Health care in Austria for foreigners: how the system works, what you pay and how you get covered (2026)
These are private tariffs for permit applicants who are not yet in the public system, at 2026 prices. Unlimited tariffs can be cancelled ordinarily only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3), and the unlimited Standard tariff rises from 2028 per the policy terms.
Health care in Austria runs on statutory health insurance, and about 99.9 % of the population is compulsorily insured, co-insured as family or self-insured (oesterreich.gv.at, 2026). It is not free, since contributions, a €7.55 prescription fee and private-doctor gaps apply. Newcomers without a job are not covered automatically; applicants without qualifying statutory insurance need private all-risk cover for a first residence permit (exceptions for RWR card and first student permits below), from €56/month for students (min. 1 year).
Which group are you in for medical care in Austria?
How you reach health care in Austria depends on why you are here. Each group enters the system in a different way.
I work in Austria
If your job is subject to compulsory health insurance, you are insured through it from the first working day and get an e-card; a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month (2026) gives accident insurance only, not health cover. The BMI calls job insurance “in any case sufficient” for a permit.
Read more about the e-card.
My spouse or parent works here
You may be co-insured once you live in Austria.
The rules are on ÖGK co-insurance.
I am applying for a permit without a job
You are not in the public system yet. You need private all-risk cover, such as Care Austria unlimited from €155 a month under 50 or €56 for students (2026 prices, min. 1 year). There are exceptions for first student permits and RWR card applicants. For a first student permit, OeAD says a written statement that ÖGK student insurance will be taken out after entry can be attached, plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts (OeAD); ask your residence authority before relying on it. For RWR card applicants, migration.gv.at says travel health insurance is accepted at the time of application if it covers well above €30,000 and includes rescue and return costs (migration.gv.at).
Compare the options on health insurance for foreigners.
I am only visiting
EU visitors use their EHIC; others need travel health insurance.
Jump to the section for tourists.
Austria’s health care system in 8 official facts
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | About 99.9 % of the population: compulsorily insured, self-insured or co-insured | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Employees in a job with compulsory insurance | Compulsorily insured; “in any case sufficient” for a residence permit | bmi.gv.at |
| Proof of cover | e-card, issued to all insured persons and their dependants; EHIC on the back | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Prescription fee 2026 | €7.55 per item; exempt after 2 % of annual net income | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Private doctors | Refund in principle 80 % of the ÖGK contract tariff, at most the bill | oegk.at |
| Self-insurance 2026 | €565.25 a month; benefits after 6 months unless waived; needs residence, and non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens a valid permit | oegk.at |
| Student self-insurance 2026 | €78.84 a month | oegk.at |
| Emergency numbers | 144 ambulance; 1450 health hotline | oesterreich.gv.at |
How does the health care system in Austria work?
The Austria health care system is built on compulsory social insurance. A job subject to compulsory health insurance, a pension or a family link makes you a member of a statutory health insurance fund (for private-sector employees the ÖGK, Österreichische Gesundheitskasse), and contributions are taken from your pay. A marginal job at or below €551.10 a month (2026) gives accident insurance only, not health cover. With the e-card you see contract doctors (Kassenärzte) and use hospitals without paying the bill yourself; the fund pays them directly. These are benefits in kind (Sachleistungen).
Next to the contract doctors there are private doctors (Wahlärzte). They have no contract with the ÖGK and set their own fees. You pay them first and claim back, in principle, 80 % of what the ÖGK would have paid a contract doctor, not 80 % of the bill (oegk.at). Medical care in Austria therefore has two price levels for the same visit; which one you use is your choice (see Wahlarzt costs and refunds).
People who are not covered through a job or a family member can join voluntarily (self-insurance) once they live in Austria (non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens also need a valid residence permit). ÖGK self-insurance (adults) and ÖGK student insurance explain this in detail. Whether your home country has an agreement with Austria, and whether it covers health or only pensions, is listed on Austria social security agreements by country.
Does Austria have universal healthcare?
