginal workers | €83.49 a month (2026) | Only once you live in Austria and have the job; covers health and pension; insured from the job start if you apply within six weeks (oegk.at) | Cannot be in a first permit file (the job starts only after the permit); acceptance for a renewal: not confirmed to us |
| Private all-risk health insurance paying in Austria | By insurer; no price shown on this page | Before travel and for the permit file; whole stay | Check that it covers all risks in Austria; ask about pre-existing conditions |
| Travel health insurance | — | The journey | Not sufficient for a residence permit (BMI) |
| General ÖGK self-insurance | €565.25 a month (2026) | Residents without other cover; non-EU citizens need a valid residence permit first | Benefits only after a 6-month waiting period unless waived, so not usable for a first permit; see ÖGK self-insurance |
Above the marginal-earnings limit you would be fully insured with the ÖGK through the job, and private permit cover such as Care Austria would not be available to you, because its terms exclude people with compulsory ÖGK insurance.
What do Care Concept’s policy terms say about au pairs?
Care Concept’s Care Austria terms name au pairs explicitly: people who take an au-pair position are insurable in the Education group if they have not yet reached their 36th birthday (AVB, Part B II Ziff. 1). The same terms say that this eligibility ends when the au-pair contract ends, with an option to switch to Care Austria Standard. Under the same terms, the contract can be continued by the au pair or the new host family without losing the Education discount if the change is reported within two months and the further conditions are met; otherwise the discount ends 14 days after the change (Ziff. 4). The future host family can be the policyholder. Care Concept AG sells Care Austria, and its insurer is HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG).
Care Concept AG is on Vienna's MA 35 list: unlimited Care Austria tariffs need no extra declaration, 364-day ones do (checked 30 October 2026) (wien.gv.at). The Vienna listing is about residence permits in general, not specifically about au-pair stays. The same Vienna page lists a separate product, “Care Au Pair”, among the Care Concept tariffs that need an extra declaration; we found no price for it. Care Concept has not confirmed to us which product it recommends for the au-pair permit (Care Austria Education or the separate Care Au Pair tariff), so we show no price here. Product details, limits and prices for other groups are on Care Austria plans and prices; options for students are on student health insurance in Austria.
Do you need an au pair agency in Austria?
An au pair agency is not required in Austria: “Au pairs do not have to be assigned by an agency” (usp.gv.at). If you use an au pair Austria agency, it “must hold the required licence”, so ask for it. An agency does not change the legal duties. For a non-EU au pair the host family still notifies the AMS, and for every au pair it pays at least the minimum wage and registers you with social insurance. Before you sign, read the health-insurance clause in the contract an agency or platform gives you, and check who pays and for how long.
Worked example for an au pair from Zimbabwe in Graz
Illustrative example: Tendai, 22, from Harare, finds a host family in Graz with two children for twelve months. She holds a Goethe A1 certificate. The family sends the AMS notification three weeks before the planned start and receives the confirmation for six months; they will apply for the six-month extension later. Her contract pays the 2026 minimum of €551.10 gross a month. Austrian pay runs 15 times a year (12 monthly wages plus two holiday-bonus and one Christmas-bonus payments, per the AMS), so if the extension is granted and she stays the full twelve months, that is 15 × €551.10 = €8,266.50 gross (a shorter stay gets the bonuses pro rata), plus her room and meals, and the family pays half of her German course.
At that pay she is at the marginal-earnings limit, so the family registers her for accident insurance only. For her permit file, which as a rule she lodges at the Austrian embassy before entry (§ 21 NAG), she needs all-risk health insurance that pays in Austria from her first day to her last. Her travel policy for the flight is not enough. The family agrees in the contract to pay for a private policy, which is contribution-free for them, and Tendai checks before buying that the policy names au-pair stays and that the Graz authority accepts it. Her boyfriend cannot join her on her permit.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for an au pair’s health insurance in Austria?
Your contract decides who pays for an au pair’s health insurance in Austria, and we found no legal duty for the host family to pay. The AMS info sheet says that what the host family spends on the au pair’s private health insurance does not count as pay and is contribution-free (AMS info sheet, PDF) — that makes it easy for the family to pay, but it does not oblige them to. Au pair platforms also describe contracts where the au pair pays. So check your contract before you arrive: who pays, from which date, and for how long. Whoever pays, the cover must last for your whole stay, because at the 2026 minimum pay only accident insurance is compulsory.
Is there cheap health insurance for au pairs in Austria (below 60 euro)?
We found no official price list for au-pair health insurance in Austria, and we show no insurance prices on this page until Care Concept confirms the au-pair case to us in writing. What we can say: the policy must cover all risks and pay in Austria (usp.gv.at); travel insurance is not sufficient for a residence permit (bmi.gv.at); and ÖGK self-insurance for marginal workers costs €83.49 a month in 2026, needs residence in Austria and is not confirmed to us as valid for the permit (oegk.at). Whether Care Concept’s tariffs apply to au-pair stays it has not yet confirmed to us; ask Care Concept in writing before you buy.
How do I get health insurance as an au pair in Austria?
You get health insurance as an au pair in Austria in three steps. First, check your pay: at the 2026 minimum of €551.10 gross a month you are at the marginal-earnings limit, so your job gives you accident insurance only, not health insurance (AMS). Second, arrange all-risk accident and health insurance that pays in Austria for the whole stay — non-EU au pairs need it for the residence permit (usp.gv.at). Third, agree in writing who pays. For a first permit filed from abroad, that means a private policy bought before you travel: ÖGK self-insurance for marginal workers needs residence in Austria and starts at the earliest with the job (oegk.at), and you may only start the job once you hold the permit (usp.gv.at). Whether the ÖGK option counts for a later permit renewal has not been confirmed to us.
Can my family join me while I am an au pair in Austria?
No, your family cannot join you on an au-pair permit in Austria. migration.gv.at states that family reunification is “not possible” with a sponsor who holds the permit “Special cases of gainful employment (Au Pairs)” (migration.gv.at). Family routes for other permits are on family reunification in Austria.
Can I stay longer than six months as an au pair in Austria?
If you are from outside the EU, possibly, up to twelve months in total: the AMS confirmation is valid for six months and “can be extended by a further six months under certain conditions” (AMS info sheet, our translation); the USP says the confirmation “can be extended by a maximum of six months provided that all the significant criteria for an au pair relationship continue to apply” and you have improved your German in the first six months (usp.gv.at). You also must not have worked as an au pair in Austria for more than one year within the last five years. EU, EEA and Swiss au pairs need no AMS confirmation, so these limits do not apply to them (usp.gv.at). If you change host family, check your health insurance: under Care Concept’s policy terms the contract can be continued by the au pair or the new host family without losing the Education discount if the change is reported within two months and the further conditions are met; otherwise the discount ends 14 days after the change (AVB Part B II).
Does private accident insurance replace the statutory accident insurance for an au pair?
No, private accident insurance does not replace statutory accident insurance for an au pair in Austria. The USP says: “Having private accident insurance does not replace the requirement to register for statutory accident insurance” (usp.gv.at); the AMS info sheet says the same. Your host family must register you with statutory social insurance (ASVG) — at marginal pay this is the accident insurance. A private accident policy can be an extra, never the replacement.
Do I need to speak German to be an au pair in Austria?
If you are from outside the EU, yes, at a basic level before you start. The AMS accepts an A1 certificate (for example ÖSD, Goethe, telc or ÖIF) or a school or study certificate showing at least one year of German lessons (AMS info sheet). In Austria, your host family pays at least half of the cost of a German course or a comparable course (BGBl. II Nr. 286/2025, § 4).
Official sources
- AMS info sheet “Au-pair-Kräfte” (PDF, Vienna, 1 January 2026), on age, notification, duration, German, hours and social insurance
- usp.gv.at: au pair (last update 10 August 2026), on agencies, the permit, insurance and the extension
- Mindestlohntarif for au pairs, BGBl. II Nr. 286/2025 (RIS, PDF), on the 2026 minimum wage and the German course
- ÖGK: au pairs and the 2026 marginal-earnings limit and ÖGK: self-insurance for marginal workers
- migration.gv.at: temporary residence, on special cases of gainful employment and family reunification (not possible)
- Interior Ministry (BMI): general requirements, which says travel insurance is not sufficient for a permit
- City of Vienna (MA 35): health insurances for residence permits and Care Austria policy terms (AVB) (both read 30 October 2026)
Our methods are set out in the editorial standards; you can also read about this site or contact us. This page is general information, not legal or employment advice; the AMS and the residence authority decide. This page carries no referral links; elsewhere on the site we may earn a commission from Care Concept AG (affiliate disclosure).