Family reunification Austria 2026: who can join, the requirements and health insurance
Austria’s 2026 family reunification rules let a resident’s spouse or registered partner (at least 21) and unmarried minor children get their own permit. They need German A1 (with exceptions), household income of at least €2,064.12 a month for a couple in 2026 (migration.gv.at; more if rent and other regular costs exceed €386.43, § 11 (5) NAG), housing and all-risk health insurance; the fee is €218 each. The 2025–26 stop applied only to families of asylum and protection holders.
These are Care Austria Standard prices per person for 2026, and the unlimited ones rise from 2028 under the policy terms. An unlimited contract can be cancelled ordinarily only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3) and ends when you leave Austria for good or receive an unlimited residence permit (AVB § 6). Whether it can end early once ÖGK co-insurance starts is not stated, so ask Care Concept AG in writing. The 364-day tariff needs an extra declaration for Vienna’s MA 35.
Who is your sponsor? Pick your route
The sponsor’s own status decides which permit the family gets and whether a quota applies (migration.gv.at). Pick the lane that fits.
Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card holder
Spouse and children get a Red-White-Red Card plus, no quota. Blue Card families need no German before entry.
The table under permit by sponsor has the details, and there is more on Red-White-Red Card and Austria work visa routes.
Austrian citizen
Spouse and children get the title “Family Member” (Familienangehöriger), no quota; filing in Austria after lawful entry is possible, but it does not let you stay beyond the visa or visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG).
Your rules are in the section on the Aufenthaltstitel Familienangehöriger.
Settlement permit, Daueraufenthalt EU or protection holder
Your family needs a quota place, with exceptions (§ 46 NAG). Families of protection holders need one under § 46a NAG, and families of subsidiary-protection holders only once that status was granted at least two years earlier.
Read the part on quota families.
EU/EEA citizen living in Austria
A different law applies. Your non-EU family gets a residence card (Aufenthaltskarte), filed in Austria within 4 months of entry (§ 54 (1) NAG). Non-EU parents whom you or your spouse or registered partner actually support can get one too (§ 52 (1) Z 3 NAG).
The details are on Aufenthaltskarte for spouses and children of EU citizens and parents of EU citizens.
I want to bring my parents
Parents are not “family members” under the NAG, not even parents of Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card holders, so they need a permit of their own. The one exception is the parents of a recognised refugee, or a minor with subsidiary protection, who was an unaccompanied minor when applying for protection (§ 46a (5) Z 2 and 3 NAG). Parents of non-EU residents can apply for their own quota-bound settlement permit; parents and parents-in-law whom an Austrian, or the Austrian’s spouse or registered partner, actually supports can get the quota-free “Settlement Permit – Dependant” (§ 47 (3) Z 1 NAG).
Their routes are on can I bring my parents to Austria?
Family reunification Austria: 10 official facts
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who counts | Spouse, registered partner, unmarried minor children (“core family”) | § 2 (1) 9 NAG |
| Minimum age | Spouses and partners at least 21 when applying; no upper age limit found | migration.gv.at |
| Quota-free sponsors | Red-White-Red Card, EU Blue Card holders, Austrian citizens, researchers | migration.gv.at |
| German | A1 before entry, certificate not older than one year (exceptions apply) | migration.gv.at |
| Income 2026 | €1,308.39 single, €2,064.12 couple, + €201.88 per child, net a month (base; + regular costs above €386.43, § 11 (5) NAG) | BMI |
| Health insurance | All-risk, pays in Austria; families of RWR, Blue Card holders and Austrians “usually covered by their sponsors’ health insurance (co-insurance)” | migration.gv.at |
| Where to apply | As a rule at the Austrian consulate abroad, in person; some groups (e.g. family of Austrians, visa-free nationals) may file in Austria after lawful entry, without a right to stay beyond the visa or visa-free period (§ 21 (2), (6) NAG) | migration.gv.at |
| Decision deadline | At the latest within six months | migration.gv.at |
| Fee | €218 per application | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Protection holders | Since 7 August 2026 family reunification needs a quota place | § 46a NAG |
Check your own net against the €2,064.12 couple figure (2026 base; rent, loan instalments and other regular costs above €386.43 a month raise it, § 11 (5) NAG) with the salary calculator for Austria. With rent, loans and children, use the sponsor income calculator instead.
