Apply for Care Austria online: what to have ready

What should I decide before I open the form?

Six points need settling before you open the Care Austria form, from your age band and the choice between unlimited and 364-day cover down to a written yes from Care Concept AG at 65–74. Each comes from the policy terms or the City of Vienna’s page, and the form goes faster once they are ticked off.

• Your age band. Age = the calendar year minus your year of birth (for cover starting in 2027, use 2027). The 50–64 band starts on 1 January of the year you turn 50, the 65–74 band on 1 January of the year you turn 65.
• Education or Standard. Education is for ages 12–35 whose main purpose is education or a working holiday, for example students and au pairs; interns, volunteers and trainees also belong to this group (AVB Teil B II). If you turn 36 during the contract, cover continues under Standard (AVB § 1). Everyone else takes Standard.
• Unlimited or 364-day. Care Concept says it sends “the additional declaration for the authorities along with the policy”. Vienna’s MA 35 page needs no extra declaration for Care Austria / Care Austria Education; for the 364 tariffs it needs a contractual extra declaration, so ask Care Concept to confirm that your papers include it (more on MA35 Vienna and the MA 35 extra declaration by tariff; wien.gv.at, checked 30 October 2026).
• Your start date. Use your planned day of entry into Austria. Cover cannot begin earlier.
• Ask about pre-existing conditions before you apply. The policy terms have special rules for illnesses, accident after-effects and infirmities you already have (AVB §§ 9, 15). Write to Care Concept AG first and keep the answer.
• At 65–74, confirm first. The documents are not consistent about the highest age at which a new contract can start. Get a written yes from Care Concept AG before you apply (for parents, see bringing your parents to Austria).

Care Austria is for people without Austrian citizenship whose permanent residence before the trip was outside Austria; anyone subject to compulsory statutory health insurance under § 4 ASVG cannot take it out (AVB § 1). Not sure which system applies to you? See health insurance in Austria for foreigners.

Keep your passport at hand so that your name and date of birth are spelled exactly as on your permit application. Prices are per insured person and month.

Which Care Austria tariff do I choose in the form?

The Care Austria tariff you choose in the form depends on your age band and on the term, which is either unlimited (1-year minimum term, AVB § 3; no extra MA 35 declaration) or 364 days (extra MA 35 declaration). The table lists all seven price lines with the monthly premium from Care Concept AG’s tariff page (checked 30 October 2026).

Unlimited Standard premiums (1-year minimum term, AVB § 3) step up on 1 January 2028: €155 → €187, €222 → €268, €510 → €617 (AVB § 5). The insurer is HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG); Care Concept AG sells the policy (about Care Concept insurance). Not sure which one fits? Read the full plan overview first.

As of our last check on 30 October 2026, Care Austria Education unlimited costs €56 a month (1-year minimum term, AVB § 3; Care Concept tariff page, 2026). Care Austria Standard unlimited for ages under 50 costs €155 a month in 2026 (1-year minimum term, AVB § 3) and rises to €187 from 1 January 2028 (AVB § 5). Care Austria Education 364 costs €51 a month in 2026 and needs the extra MA 35 declaration (Care Concept tariff page; wien.gv.at, checked 30 October 2026). Students comparing other options can read student health insurance in Austria.

When can my Care Austria cover start?

Care Austria cover starts on the date you choose, but only once three conditions are met. The three conditions are that you have entered Austria, that the first premium is paid, and that any waiting period is over. The rules come from the policy terms.

The general Care Austria waiting period is 31 days (AVB § 7, VB-KV 2023_10); it is waived if you buy before travelling. You can apply from home before your embassy appointment, with the start date set to your planned arrival. Proof of insurance is needed already when you file the permit application (migration.gv.at). For the legal side of the proof, see health insurance for an Austrian residence permit.

What happens after I apply?

After you apply online, Care Concept says you “receive immediate confirmation” and that it sends the policy with the additional declaration for the authorities; cover starts on your chosen date, never before you enter Austria or pay the first premium (AVB § 6).

Your contract is in German (“Vertragssprache ist Deutsch”); the English page is a translation. We found no statement that the policy is issued in English. The other papers for your permit file are listed on Austria visa documents.

What if my plans change or my permit is refused?

If your plans change, Care Austria lets you move the start date (Care Concept), withdraw within 14 days, or cancel an unlimited contract after the first year, then only to 31 December with one month’s notice (AVB § 3); the policy terms say nothing about a refused permit, so ask Care Concept in writing before you pay.

• Date moves. Care Concept AG states that it is “easy to postpone the start date of the insurance coverage, including the resending of the policy”.
• Change of mind. You can withdraw from the contract within 14 days without giving reasons; if cover has already started, a pro-rata premium is kept.
• Leaving early. Unlimited contracts can be cancelled ordinarily only after 1 year, then only to the end of an insurance year (31 December) with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3).
• Permit refused. The policy terms do not mention this case, and we found no refund rule. Ask Care Concept AG in writing before you pay.
• Permanent residence later. Cover ends when Daueraufenthalt EU or another unlimited residence permit is granted, or when you leave Austria for good (AVB § 6). For the Daueraufenthalt EU application itself, the City of Vienna says you must take out another insurance without saying which kind MA 35 accepts, so ask MA 35 before you apply (see permanent residence in Austria).

A worked example for a student entering on 1 March

Illustrative example: Sara was born in 2004 and starts a master’s programme in Vienna (see study in Austria); she plans to enter Austria on 1 March 2027. For the premium table her age in 2027 is 23, so Care Austria Education unlimited applies. At 2026 prices it costs €56 a month (1-year minimum term, AVB § 3), or €672 over twelve months. She applies from home in January, before travelling, so the general 31-day waiting period is waived (AVB § 7), and she sets the start date to 1 March, since cover could not start earlier anyway (AVB § 6). She hands in the policy and the declaration sent with it with her permit application; as an unlimited tariff, it needs no MA 35 extra declaration. The 364-day Education tariff would cost €51 a month but needs that extra declaration. The twelve-month figure uses today’s price, because we found no published Education price for her start year. The premium is guaranteed only once she has joined the Education group: until her education or training ends, but only until age 36 and for at most six years (AVB premium table); ask Care Concept AG for the current Education discount.

Sources

• Care Austria policy terms (AVB VB-KV 2023_10), §§ 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15, 16, the premium table and the withdrawal notice, read 30 October 2026
• Care Concept: Care Austria English page, with prices and the online application, read 30 October 2026
• City of Vienna (MA 35): health insurance for residence permits, checked 30 October 2026
• migration.gv.at: frequently asked questions, on proof at the time of application
• Magistrat Linz: accepted private health insurers, list dated 12.12.2025, checked 30 October 2026

General information, not insurance advice. Prices and terms can change; the insurer’s current documents decide. See also what health insurance costs in Austria and our affiliate disclosure.