Austria D visa explained: requirements, cost and insurance rules
In 2026, the Austria D visa is a national visa for stays of 91 days to six months, applied for only at the competent Austrian consulate. It costs €195 (€97 under age 6) and needs travel, health and accident insurance of at least €30,000 including medical repatriation (bmeia.gv.at, 2026). It is not a residence permit and does not replace one.
For the visa itself, this page is information only. The visa needs a travel policy, and Care Austria is not one (its cover cannot start before entry into Austria). Care Austria becomes relevant later, for a residence permit; see after the visa.
Do you need a visa D, a visa C or a residence permit?
If your nationality needs a visa, up to 90 days of stay means a visa C and 91 days to six months generally a visa D; anything longer generally needs a residence permit, as a visa D goes beyond six months (up to 12) only by exception (oesterreich.gv.at). Find your stay in the boxes below.
Short visit (up to 90 days)
Schengen visa C, or no visa if your nationality is visa-free. The visa C needs travel insurance of at least €30,000.
Compare visa C vs D.
Course, internship, job search (91 days–6 months)
Visa D at the Austrian consulate. A course or internship needs travel, health and accident insurance of at least €30,000. The job seeker visa asks for all-risk cover, e.g. comprehensive travel insurance well above €30,000 incl. rescue and return costs (see job seeker visa).
Read the requirements and the insurance rules.
Degree, job or family (over 6 months)
Residence permit; the visa D is only the entry ticket to collect it. The permit needs all-risk insurance paying in Austria.
Your next step is under after the visa.
Austria visa D in 8 official facts
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length | “stays of 91 days to 6 months in Austria” under national law | bmeia.gv.at: visa |
| Exceptions | Generally 91 days–6 months; exceptions e.g. up to 12 months | oesterreich.gv.at: visa types |
| Where to apply | “only … at the competent Austrian Consulate” | bmeia.gv.at |
| Fee | €195; under 6: €97 | bmeia.gv.at |
| Insurance | “Travel, health and accident insurance (minimum coverage € 30,000, including repatriation for medical reasons)” | bmeia.gv.at |
| Processing | “must not take longer than a maximum of 6 months” | Embassy Islamabad: visa |
| Schengen travel | Up to 90 days in 180 in the other Schengen states while the visa is valid | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Documents | Each consulate publishes its own list | bmeia.gv.at |
What does the Austria D visa mean?
The Austria D visa meaning is the national visa category: “D” marks the Austria national visa (sometimes searched as the “Austria country visa”), issued under Austrian law for one longer stay in Austria, while the “C” visa is the common Schengen visa for short trips. A visa D is used, for example, for a semester course or internship of up to six months, for the six-month job seeker visa of Very Highly Qualified Workers (migration.gv.at), and to enter Austria and collect a residence permit that has already been approved abroad (bmeia.gv.at). A visa D does not give you the right to work unless the stay is approved for work, for example through an AMS permission for an internship.
Is Austria a Schengen country, and how do visas C and D differ?
Yes, Austria is on oesterreich.gv.at’s list of Schengen states, so a visa C issued by Austria is valid for the whole Schengen area (oesterreich.gv.at). The visa D is national, but it still lets you travel in the other Schengen states for up to 90 days in 180.
| Visa C (Schengen) | Visa D (national) | Residence permit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 90 days within 180 | 91 days to 6 months | More than 6 months |
| Typical purpose | Tourism, business, visits | Course, internship, job search, collecting a permit | Study, work, family, retirement |
| Where | Consulate or its service provider | Competent Austrian consulate (some consulates, e.g. New Delhi, accept it through VFS) | In person at the consulate (first application, as a rule) |
| Fee (2026) | €90 (6–12: €45) | €195 (under 6: €97) | First temporary permit: €218 (from 1 January 2026) |
| Insurance | Travel insurance, at least €30,000 | Travel, health and accident insurance, at least €30,000 | All-risk, pays in Austria; travel insurance not sufficient |
| Who decides | Consulate | Consulate | Residence authority in Austria (e.g. MA 35 in Vienna) |
Do I need a visa for Austria?
