Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger: bringing your parents to Austria as an Austrian citizen
The Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger (Settlement Permit – Dependant, § 47 (3) NAG) is for parents whom an Austrian child or their spouse or partner supports (2026 rules). There is no quota. Support must be real; the child always signs a liability declaration certified by an Austrian notary or court. As a rule, parents file at the embassy abroad (in Austria only if visa-free), prove some German, pay €218, may not work, and need all-risk health insurance (no co-insurance on arrival).
The chips show Care Austria Standard per person at 2026 prices, and the unlimited Standard prices rise from 2028 per the policy terms. The unlimited tariffs have a minimum term of 1 year, so ordinary cancellation is possible only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3); the contract ends when your parent leaves Austria for good. The 364-day tariff needs an extra declaration for Vienna’s MA 35. For comparison, ÖGK self-insurance costs €565.25 a month (2026) and has a 6-month waiting period unless waived.
Which route fits your family? Check this first
I am Austrian and have not exercised an EU-law right of residence for more than 3 months in another EEA country or Switzerland (and returned)
Your parents apply for the Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger. This page is for you.
Read the requirements and the health insurance sections next.
I am Austrian, used an EU-law right of residence for more than 3 months in another EEA country or Switzerland, and returned not merely temporarily
EU rules apply by analogy (§ 57 NAG): your supported parents may qualify for a residence card (Aufenthaltskarte) instead. It is filed in Austria, with no German test before entry.
That route is explained on parents of EU citizens and returning Austrians.
I am not (yet) Austrian and hold a Red-White-Red Card, