Aufenthaltskarte Austria for non-EU spouses, partners and children of EU citizens (2026)
In 2026 the Aufenthaltskarte Austria is the residence card for non-EU spouses, registered partners, children (under 21, or older if maintained) and maintained parents of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen living in Austria under EU law (§ 54 NAG). You apply in person in Austria within 4 months of entry; the card costs €91 (€39 under 16) in 2026, runs five years with unrestricted labour-market access (oesterreich.gv.at). Unmarried partners proving a durable relationship need a § 56 permit instead.
Is the Aufenthaltskarte the right route for your family?
The Aufenthaltskarte is the right route if your spouse or parent is an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in Austria under EU law, or an Austrian who used EU free movement (§ 57 NAG). The card follows from the EU citizen’s right to move freely, so the question is who your family member is and how they live in Austria.
Spouse or parent is an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen living in Austria
Working, self-employed, on own means or studying here: Aufenthaltskarte (this page).
Go to: who qualifies.
Spouse is Austrian and used EU free movement (§ 57)
Lived under EU law for more than 3 months in another EEA country or Switzerland and returned not merely temporarily: the EU rules apply accordingly (§ 57 NAG).
Go to: route comparison.
Spouse is Austrian and did not use EU free movement
National “Family Member” permit with German A1 and income test.
Route: family reunification.
You are the parent of the EU citizen, or of their spouse or registered partner
Same card, with proof that the EU citizen, their spouse or their registered partner actually supports you.
Route: parents of EU citizens.
Aufenthaltskarte for EU family members: 9 official facts
The Aufenthaltskarte costs €91, or €39 for applicants under 16 (oesterreich.gv.at, 2026). The permanent residence card (Daueraufenthaltskarte) is valid for ten years and also costs €91 (oesterreich.gv.at, 2026). The EU citizen’s own registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) costs €44 (oesterreich.gv.at, 2026).
As of November 2026: rules and fees checked on RIS and oesterreich.gv.at on 30 October 2026.
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | § 54 NAG (relatives listed in § 52 (1) NAG) | RIS |
| Who | Spouse or registered partner; children and grandchildren under 21 or maintained; maintained parents (§ 52 (1) 1–3) | § 54 (1) NAG |
| Deadline | Within 4 months of entry, in person in Austria | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Fee | €91 (€39 under 16) | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Validity | 5 years or the shorter planned stay | § 54 (1) NAG |
| Work | Unrestricted access to the labour market | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Quota, German before entry | No quota; no German required before entry | NAG quota regulation 2025 |
| Health insurance | Legal condition if the EU citizen does not work (and keeps no worker status under § 51 (2)) or is a student | § 51 (1) NAG |
| After 5 years | Permanent residence card, 10 years, €91 | oesterreich.gv.at |
Who counts as a family member of an EU citizen in Austria?
Family members of an EU citizen in Austria are the five groups of relatives named in § 52 (1) NAG, but only groups 1 to 3 can get the Aufenthaltskarte, namely spouses and registered partners, children and grandchildren, and maintained parents. A third-country national in groups 1 to 3 can get it under § 54 if the EU citizen has an EU-law right of residence (§ 52 NAG, § 54 (1) NAG). Groups 4 and 5 do not get the card. They can apply for a quota-free Niederlassungsbewilligung, which needs the general permit conditions except the housing proof, and for which the EU citizen must in any case sign a liability declaration (§ 56 NAG). The table shows what each group has to prove.
| Relative | Condition | Proof with the application |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse or registered partner (Z 1) | Valid marriage or partnership | Marriage or partnership certificate |
| Child or grandchild of the EU citizen or the spouse, under 21 (Z 2) | Family relationship | Birth certificate |
| Child or grandchild aged 21 or older (Z 2) | Actually maintained | Birth certificate + proof of maintenance |
| Life partner (Z 4) | Proves a durable relationship | Not the Aufenthaltskarte: quota-free Niederlassungsbewilligung + liability declaration (§ 56 NAG) |
| Parent of the EU citizen, of the spouse or of the registered partner (Z 3) | Actually maintained | See parents of EU citizens |
| Other relatives (Z 5) | Maintained or in the household in the home country, or in need of personal care for serious health reasons | Not the Aufenthaltskarte: quota-free Niederlassungsbewilligung + liability declaration (§ 56 NAG) |
Every application also needs a valid passport or ID and the EU citizen’s registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) or certificate of permanent residence (§ 54 (2) NAG); a returning Austrian under § 57 gets no Anmeldebescheinigung, so ask the authority which proof it accepts. Your Europe adds that the rules for spouses apply “also to children and grandchildren joining their EU family abroad” (Your Europe). § 52 NAG names no minimum age for spouses on the EU-law route; the 21-year rule belongs to the national family permits (migration.gv.at).