Which family reunification visa does Austria issue for each sponsor?
Whether you search for family reunion Austria or family reunification, Austria issues a residence permit, not a separate “family visa”, and the sponsor’s own permit decides which one. People also search for an “Austria family visa”, “Austria dependent visa” or “dependent visa Austria”. In law, these are the titles below (migration.gv.at, § 46 NAG). After approval, visa-required family members get a visa D only to enter and collect the card (Austria visa D).
| Sponsor in Austria | Family member’s permit | Quota | German A1 before entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red-White-Red Card holder | Red-White-Red Card plus | No | Yes (not for families of Very Highly Qualified Workers) |
| EU Blue Card holder | Red-White-Red Card plus | No | No |
| Researcher (“Settlement permit – researcher”) | Red-White-Red Card plus | No | No |
| Austrian citizen (no § 57 NAG return case) | “Family Member” (Familienangehöriger) | No | Yes |
| Daueraufenthalt – EU holder | Red-White-Red Card plus | Yes, unless the sponsor first held a Red-White-Red Card-type permit | Yes |
| Settlement permit holder (e.g. own means) | Settlement permit | Yes, with quota-free exceptions (§ 46 (1) Z 1 NAG) | Yes |
| Asylum / subsidiary protection holder | Red-White-Red Card plus | Yes, since 7 August 2026 (§ 46a NAG) | No |
| EU/EEA citizen using free movement | Aufenthaltskarte (residence card) | No | No German rule before entry found |
The settlement-permit lines above are what migration.gv.at calls “Settlement permit for other target groups in family reunification”, the routes for families of other permit holders. They depend on quota space.
What are the Austria spouse visa requirements and the Austria family visa requirements?
The Austria spouse visa requirements (what people search as “spouse visa Austria”) are the general permit conditions plus family rules such as a minimum age, a proven relationship and German A1. Spouses must be at least 21, the relationship must be proven, and German A1 is needed unless an exception applies (migration.gv.at, § 11 NAG). For children, the same list minus the age rule is what people mean by Austria family reunification visa requirements, and it is the checklist for every Austria residence permit for spouse applications.
| Requirement | Rule | Example 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship | Marriage/registered partnership; child unmarried and under 18 at application | Marriage certificate, birth certificates, translated |
| Age of spouse | At least 21 when applying | Spouse aged 20 must wait |
| Income of the household | At least the ASVG reference rate, net; regular costs such as rent above €386.43 (2026) raise the amount needed (§ 11 (5) NAG) | Couple €2,064.12; + €201.88 per child (base; + regular costs above €386.43) |
| Housing | Accommodation that is usual for a family of that size in the place | Rental contract |
| Health insurance | All-risk, pays in Austria | Co-insurance once resident; private cover before |
| German | A1, certificate ≤ 1 year old | Exempt: children under 14, Blue Card families |
| Fee | Per person | €218 |
The full printable list of standard documents is on Austria visa documents checklist; fees for every permit are on Austria visa fees.
What is the Aufenthaltstitel Familienangehöriger (family member of an Austrian)?
The Aufenthaltstitel „Familienangehöriger“ (in English “Family Member”) is the permit for the spouse, registered partner and unmarried minor children of an Austrian citizen who lives in Austria and has not used EU free movement (§ 47 (2) NAG). It is quota-free, and the application fee is €218 in 2026 (oesterreich.gv.at). The general rule is to file abroad, but these family members may file in Austria after lawful entry and during a legal stay (migration.gv.at). Filing does not let them stay beyond the visa or visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG). Austrians who used an EU-law right of residence for more than 3 months in another EEA country or Switzerland and returned not merely temporarily follow the EU-law route instead (§ 57 NAG). Other dependants of Austrians can get the quota-free “Settlement Permit – Dependant” with a liability declaration, for example parents and parents-in-law whom the Austrian, or the Austrian’s spouse or registered partner, actually supports (§ 47 (3) Z 1 NAG), or other relatives who already received maintenance from the Austrian in the home country (§ 47 (3) Z 3 lit. a NAG). See parents of Austrian citizens and the Niederlassungsbewilligung family.
Did Austria suspend family reunification, and which families need a quota?
Austria has not suspended family reunification in general in 2026. The stop from 3 July 2025 covered only families of asylum and subsidiary-protection holders and expired in early July 2026. Since 7 August 2026 families of asylum and subsidiary-protection holders need a quota place under § 46a NAG; we found no official figure for that quota yet. For a subsidiary-protection holder, that status must have been granted with final effect at least two years earlier, and a spouse or registered partner counts only if the marriage or partnership already existed before the sponsor entered Austria. The same section also covers the parents of a recognised refugee, or a minor with subsidiary protection, who was an unaccompanied minor when applying for protection, within strict deadlines for a refugee's parents and, for subsidiary protection, only while the child is still a minor when the parents apply (§ 46a (2) and (5) NAG). If a refugee’s family applies within three months of the refugee status becoming final, and for those parents, the housing, health-insurance and income conditions count as met (§ 46a (3), (4) NAG). Families of Red-White-Red Card holders, EU Blue Card holders, researchers and Austrian citizens were never affected and need no quota place, while “the number of other residence titles being issued for family reunification every year is limited” (migration.gv.at).
Quota still applies to other families, for example those of Daueraufenthalt – EU holders (unless the sponsor started on a Red-White-Red Card-type permit) and of settlement-permit holders (§ 46 NAG). For scale, Vienna had 2,550 family-reunification quota places in 2025 and 2,380 applications by 28 November 2025 (City of Vienna statement, 10 December 2025).
How do you apply for family reunification in Austria?
First family reunification applications are filed in person, as a rule at the Austrian embassy or consulate abroad before entering, and the residence authority where the sponsor lives decides. That is MA 35 in Vienna (MA 35 Vienna), the Styrian Provincial Government in Graz and the district authority or city elsewhere, while in Lower Austria the Provincial Government handles quota cases and certain Red-White-Red Card and Blue Card family cases (migration.gv.at).
- 1Check the sponsor’s permit
The sponsor’s status decides the family’s permit and whether a quota applies (table below).
- 2German A1 and documents
Book the A1 exam unless an exception applies; collect passports, marriage and birth certificates, translations, income and housing proof.
- 3Health insurance from entry
Arrange all-risk cover that pays in Austria for the time before co-insurance can start, and note its minimum term.
- 4File in person
As a rule (migration.gv.at) at the Austrian embassy or consulate abroad, before entering; visa-free nationals and spouses of Austrians may file in Austria after lawful entry, but filing does not let them stay beyond the visa or visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG).
- 5Decision, visa D, register
The authority decides within six months at the latest. Collect the card, register your address within 3 days of moving in, then ask the ÖGK about co-insurance.
What is the family reunification visa Austria processing time?
Austria’s processing time for a family reunification permit is at most six months by law: the authority must decide “not later than within six months after receipt” (migration.gv.at). We found no official average for family cases. The only recent official figure is Vienna’s: MA 35 reported an average of 52 days for all third-country cases in 2025, first applications and renewals together. Plan extra weeks for the A1 exam, legalisation of certificates and the visa D appointment after approval; quota cases can wait until a place is free.
Which health insurance does a spouse or child need?
Every family member must show all-risk cover that pays in Austria (§ 11 (2) 3 NAG). Families of Red-White-Red Card, Blue Card holders and Austrians “are usually covered by their sponsors’ health insurance (co-insurance)” (migration.gv.at). Co-insurance needs habitual residence in Austria, though (§ 123 ASVG), so a family member who is still habitually resident abroad cannot yet rely on Austrian co-insurance. Ask the ÖGK to confirm the start date after residence in Austria is established. Children are co-insured without extra cost; a spouse costs 3.4 % of the sponsor’s contribution base unless exempt, for example after at least four years of raising children. ÖGK co-insurance has the details. What the embassy accepts as proof at filing is not set out in an official text we found. Linz and Vienna state that travel insurance bought for the visa is not sufficient for a residence title (Magistrat Linz, wien.gv.at). The migration.gv.at FAQ accepts travel health insurance “well above €30,000” that includes rescue and return costs only in its Red-White-Red Card answer; we found no such statement for family permits.
| Stage | Statutory cover | Private option (2026, per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Filing abroad and entry | None yet — co-insurance needs residence in Austria | Care Austria Standard: €155 under 50, €222 at 50–64, €510 at 65–74; minimum term 1 year (AVB § 3); cover never starts before entry (AVB § 6) |
| Living in Austria, sponsor employed with compulsory insurance (ÖGK; a marginal job up to €551.10 a month in 2026 gives accident insurance only) | Ask ÖGK to confirm eligibility after habitual residence in Austria is established; children have no extra contribution, while a spouse pays 3.4 % unless exempt | Not needed once the ÖGK confirms |
| Spouse starts a job | Own compulsory insurance if the job is subject to compulsory health insurance; a marginal job paying no more than €551.10 a month (2026) gives accident insurance only | Not needed once the own insurance applies |
| Sponsor self-employed or a civil servant | Other funds; not researched here | Ask the fund first |
| From 1 January 2028 | — | €187 / €268 / €617 per the policy terms (AVB § 5) |
Care Austria (insurer HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG)) is private health insurance, not travel insurance, and its prices by age are on Austria health insurance cost. Its unlimited tariff can be cancelled ordinarily only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3), so a short bridge for a spouse under 50 still costs at least €1,860 at 2026 prices (12 months; more if cover does not start on 1 January). The 364-day tariff (€95 a month under 65 in 2026) needs an extra declaration for Vienna’s MA 35. 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). For an older spouse who cannot be co-insured, for example because the sponsor is not insured with the ÖGK, the cover may be needed for years. The general rules are on health insurance for a residence permit.
Worked example: a Blue Card engineer in Vienna brings his wife and son
Illustrative example: Arjun, 34, works in Vienna on an EU Blue Card. His wife Meera, 31, and their son Kabir, 4, live in Bengaluru. As a Blue Card family they are quota-free and Meera needs no German before entry. The household needs at least €2,064.12 plus €201.88, which makes €2,266 a month net in 2026 (base; more if rent and other regular costs exceed €386.43, § 11 (5) NAG); Arjun’s salary is well above that. As a rule they file in person at the embassy in New Delhi and pay €218 each, €436 together. § 21 (2) NAG allows filing in Austria after lawful entry only in listed cases, so they ask the authority before relying on it; filing there does not let them stay beyond the visa (§ 21 (6) NAG).
For the time between entry and co-insurance, two Care Austria Standard policies at the 2026 under-50 price would cost €310 a month, and with the 1-year minimum term (AVB § 3) at least €3,720 (12 months; more if cover does not start on 1 January). Arjun first asks the ÖGK when Meera and Kabir can be co-insured after they register in Vienna and whether Meera’s 3.4 % applies. A private policy makes sense only if there is a real gap he cannot cover otherwise. Had Meera been 52 in the year her cover starts, her tariff would be €222 a month (unlimited Standard, 50–64 band, 2026), and the next band applies from 1 January of the year she turns 65.
Your family is not co-insured yet?
- Care Austria Standard unlimited per person: €155 (0–49), €222 (50–64), €510 (65–74) a month, 2026
- Minimum term 1 year (AVB § 3). Whether the contract can end early when co-insurance starts is not stated, so ask Care Concept AG
- 364-day tariff €95 a month (under 65, 2026) only with an extra MA 35 declaration
- 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)
Sold by Care Concept AG; insurer HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG). Pre-existing conditions: ask before you apply. Before you buy, read the full plan and limits.
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Frequently asked questions
What is family reunification?
Family reunification is the legal route for the “core family” of someone living in Austria — spouse or registered partner and unmarried minor children — to get their own residence permit and join them (§ 2 NAG). Which permit they get and whether a quota applies depends on the sponsor: families of Red-White-Red Card, EU Blue Card holders, researchers and Austrian citizens are quota-free; the number of other residence titles issued for family reunification each year is limited (migration.gv.at).
Does Austria allow a spouse visa?
Yes, Austria allows it, but as a residence permit, not a visa: the spouse of a Red-White-Red Card or Blue Card holder gets a Red-White-Red Card plus, the spouse of an Austrian the title “Family Member” (migration.gv.at). Spouses must be at least 21 when applying and need German A1 unless an exception applies. First applications are filed in person at the Austrian consulate abroad as a rule; spouses of Austrians, visa-free nationals and certain other groups may file in Austria after lawful entry (§ 21 (2) NAG), but filing there gives no right to stay beyond the visa or visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG); the fee in 2026 is €218. A visa D is only the entry ticket to collect the approved card.
What health insurance does a family of four need?
A family of four needs all-risk health cover that pays in Austria for each member, and we do not rank insurers. The criteria are: does it cover all risks and pay in Austria (§ 11 NAG); can the family be co-insured on the sponsor’s ÖGK once living here (children at no extra cost, spouse 3.4 % of the sponsor’s contribution base unless exempt — ÖGK co-insurance); and how long a private bridge is needed. Care Austria Standard costs €155 a month per person under 50 in 2026 (minimum term 1 year, AVB § 3), so four people cost €620 a month.
Has Austria suspended family reunification?
Austria suspended family reunification for only one group, and that stop has ended. From 3 July 2025 Austria paused decisions for family members of people with asylum or subsidiary protection; the emergency regulation expired in early July 2026. Since 7 August 2026 their family reunification needs a quota place under § 46a NAG. Families of Red-White-Red Card, EU Blue Card and settlement-permit holders and of Austrian citizens were never affected.
How long does family reunification in Austria take?
Family reunification in Austria takes at most six months by law: the authority must decide “not later than within six months after receipt” (migration.gv.at). We found no official average for family cases; Vienna’s MA 35 reported an average of 52 days for all third-country cases in 2025. Quota cases can wait longer if the province’s places are used up. Add the time for the A1 certificate, document translations and the visa D after approval.
Does my spouse need German before coming to Austria?
Yes, your spouse needs German at A1, with a certificate not older than one year, unless an exception applies (migration.gv.at). Exceptions: children under 14; people who cannot reasonably be expected to provide it for health reasons (medical report); family of asylum or subsidiary-protection holders; certain family of Very Highly Qualified Workers, EU Blue Card holders and researchers; certain family of Daueraufenthalt – EU holders who first held one of those permits (§ 21a (4) Z 3a NAG); and people who declare in writing that they will stay no more than 24 months within three years. Details: German A1 for an Austrian residence permit.
Can parents join through family reunification in Austria?
As a rule, parents cannot join through family reunification in Austria, not even parents of Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card holders. Under the NAG, family members are only spouses, registered partners and minor unmarried children (migration.gv.at); the one exception is the parents of a recognised refugee, or a minor with subsidiary protection, who was an unaccompanied minor when applying for protection (§ 46a (5) Z 2 and 3 NAG). Parents of non-EU residents can apply for their own settlement permit with a quota, German A1 and €2,616.78 monthly income for one parent or €4,128.24 for a couple (spouses or registered partners living together; 2026 base; more if regular costs such as rent exceed €386.43, § 11 (5) NAG); parents and parents-in-law whom an Austrian citizen, or the Austrian’s spouse or registered partner, actually supports can get the quota-free “Settlement Permit – Dependant” (§ 47 (3) Z 1 NAG), and non-EU parents whom an EU/EEA citizen living in Austria under EU law, or that citizen’s spouse or registered partner, actually supports can get an Aufenthaltskarte, applied for in Austria within 4 months of entry (§ 52 (1) Z 3, § 54 (1) NAG). All routes are on can I bring my parents to Austria?.
Official sources
- migration.gv.at: family reunification, on family members, quota, permits by sponsor, A1, co-insurance and the deadline (checked 30 October 2026)
- migration.gv.at: Red-White-Red Card plus and oesterreich.gv.at: RWR Card plus (last update 10 August 2026)
- oesterreich.gv.at: “Familienangehöriger” application (last update 10 August 2026), for the fee
- § 2, § 11, § 46, § 46a and § 47 NAG; § 123 ASVG (RIS)
- City of Vienna statement of 10 December 2025 (PDF), on the 2025 family-reunification quota in Vienna
- BMI: reference rates 2026; Magistrat Linz: accepted private insurers (12 December 2025)
- Care Austria policy terms (AVB) and tariff page (insurer documents, read 30 October 2026)
Our editorial standards and about this site set out how we work; to reach the team, use contact. For the wider picture, see Austria residence permits and the student permit with a spouse. This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice; the residence authority decides. Referral links may earn us a commission from Care Concept AG at no extra cost to you (affiliate disclosure).
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