Austria has almost universal healthcare coverage. About 99.9 % of the population are covered by statutory health insurance, whether compulsorily insured, self-insured or co-insured as family members (oesterreich.gv.at, last updated 16 April 2026). Cover comes from one of these three insurance links, not from residence alone. A foreigner who moves to Austria without a job is not covered automatically, and the same page points uninsured people to charitable organisations that give medical care free of charge.
| Route | Who | Monthly cost | Cover starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment (compulsory ÖGK) | Employees in a job with compulsory insurance (not a marginal job), incl. employed Red-White-Red Card holders | Deducted from pay | Job with compulsory insurance: from the first working day |
| Co-insurance (Mitversicherung) | Spouse, children of an insured person living in Austria | Children free; spouse 3.4 % of the insured person’s contribution base (§ 51d ASVG) unless exempt | Once you live in Austria (habitual residence) |
| ÖGK self-insurance | Residents with no other cover (non-EU/EEA/Swiss: valid permit needed) | €565.25 | After 6 months, unless waived |
| ÖGK student self-insurance | Eligible students living in Austria | €78.84 | Ask the ÖGK |
| Private permit cover (Care Austria) | First-permit applicants, students, retirees, bridges | Unlimited from €56 (12–35) or €155 (under 50) | From entry; 31-day waiting period waived if bought before travelling or within 31 days of entry (AVB) |
Does Austria have free healthcare?
Healthcare in Austria is not free. Insured patients still pay a prescription fee of €7.55 per item (capped at 2 % of annual net income), an e-card service fee of €25 for 2026 and, at private doctors, the gap above a refund of in principle 80 % of the ÖGK tariff; the system itself is paid for by insurance contributions. Is healthcare in Austria free at the doctor? For contract doctors and hospitals the ÖGK pays the treatment as a benefit in kind, but the table shows what an insured person still pays in 2026.
| Cost | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription fee | €7.55 per item; cap at 2 % of annual net income | oesterreich.gv.at |
| e-card service fee | €25 for 2026; co-insured dependants exempt | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Private doctor (Wahlarzt) | Full bill first; refund in principle 80 % of the contract tariff | oegk.at |
| Self-insurance contribution | €565.25 a month (students €78.84) | oegk.at |
| Hospital daily contribution, dental and glasses co-payments | Not on the official pages we checked — ask your fund | — |
For a newcomer, the insurance itself is a cost to plan for on top of the co-payments. Rent, food and other monthly costs are on cost of living in Austria.
Is healthcare free in Austria for tourists?
No official page we checked says healthcare in Austria is free for tourists. EU visitors use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), and others need travel health insurance (at least €30,000 for a Schengen visa). The European health insurance card (EHIC) in Austria covers visitors from EU and EEA states and Switzerland. Contract doctors and hospitals must accept it, and necessary treatment is given under the same conditions as for people insured here (oesterreich.gv.at; our reading of an EU rule written for Austrians abroad). Co-payments such as the prescription fee still apply. The source names contract doctors and hospitals; ask a private doctor before treatment.
Visitors from outside the EU have no EHIC. For a Schengen visa they need travel health insurance covering at least €30,000 (bmeia.gv.at). For a residence permit, the Interior Ministry says travel insurance is in any case not sufficient. The stated exceptions are a Red-White-Red Card application, where travel health insurance well above €30,000 incl. rescue and return costs is accepted at application (migration.gv.at), and a first student permit, with OeAD’s statement that ÖGK student insurance follows after entry, plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts; ask your residence authority. The details are on visa D and health insurance for a residence permit. Parents visiting family are covered on can I bring my parents to Austria?.
How do foreigners get medical care in Austria before they have an e-card?
Before a foreigner is in the statutory system and has an e-card, a person who holds private permit insurance is paid by that policy, under its terms; others use the EHIC where it applies (EU/EEA/Swiss visitors) or other insurance, or pay themselves. Austria medical care for a first-permit applicant comes, as a rule, through a qualifying all-risk policy that pays in Austria, which the permit law requires (§ 11 (2) 3 NAG). There are exceptions. For a Red-White-Red Card application, travel health insurance covering well above €30,000 incl. rescue and return costs is accepted at application (migration.gv.at), and for a first student permit OeAD names a written statement that ÖGK student insurance will follow after entry, plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts (ask your residence authority). Care Austria cover can start on the day you enter (never before), with no deductible for normal treatment; its 31-day general waiting period is waived if you buy before travelling or within 31 days of entry, and for accidents, while childbirth and dental prosthetics have 8 months (AVB § 7). The AVB § 15 general declaration waives waiting periods that do not fit ÖGK-level cover; Care Concept has not confirmed to us how that applies here, so ask Care Concept AG in writing before you apply. We found no statement from the ÖGK or Care Concept on whether Care Austria customers get an e-card, so we do not claim either way.