What does the EU citizen need first?
The EU citizen first needs an EU-law right of residence in Austria, shown by the registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung). § 51 (1) NAG names three groups. The first is workers and self-employed people, the second people with sufficient resources and comprehensive health insurance for themselves and their family members, and the third students or trainees with the same resources and insurance (§ 51 NAG). EU citizens staying longer than three months report within four months of entry and receive the Anmeldebescheinigung for €44. Our page Anmeldebescheinigung Austria goes through it step by step.
Your Europe sums up the same logic for spouses: if the EU spouse is legally employed, “you can stay there with them”; if the EU spouse studies or is retired, they need sufficient income and “comprehensive health insurance for your whole family in that country” (Your Europe, last checked 18 September 2026).
How do you apply for the Aufenthaltskarte, step by step?
You apply for the Aufenthaltskarte in person in Austria. The application must be made within four months of entry at the settlement authority (Niederlassungsbehörde) of your main residence, and it cannot be filed from abroad (oesterreich.gv.at).
- 1Check the EU citizen’s status
Your EU, EEA or Swiss spouse, registered partner or parent must live in Austria under EU law: working, self-employed, living on own means with comprehensive health insurance, or studying with the same. They register first and get the Anmeldebescheinigung (a returning Austrian under § 57 gets none; ask the authority which proof it accepts).
- 2Entry visa, if your nationality needs one
Apply as the family member of an EU citizen. Your Europe says such a visa should cost nothing and be issued under an accelerated procedure.
- 3Register your address
Within three days of moving in (Meldezettel).
- 4Apply in person within 4 months of entry
At the settlement authority of your main residence (MA 35 in Vienna). Form A of the Interior Ministry makes it easier; using it is not obligatory.
- 5Pay and collect
Pay the card fee (see the facts table below); the card is valid for five years or the shorter planned stay.
- 6Five years later
Apply for the permanent residence card (Daueraufenthaltskarte), valid for ten years.
Bring these documents (official list plus § 54 (2) NAG).
The list comes from oesterreich.gv.at and § 54 NAG, and the forms are on the Interior Ministry’s forms page. For entry visas, see Your Europe. Register your address on time (see Meldezettel Austria). The processing time for the card is not published on the official pages we read. Every permit fee is listed on Austria visa and permit fees.
Does a non-EU spouse need health insurance for the Aufenthaltskarte?
A non-EU spouse needs comprehensive health insurance as a legal condition of the Aufenthaltskarte only when the EU citizen does not work or is a student (§ 51 (1) 2 and 3 NAG). Whatever the EU citizen’s status, you are not automatically insured on arrival. If the EU citizen works or is self-employed, or keeps that status under § 51 (2) NAG (for example while temporarily unable to work through illness, or involuntarily unemployed and registered with the AMS), § 51 (1) 1 NAG sets no insurance condition; if they live on their own means or study, comprehensive health insurance for the whole family is a condition (§ 51 NAG).
| The EU citizen … | Legal condition? | Public cover for the family |
|---|---|---|
| Works or is self-employed in Austria | No (§ 51 (1) 1) | Employees insured with the ÖGK: co-insurance once the family lives here; spouse 3.4 % of the insured person’s contribution base (§ 51d ASVG) unless an exemption applies. Self-employed (SVS): check family cover with the SVS |
| Is retired or lives on own means | Yes, comprehensive cover for the family (§ 51 (1) 2) | Show comprehensive cover with the application |
| Is a student | Yes (§ 51 (1) 3) | Show comprehensive cover with the application |
| Spouse starts a job in Austria | — | ÖGK cover through the job if it is subject to compulsory health insurance; a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month (2026) gives accident insurance only |
Co-insurance with the ÖGK needs habitual residence in Austria (§ 123 ASVG; oegk.at); minor children are co-insured without an extra contribution, a spouse with one unless an exemption applies (details on ÖGK co-insurance). ÖGK self-insurance costs €565.25 a month in 2026 and pays after a six-month waiting period unless waived (oegk.at); whether the ÖGK accepts the EU-law card as the residence title it asks third-country nationals for is not confirmed to us, so ask the ÖGK. What “comprehensive” must cover for this card is not defined on the official pages we read. The routes are compared on health insurance in Austria for foreigners.
What happens after a divorce, a death or the EU citizen’s departure?
After a divorce, a death or the EU citizen’s departure, a third-country family member keeps the right of residence only under the special rules in § 54 NAG (§ 54 (3)–(7) NAG, our summary):
- Death of the EU citizen: the right stays if you lived in Austria as their family member for at least one year before and you yourself meet the § 51 (1) 1 or 2 conditions (work or self-employment, or sufficient resources and comprehensive health insurance).
- Children in school: after the EU citizen’s death or not merely temporary departure, minor children, and the third-country parent who actually has custody, keep the right until the end of schooling.
- Divorce: only if you yourself meet the § 51 (1) 1 or 2 conditions (work or self-employment, or sufficient resources and comprehensive health insurance) and, for example, after a marriage of at least three years up to the start of divorce proceedings, one of them in Austria; also sole custody, particular hardship, or a right of contact that can only be exercised in Austria.
- Duty to report: tell the authority without delay about the EU citizen’s death or departure, a divorce or the dissolution of a registered partnership.
- Marriages of convenience: sham or forced marriages and faked family ties lead to rejection.
§ 52 (2) NAG is not the retention rule for third-country relatives. For them, the § 54 rules above decide. Ask the authority before you rely on a rule for your case.
How does the Aufenthaltskarte compare with the national family permits?
The Aufenthaltskarte is the lighter route compared with the national family permits. It has no quota, no German before entry and no § 11 income test, but it depends on the EU citizen living in Austria under EU law, apart from the retention rules after a death, divorce or departure described above (§ 54 (3) to (5) NAG). Spouses of Austrians who did not use EU free movement, and of Red-White-Red Card or Blue Card holders, use national permits instead (migration.gv.at).
| Point | Aufenthaltskarte (EU family) | Family Member / Red-White-Red Card plus |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor | EU/EEA/Swiss citizen using free movement; Austrian who used an EU-law right of residence for more than 3 months in another EEA country or Switzerland and returned not merely temporarily (§ 57) | Austrian who did not use EU free movement; RWR card or Blue Card holder |
| Where to apply | In Austria, within 4 months of entry | As a rule at the consulate abroad (Family Member: also in Austria after lawful entry, with no stay beyond the visa or visa-free period, § 21 (6) NAG) |
| German before entry | Not required | A1, with exceptions |
| Income test (§ 11) | No; the EU citizen’s § 51 conditions apply | Yes — see the sponsor income calculator |
| Spouse minimum age | None named in § 52 NAG | 21 at application |
| Fee | €91 | €218 |
The German A1 rules and their exceptions are on German A1 for a residence permit. Permanent residence works differently for national permit holders (see permanent residence in Austria).
Worked example: an Indian wife joins her Italian husband in Vienna
Illustrative example: Priya, 30, an Indian citizen, is married to Marco, an Italian software developer employed in Vienna since spring. Marco registered with MA 35 and holds his Anmeldebescheinigung. Indian citizens need a visa for Austria, so Priya applies at the embassy as the family member of an EU citizen. Under EU rules the visa should cost nothing and be issued under an accelerated procedure (Your Europe). The embassy steps for Indian applicants are on Austria visa from India.
After arrival she registers the address within three days and books an MA 35 appointment within the four-month deadline. She brings her passport, a photo, the marriage certificate, Marco’s registration certificate and pays €91. Because Marco works, insurance is not a legal condition of her card (§ 51 (1) 1 NAG). Even so, Priya is not insured until she starts a job subject to compulsory health insurance (not a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month, 2026) or is co-insured on Marco’s ÖGK, which needs her habitual residence here and costs 3.4 % of his contribution base (§ 51d ASVG; for employees, roughly the gross pay up to the ceiling) unless an exemption applies. The couple asks the ÖGK when her co-insurance can start, and plans her cover for the time before. If Marco were a student instead, comprehensive cover for Priya would be a condition of the card.
Frequently asked questions
Can the non-EU spouse of an EU citizen work in Austria?
Yes, a non-EU spouse with an Aufenthaltskarte can work in Austria. Holders have unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market; the portal says „Sie haben freien Zugang zum österreichischen Arbeitsmarkt“ (oesterreich.gv.at). Once you work in a job subject to compulsory health insurance, the ÖGK covers you from the first working day; a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month (2026) gives accident insurance only, not health cover.
How long is an Aufenthaltskarte for a spouse valid?
An Aufenthaltskarte for a spouse is valid for five years, or the shorter planned stay (§ 54 (1) NAG). After five years of continuous lawful residence you can apply for the permanent residence card, which is valid for ten years and also costs €91 in 2026 (oesterreich.gv.at).
What happens to my Aufenthaltskarte if we divorce?
You can keep the right of residence only if you yourself meet the EU citizen’s conditions of § 51 (1) 1 or 2 NAG — you work or are self-employed, or you have sufficient resources and comprehensive health insurance — and in addition, for example, the marriage lasted at least three years until divorce proceedings began, at least one year of it in Austria, or you were given sole custody of the children, in cases of particular hardship, or where a right of contact with a child can only be exercised in Austria (§ 54 (5) NAG, our summary). You must also report the divorce, the dissolution of a registered partnership, or the EU citizen’s death or departure to the authority without delay (§ 54 (6)). Ask the authority about your case.
Can children over 21 get an Aufenthaltskarte?
Yes, a child over 21 can get an Aufenthaltskarte if the EU citizen or the spouse actually maintains them. Children of the EU citizen or of the spouse qualify up to 21 and beyond that only if maintained (§ 52 (1) 2 NAG); for children over 21 the application needs “proof of the actual provision of maintenance” (§ 54 (2) NAG, our translation). The law does not define an amount; ask the authority which proof it accepts.
Can an unmarried partner of an EU citizen get an Aufenthaltskarte?
No, an unmarried partner cannot get the Aufenthaltskarte. The card is for the relatives in § 52 (1) 1 to 3 NAG only (§ 54 (1) NAG); registered partners count as spouses (§ 52 (1) 1). A third-country life partner who proves a durable relationship (§ 52 (1) 4) can instead apply for a quota-free Niederlassungsbewilligung: the general permit conditions apply except the housing proof, and the EU citizen must in any case sign a liability declaration (Haftungserklärung) (§ 56 NAG). Ask the authority which proof of the relationship it accepts.
Does the non-EU spouse of an EU citizen need health insurance in Austria?
The non-EU spouse of an EU citizen needs health insurance as a legal condition only if the EU citizen does not work or studies: pensioners and people on own means, and students, need comprehensive health insurance for themselves and their family members (§ 51 (1) 2 and 3 NAG; Your Europe). If the EU citizen works or is self-employed, or keeps that status under § 51 (2) NAG (for example while temporarily unable to work through illness, or involuntarily unemployed and registered with the AMS), that clause has no insurance condition — but you are not insured until you work yourself in a job subject to compulsory health insurance (a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month in 2026 gives accident insurance only) or are co-insured, which needs residence in Austria (an ÖGK-insured employee: ÖGK co-insurance; a self-employed sponsor insured with the SVS: check family cover with the SVS).
My spouse is Austrian: do I get an Aufenthaltskarte or a Family Member permit?
You get the Aufenthaltskarte only if your Austrian spouse used EU free movement. If they lived for more than three months in another EEA country or Switzerland under EU law and return not merely temporarily, the EU rules apply accordingly and you get the Aufenthaltskarte (§ 57 NAG). Otherwise, you apply for the national “Family Member” title with German A1 and the income and insurance conditions (migration.gv.at) — see family reunification in Austria.
Official sources
- § 51 NAG, § 52 NAG, § 54 NAG and § 57 NAG (Federal Legal Information System, version 30 October 2026)
- oesterreich.gv.at: Aufenthaltskarte (updated 10 August 2026)
- Your Europe: non-EU spouses and children and entry for non-EU family members
- migration.gv.at: family reunification (national permits)
- Interior Ministry: application forms
- § 123 ASVG, ÖGK: co-insurance, ÖGK: self-insurance
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