Whether you need a visa for Austria depends on your passport. The Interior Ministry’s list shows for each country whether an EU visa is required, for example yes for Pakistan and India and no for the United Kingdom (bmi.gv.at, visa-required countries). Visa-free nationals can visit without a visa, and the list states the EU exemption as “regulär 90 Tage innerhalb von 180 Tagen” (as a rule 90 days within 180 days). They still need a residence permit for a longer stay. Some of them may file it in Austria after lawful entry (§ 21 (2) NAG). For most of them, filing does not let them stay beyond the visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG); Red-White-Red Card applicants should ask the authority whether they may stay while it is decided, because § 21 (6) does not name this group. If your country needs a visa, you need a visa C for a short visit, and a visa D for 91 days to six months or to collect a permit. There are country guides for travellers from India and from Pakistan.
What are the Austria D visa requirements?
The Foreign Ministry lists the same core for every visa D: a “fully completed and personally signed application form”, an ICAO photo (colour, 35x45 mm), a passport with at least two free pages that is not older than ten years, proof of sufficient means, and travel, health and accident insurance of at least €30,000 (bmeia.gv.at). The Austria visa D requirements then add documents for your purpose, and each consulate publishes its own list.
The printable version with the residence-permit file is on Austria visa documents checklist. One example of a consulate list is the Embassy New Delhi, students checklist (PDF).
How to get an Austria visa D, step by step
An Austria visa D application is made in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, with biometrics and the fee; it cannot be lodged at another Schengen state’s embassy (bmeia.gv.at). Booking differs by country. In Pakistan, visa D appointments are requested by e-mail with the embassy, while in India VFS Global takes visa D applications for the embassy. The Cairo rules are on Austria visa from Egypt.
- 1Check the length and purpose
If your nationality needs a visa, a stay of 91 days to 6 months generally needs a visa D and up to 90 days a visa C; more than 6 months generally needs a residence permit (a visa D for up to 12 months is an exception).
- 2Find your competent consulate
It is the Austrian embassy or consulate for the country where you legally live. Each consulate publishes its own document list, so read that one.
- 3Book the appointment
Some consulates book online, others by e-mail. Apply at the earliest 6 months and at the latest 15 days before travel (for example New Delhi and Islamabad).
- 4Prepare the file
Signed visa D form, ICAO photo 35x45 mm, passport, proof of purpose and means, and travel, health and accident insurance with the minimum cover the consulate states.
- 5Apply in person and give biometrics
Pay the visa D fee the way your consulate states (Islamabad, for example, takes rupees). The legal maximum for a visa D decision is 6 months.
- 6Plan the next step before the visa ends
A visa D cannot be turned into a residence permit by itself. If you want to stay longer, prepare the permit application in time.
How long is the Austria visa D processing time?
The Austria visa D processing time has a legal maximum of six months, since decisions on a visa D “must not take longer than a maximum of 6 months” (Embassy Islamabad). Some consulates state shorter working targets. The New Delhi students checklist, for example, says processing “can take up to 15 calendar days” and may be extended to 45, and advises applying at least one month before travel (checklist, PDF). Applications are accepted at the earliest six months and at the latest 15 days before departure at the consulates we checked. These are rules and examples, not promises; residence permits run on their own clock (8 weeks by law for the Red-White-Red Card, 90 days for the student permit).
How much is the Austria visa D fee in 2026?
The Austria visa D fee is €195 (bmeia.gv.at, 2026), and €97 under age 6; the first temporary residence permit costs a separate €218 (bmeia.gv.at, from 1 January 2026). We found no student exemption for the visa D fee; students are exempt only from the visa C fee (Embassy Islamabad).
| Document | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa D, age 6 and over | €195 | No student exemption found |
| Visa D, under 6 | €97 | — |
| Visa C (adult / age 6–12) | €90 / €45 | Students travelling to study are exempt |
| Temporary residence permit (first) | €218 | From 1 January 2026 |
Islamabad, for example, takes fees in rupees. Service-provider fees (for example VFS) come on top and are not published on the official pages we checked. All fees are listed on Austria visa fees.
Which Austria visa travel insurance does the visa D need?
The minimum insurance for an Austria visa D is €30,000 including medical repatriation (bmeia.gv.at, 2026). Travel insurance for an Austria visa D must be “Travel, health and accident insurance (minimum coverage € 30,000, including repatriation for medical reasons)” (bmeia.gv.at), valid in the whole Schengen area for the entire stay. A travel health insurance for Austria with this minimum is what the visa asks for. A residence permit asks for more. Travel health insurance for Austria is not enough for a residence permit, because the permit needs all-risk cover that pays in Austria (§ 11 NAG) and the Interior Ministry says travel insurance is “in any case not sufficient” (bmi.gv.at, our translation). One stated exception is the Red-White-Red Card and job seeker context, where travel health insurance “well above € 30,000” incl. rescue and return costs is accepted at application (migration.gv.at FAQ). For a first student permit, OeAD also describes a written statement that ÖGK student insurance (if you meet its conditions on income, study duration and changes of study) will be taken out after entry, plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts (OeAD). Ask your residence authority whether it accepts this.
| Question | Visa D | Residence permit |
|---|---|---|
| Type of policy | Travel, health and accident insurance | All-risk health insurance that pays in Austria |
| Minimum | €30,000 incl. medical repatriation | All risks, no travel-policy limits |
| Travel insurance enough? | Yes | No (exceptions: Red-White-Red Card / job seeker application, with travel health insurance well above €30,000 incl. rescue and return costs; first student permit with OeAD’s written statement that ÖGK student insurance will follow after entry, plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts — ask your residence authority) |
| Care Austria usable? | No — cover cannot start before entry, it is not a travel policy | Possible as private permit cover; Vienna’s MA 35 lists Care Concept AG |
Is the Austria visa easy to get?
Whether the Austria visa is easy to get cannot be put in numbers, because we found no official approval or refusal rate for the Austrian visa D (searched October 2026). The official pages list what a consulate checks, namely the right consulate, a complete and signed form, proof of purpose and means, and insurance that meets the €30,000 minimum. One consulate checklist warns that incomplete or faulty documents “can be a reason for refusal” (Embassy New Delhi). Plan your next step too, because the New Delhi checklists say visas C and D “cannot be extended or renewed in Austria”.
After the visa D: when do you need permit health insurance?
Permit health insurance is needed after a visa D the moment your plan goes beyond six months, because a visa does not turn into a residence permit by itself. As a rule the first permit is filed abroad before entry and decided while you wait abroad (§ 21 NAG); the rules for each permit type are on Austrian residence permits, and the insurance rule on health insurance for a residence permit. The student route is on Austria student visa, the work route on Red-White-Red Card. Employment subject to compulsory health insurance gives ÖGK cover once you start work; a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month in 2026 does not by itself provide statutory health cover (accident insurance only).
For people who are not insured through a job, Care Austria is one private option for the permit. Education unlimited costs €56 a month for ages 12–35, and Standard unlimited €155 under 50 (2026, Care Concept tariff page). Unlimited contracts can be cancelled ordinarily only after one year, then only to 31 December with one month’s notice (AVB § 3), and the unlimited Standard tariff rises from 2028 per the policy terms. 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 plan is sold by Care Concept AG and insured by HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG).
How a 5-month internship turns into a degree plan
Illustrative example: Ngozi, 25, from Abuja, does a five-month research internship in Graz. She needs a visa D. She files it at the Austrian embassy for Nigeria with the internship agreement and the AMS permission, pays €195 (2026), and buys a travel policy with at least €30,000 including medical repatriation for the whole stay. That travel policy is exactly right for the visa.
During the internship she is admitted to a master’s programme starting in autumn. Her visa D cannot simply be extended into a student permit, so she needs the Residence Permit – Student (€218 in 2026). Because she entered lawfully on a visa for another purpose, filing it in Austria may be possible case by case, not if that was the hidden reason for the visa (§ 21 (2) Z 6 NAG, OeAD), but filing gives her no right to stay beyond the visa (§ 21 (6) NAG). Otherwise she files at the Austrian embassy responsible for Nigeria and waits for the decision abroad (§ 21 NAG). The student file is explained on Austria student visa. For that file her travel policy alone is no longer enough. She needs all-risk cover paying in Austria (or OeAD’s statement that ÖGK student insurance will follow after entry, plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts, if her residence authority accepts it). Care Austria Education unlimited costs €56 a month, which is at least €672 (12 months; more if cover does not start on 1 January, AVB § 3). Its cover cannot start before entry into Austria. If she files in Austria, she applies within one year of her entry; if she files abroad, it starts on her next entry (AVB § 2). Either way it is planned for the permit, not for the internship visa.
Health insurance for the permit after your visa D
- The visa D itself needs a travel, health and accident policy of at least €30,000, not Care Austria
- Care Austria Education unlimited, €56 a month (2026), for a student permit at ages 12–35
- Care Austria Standard unlimited, €155 a month, for other permits under 50 without job insurance
- Minimum term 1 year (AVB § 3); cover cannot start before entry
- 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)
Care Concept AG is the seller and HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG) the insurer. First read the full plan and limits and the start-date checklist for applying for Care Austria online, then ask in writing about pre-existing conditions before you apply.
Go to Care Concept’s application
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Frequently asked questions
What is a Type D visa in Austria?
A Type D visa is Austria’s national visa for stays of 91 days to six months. The Foreign Ministry says visa D holders are entitled “to stays of 91 days to 6 months in Austria” under Austrian national law (bmeia.gv.at); oesterreich.gv.at adds that exceptions exist, for example up to 12 months (oesterreich.gv.at). You apply only at the competent Austrian consulate. For more than six months you need a residence permit, not a visa.
What is type C or D visa?
A type C visa is the Schengen short-stay visa — “the standard tourist visa” for 90 days within 180 days; a type D visa is a national visa for a longer stay in one country, in Austria 91 days to six months (oesterreich.gv.at). C is for tourism, business and visits; D for a course, an internship, a job search or to collect an approved residence permit. Both need travel insurance of at least €30,000; the job seeker visa D asks for all-risk cover (see job seeker visa).
How much does an Austrian visa D cost?
The Austrian visa D fee is €195 for applicants aged 6 and over and €97 for children under 6 (bmeia.gv.at, checked 30 October 2026). Islamabad, for example, takes fees in rupees. Students are exempt from the visa C fee when they travel to study, but we found no student exemption for the visa D (Embassy Islamabad: visa). A first temporary residence permit costs €218 (from 1 January 2026).
Can I travel to other Schengen countries with an Austrian visa D?
Yes, within limits: a national visa D issued by Austria lets you travel in the other Schengen countries for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, as long as the visa and your travel document are valid (oesterreich.gv.at). The page describes this as travel only; we found no rule there that lets you live or work in another Schengen state.
Do I need a visa D to collect my approved residence permit?
If your nationality needs a visa to enter Austria, yes. After the permit is approved, the visa D is applied for at the consulate “within 3 months of notification”, and you then collect the permit card in Austria (Embassy Islamabad: settlement and residence). Citizens of visa-free countries enter without it; some of them may even file the permit in Austria during a lawful stay (§ 21 (2) NAG); for most of them filing does not let them stay beyond the visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG), and Red-White-Red Card applicants should ask the authority whether they may stay while it is decided (§ 21 (6) does not name this group).
Can I apply for an Austrian visa D at another Schengen embassy or a visa centre?
No, the visa D is not lodged at another Schengen state’s embassy: “Visas D and visa for employment can only be applied for at the competent Austrian Consulate” (bmeia.gv.at) — check which Austrian embassy or consulate is competent for the country where you legally live. A service provider may collect the application for the consulate — in India, VFS Global takes visa C and D applications, but the embassy decides; in Pakistan, VFS handles visa C only and visa D appointments are requested by e-mail with the embassy (Austria visa from Pakistan).
Official sources
- Foreign Ministry (bmeia.gv.at): visa, for the visa D definition, where to apply, documents, insurance wording and fees (checked 30 October 2026)
- oesterreich.gv.at: visa types, on visa C and D, exceptions, Schengen travel and the Schengen states (last update 1 January 2026)
- Visa D application form (PDF)
- Interior Ministry: visa-required countries
- Embassy Islamabad: visa and settlement and residence (processing maximum, fee exemptions, visa D to collect a permit)
- Embassy New Delhi: students checklist (PDF, August 2026), as an example of a consulate list
- OeAD: Residence Permit – Student, for the ÖGK statement option on a first student permit
- § 21 NAG and § 11 NAG (RIS); BMI: general requirements; migration.gv.at FAQ
- Care Austria policy terms (AVB) and tariff page (insurer documents, read 30 October 2026)
Our editorial standards, about this site and contact pages say how we work. Related pages are au pair in Austria, moving to Austria and MA 35 Vienna. This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice; the consulate and the residence authority decide. Referral links may earn us a commission from Care Concept AG at no extra cost to you (affiliate disclosure).
Staying longer than your visa D?
Your visa needs a travel policy; a residence permit needs all-risk cover that pays in Austria. Check Care Austria’s prices and its 1-year minimum term before you plan the permit.
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age 0–49: €155/month in 2026 · unlimited, min. 1 year (AVB § 3)
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