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 City of Linz lists Care Concept AG; it says Care Austria and Care Austria Education (the unlimited tariffs) need no extra declaration (keine Zusatzerklärung), and Care Austria 364 and Care Austria 364 Education need an addendum (Erforderliche vertragliche Zusatzerklärung) (Magistrat Linz, list dated 12.12.2025, checked 30 October 2026). We did not find lists from other provinces.
When you start a job subject to compulsory health insurance, you are ÖGK-insured from the first working day (a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month in 2026 gives accident insurance only, not health cover) and the private policy is no longer needed for the permit. The AVB end eligibility in a running contract once legally required cover is taken out and proven, but we found no statement of how premiums stop, so ask Care Concept AG. Unlimited contracts can otherwise be cancelled only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3). The full comparison is on health insurance in Austria for foreigners.
What is different about health care in Vienna?
Health care in Vienna follows the same national insurance system; what is specific is the residence authority. Vienna’s MA 35 writes that a waiting period “must” be bridged with private insurance, and that people insured through work or co-insured need no private cover (wien.gv.at). The City of Vienna also explains the numbers to call in an emergency, which are 144 in an emergency and 1450 for health advice from trained nursing staff (wien.gv.at). Contacts and processing times are on MA 35 Vienna in English.
Does Austria have good healthcare?
In the official sources we used we found no ranking of Austria’s healthcare, so we give the facts instead. About 99.9 % of residents are statutorily insured (oesterreich.gv.at), with direct access to contract doctors and hospitals with the e-card, the free choice of a private doctor with a partial refund, and a capped prescription fee. What matters most for a foreigner is getting into that system (through a job, a family member or, after arrival, self-insurance) and keeping valid cover until then (permit applicants without qualifying cover may need private insurance). For a move as a whole, see moving to Austria and, for retirees, retire in Austria.
One family with three ways into the system
The family below is an illustrative example. Amir (38) has a Red-White-Red Card job in Linz; his wife Sara (36) and son (6) follow (family reunification). Amir is ÖGK-insured from his first working day and gets an e-card. Once Sara and their son live in Austria, they can be co-insured, the child without a contribution and Sara for 3.4 % of Amir’s contribution base unless an exemption applies (ÖGK co-insurance). Sara’s mother Leila (61) moves later on her own settlement permit; she cannot be co-insured on arrival (for her, § 123 (7) ASVG requires, among other conditions, at least 10 months in the insured person's household, either raising a child there or running the household unpaid, and no able-bodied spouse or registered partner of the insured living there) and needs private cover for the permit. Care Austria Standard unlimited costs €222 a month at 50–64 (2026, rising to €268 from 2028), for at least 1 year (AVB § 3). After arrival she could apply for ÖGK self-insurance at €565.25 a month, with a 6-month waiting period that the ÖGK waives only if she had statutory health insurance (in Austria, the EU/EEA or a treaty state whose agreement adds up insurance periods) for at least 26 weeks in the last 12 months or for at least 6 consecutive weeks immediately before; otherwise she bridges it privately (Vienna's MA 35 requires this; ask Linz).
Not yet in the Austrian system? Cover for your permit
- Care Austria Education unlimited costs €56 a month (ages 12–35, education stays)
- Care Austria Standard unlimited costs €155 under 50, €222 at 50–64 and €510 at 65–74 a month (2026; age = the calendar year minus your year of birth, and the higher band applies from 1 January of the year you turn 50 or 65)
- 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)
- Unlimited contracts allow ordinary cancellation only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3), and the 364-day tariffs (€51 / €95 a month, Standard under 65) need an extra MA 35 declaration
The plan comes from Care Concept AG as seller and HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG) as insurer. Ask Care Concept AG in writing about pre-existing conditions before you apply, and read the full plan and limits first.
Go to Care Concept’s application
Referral link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (how we are paid). We earn nothing from the ÖGK.
Frequently asked questions
What does Austrian health insurance cover?
Statutory health insurance (for example with the ÖGK) pays benefits in kind: doctor visits at contract doctors, hospital treatment, medicines on prescription and more, by showing your e-card. You still pay some costs yourself, such as the prescription fee of €7.55 per item in 2026 (oesterreich.gv.at) and the difference when you see a private doctor (oegk.at). ÖGK self-insurance pays benefits in kind only, no cash benefits such as sick pay. Private permit cover such as Care Austria works by its own policy terms (AVB).
How much is the prescription fee in Austria?
The prescription fee in Austria has been €7.55 per prescribed item since 1 January 2026 (oesterreich.gv.at). There is a yearly cap: once you have paid 2 % of your annual net income in prescription fees in a calendar year, you are exempt for the rest of that year automatically, without applying.
How much does the ÖGK pay back if I see a private doctor (Wahlarzt)?
You get back, in principle, 80 % of what the ÖGK would have paid a contract doctor for the same treatment, and never more than you actually paid (oegk.at). Private doctors (Wahlärzte) have no contract with the ÖGK and set their own fees, so the refund can be well below 80 % of your bill. Private doctors with at least 300 patients a year must submit it electronically for you since 1 July 2024 — details on Wahlarzt costs in Austria.
Which number do I call for medical help in Austria?
In an emergency call 144 (ambulance). For health questions and acute symptoms that are not an emergency, call 1450, the health hotline, where trained nursing staff assess how urgent your case is and tell you what to do. Both numbers are free from any phone in Austria (oesterreich.gv.at; wien.gv.at).
What can I do if I have no health insurance in Austria?
Check first whether you can be insured: through a job subject to compulsory health insurance (a marginal job up to €551.10 a month in 2026 gives accident insurance only), as a co-insured family member, or with ÖGK self-insurance (€565.25 a month in 2026, for residents — non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens with a valid permit — benefits after a 6-month waiting period unless waived; oegk.at). oesterreich.gv.at says about 99.9 % of the population are statutorily insured, and that charitable organisations offer medical care free of charge and without red tape to people who are not (oesterreich.gv.at). A first residence permit, however, as a rule needs all-risk health insurance (exceptions at application: RWR card applicants with travel cover well above €30,000 incl. rescue and return costs; first student permit: OeAD statement on ÖGK student insurance plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts — ask your residence authority).
Can EU visitors use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in Austria?
Yes, in our reading EU visitors can use the EHIC in Austria. The EHIC works in all EU and EEA states and Switzerland: contract doctors and hospitals are obliged by international treaties to accept it, and necessary treatment is given under the same conditions as for people insured in that country (oesterreich.gv.at, written for Austrians abroad; our reading: the same EU rule works the other way round for EU visitors in Austria). The source names contract doctors and hospitals; ask a private doctor before treatment. Visitors from outside the EU need their own travel health insurance; for a Schengen visa it must cover at least €30,000 (bmeia.gv.at).
Official sources
- oesterreich.gv.at: help for people without health insurance on the 99.9 % coverage (last updated 16 April 2026)
- oesterreich.gv.at: prescription fee with the 2026 amount and the 2 % cap (last updated 1 January 2026)
- ÖGK: private doctors (Wahlärztinnen und Wahlärzte) for the 80 % refund rule
- oesterreich.gv.at: e-card on the card, the EHIC and the service fee
- oesterreich.gv.at: doctor visits in EU states for the EHIC rules (last updated 19 February 2026)
- oesterreich.gv.at: emergency numbers and City of Vienna: medical emergency numbers
- ÖGK: self-insurance and ÖGK: student self-insurance with the 2026 rates
- BMI: residence and health insurance; bmeia.gv.at: visas
- City of Vienna (MA 35): health insurance for residence permits, checked 30 October 2026
- Care Austria policy terms (AVB) and tariff page (insurer documents, read 30 October 2026)
See editorial standards, about this site and contact for how this site works. This page is general information, not medical, legal or insurance advice. Referral links may earn us a commission from Care Concept AG at no extra cost to you (affiliate disclosure).
Covered until you join the Austrian system
A first residence permit needs private all-risk cover that pays in Austria (exceptions above: for a Red-White-Red Card application, travel health insurance well above €30,000 incl. rescue and return costs; for a first student permit, the OeAD statement on ÖGK student insurance plus travel insurance until ÖGK cover starts — ask your residence authority). Check Care Austria’s prices, waiting periods and 1-year minimum term first.
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age 12–35: €56/month in 2026 · unlimited, min. 1 year (AVB § 3)
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