MA35 Vienna in English: office, appointments and the insurance proof MA 35 checks

MA 35 at a glance

What is MA 35, and is it the right office for you?

MA 35 (also written MA35 Wien, MA 35 Wien, MA 35 Vienna or MA35 Austria) is the City of Vienna department that issues residence permits and grants Austrian citizenship. It is your office if you plan to live in Vienna and may enter Austria without a visa, or if you already live in Vienna (wien.gv.at). If you live elsewhere in Austria, the residence authority of your province or statutory city is competent; in Vienna that role falls to MA 35 (migration.gv.at).

Two points cause confusion. First, as a rule a first application for a residence permit is filed at the Austrian embassy or consulate abroad; exceptions that allow filing in Austria after lawful entry include, for example, students, Blue Card and RWR card applicants and visa-free nationals. The full list is in § 21 (2) NAG (RIS; migration.gv.at). Filing in Austria does not let students, Blue Card applicants or visa-free nationals stay beyond the visa or visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG). That rule does not name RWR card applicants (§ 21 (2) Z 7), so ask the authority whether you may stay while it is decided. The permit card is then handed over in person (wien.gv.at). Second, entry visas are issued by embassies, not by MA 35. If you need a visa, you file at the Austrian embassy or consulate, and MA 35 still decides if you will live in Vienna (migration.gv.at). For an overview of permit types, see Austrian residence permits; for students, study in Austria and the student residence permit.

The city also runs an English questionnaire that tells you which permit fits and then forwards you to the matching MA 35 page (immigration assistant), and an overview of permits for third-country nationals (wien.gv.at).

Where is MA 35, and when is it open?

The main MA 35 office is at Dresdner Straße 93, Block C, in Vienna’s 20th district, and you can only be seen there with a prior appointment. The hours below are the official office hours (Amtsstunden) for written submissions. They are not walk-in hours (wien.gv.at, updated 29 October 2026).

The 2026 and 2027 holiday dates when MA 35 is closed are on Austria public holidays.

Which MA 35 office handles which Vienna district is not stated on the official pages we read, and the street address of the student unit (Referat 1.2) is not published there either. Use the address in your appointment confirmation.

Can you contact MA 35 Vienna by email?

Yes, you can email MA 35 Vienna: it has a general email address, listed on its contact page, but the City of Vienna warns not to send application documents to it (wien.gv.at). Use it for questions; a contact form is offered on the same page. MA 35’s general number is +43 1 4000-3535; the Business Immigration Office uses the same number. Work and business cases use the Business Immigration Office’s own email address, listed on the same page.

How do you book an MA35 appointment online?

You book the MA35 residence permit appointment from the official page of your permit type, since each page has its own online booking link. For students, it is “Online-Terminbuchung im Referat 1.2” on the student residence permit page. Without internet access you can book by phone on +43 1 4000-3535. The English questionnaire also ends on the MA 35 page “where you can book an appointment to file your application” (wien.gv.at).

• Find your permit type first (questionnaire or permit overview), then book from that page.
• For Business Immigration Office cases, the city says “you might need an appointment to submit your application”.
• Bring the complete document set to the appointment, including the insurance policy and any declaration.
• The permit card is handed over in person, so expect a second visit.

We do not publish a deep link to the booking tool, current waiting times for appointments or the booking language, because we could not verify them on an official page. Links found in forums change. Book only through wien.gv.at.

Which documents does MA 35 want for a student residence permit?

For a first student residence permit in Vienna, the City of Vienna’s list includes a valid travel document such as a passport, a current biometric photo, the admission or enrolment confirmation, and proof of health insurance that pays in Austria and covers all risks. Funds, accommodation and the other items are on the full list (wien.gv.at). The fee is €218 per permit (€212 only for applications filed before 1 January 2026).

First-time students have one more route. OeAD says a written statement that you will take out ÖGK student insurance (€78.84 a month in 2026) after entry can be attached to the application, with travel insurance covering only the time until then (OeAD). The City of Vienna’s student page asks for proof of insurance and does not mention this statement, so ask MA 35 before you rely on it; ÖGK student insurance also has conditions (income, study duration, study changes). The two are compared on ÖGK student insurance vs private.

Where is the MA35 residence permit application form?

The MA35 residence permit application form is a federal form, not MA 35’s own. The City of Vienna’s English page links to the Interior Ministry’s application forms in English. Each German permit page of wien.gv.at then lists the documents for that permit (for example settlement without gainful employment, family members, or the Red-White-Red Card Plus), and the overview for third-country nationals links to those pages.

What does MA 35 check in your health insurance proof?

MA 35 checks that your health insurance covers all risks, pays in Austria and has no gap. It also checks, where the City of Vienna’s list names an extra declaration for a product, that the right one is part of the contract. The City of Vienna’s page states: “To stay in Austria, you must be sufficiently health-insured”, and travel insurance taken out for the visa “is not sufficient for your application for a residence title” (wien.gv.at). The page names private insurers, for example Allianz, Care Concept AG, Generali, UNIQA and Wiener Städtische, and says product by product what is needed (Care Austria vs FeelSafe has the published facts on one UNIQA-based product).

Care Austria and Care Austria Education can be handed in without an extra declaration. The 364-day versions need a specific declaration, any other private insurer needs the general extra declaration copied exactly into the contract, and waiting periods must be bridged privately. The full rule and these declarations are explained on health insurance for a residence permit. The table below adds two more points from the same page.

Care Concept AG is on Vienna's MA 35 insurer list. Care Austria and Care Austria Education (the unlimited tariffs) need no extra declaration, but the 364-day tariffs do (checked 30 October 2026). The list is a Vienna page, not a federal approval; MA 35 still decides each case. For the tariff-by-tariff detail, see which insurance tariffs need the MA 35 extra declaration. For the federal rule behind all of this, read health insurance for a residence permit; for why ÖGK self-insurance does not work for a first permit, see ÖGK self-insurance vs private cover.

How long does MA 35 take to decide?

MA 35 took 52 days on average to decide third-country residence permit cases in 2025, first applications and renewals combined, which was about 7 % faster than the year before (City of Vienna performance report). Individual cases can take much longer; the law sets the outer limits.

Separate figures for first applications and renewals are not on the page we read, so we do not quote any. Renewal rules are covered in residence permit renewal; family cases in family reunification.

What can you do if MA 35 is slow or you have a problem?

If MA 35 is slow or you have a problem, start with MA 35 itself. Then use the two official routes outside it, which are the Austrian Ombudsman Board, which investigates complaints about the administration, and a court complaint about inaction once six months, or a different deadline the law sets, have passed.

1. 1
   Ask MA 35 for the status

   Phone +43 1 4000-3535 or the contact form on wien.gv.at; quote your file number. Do not email documents to MA 35’s general email address.

2. 2
   Check the deadline that applies

   Six months in general; for students, 90 days plus 90 if documents were requested. Missing documents extend the time.

3. 3
   Contact the Austrian Ombudsman Board (Volksanwaltschaft)

   Via the online complaint page, email (address on its website), post to Singerstraße 17, P.O. Box 20, 1015 Vienna, or service line 0800 223 223 (Mon–Fri 8–16). Investigations are in German.

4. 4
   After the deadline, a complaint about inaction

   A Säumnisbeschwerde to the administrative court is possible only if the authority has not decided within six months, or within a different deadline if the law sets one (§ 8 VwGVG), and it is rejected if the delay is not mainly the authority’s fault (§ 8 VwGVG). Consider legal advice first.

The Ombudsman Board’s 2025 findings on federal administration criticise that MA 35 “as a rule did not take continuous steps” and let long periods pass between procedural steps. We found no separate internal complaint office at MA 35.

How Arjun’s student permit goes through MA 35

Illustrative example: Arjun, 22, from India, has an admission letter from a Vienna university and needs a visa to enter, so he files his first application at the Austrian embassy; MA 35 Referat 1.2 decides. For the insurance proof he chooses Care Austria Education unlimited at €56 a month in 2026 (€672 for the first year), which MA 35’s page names without an extra declaration. The 364-day version would cost €51 a month but needs the extra MA 35 declaration in his file. His fee is €218. Before his embassy appointment he goes through the Care Austria application checklist.

If his documents are complete, OeAD describes a 90-day decision frame; the 2025 Vienna average was 52 days. He sets his insurance start date to his planned entry, since Care Austria cover begins only on entry. After arrival he books the card pickup, then diarises his renewal for three months before expiry at the earliest, with insurance that runs on without a gap. His wife plans to join later; her permit and insurance are a separate case (family reunification).

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• City of Vienna: MA 35 contact page with address, phone, email, office hours and appointments (updated 29 October 2026)
• City of Vienna (MA 35): health insurance for residence permits (checked 30 October 2026)
• BMI: application forms in English
• City of Vienna: residence permit “Student” with documents, fee and booking
• OeAD: residence permit “Student” for the 90-day rule
• City of Vienna: immigration and residence (English) and permits for third-country nationals
• migration.gv.at: settlement for the six-month maximum and where to file
• City of Vienna: Business Immigration Office
• § 24 NAG and § 8 VwGVG, RIS
• City of Vienna: MA 35 performance report 2025 (source of the 52 days and the 143,600 procedures)
• Austrian Ombudsman Board: complaint submission; findings on federal administration 2025 (PDF report)
• Care Austria policy terms (AVB) and tariff page (insurer documents, read 30 October 2026)

Our editorial standards explain how we work; see also about this site and contact. This page is general information, not legal advice; MA 35 decides each application. Referral links may earn us a commission from Care Concept AG at no extra cost to you (affiliate disclosure).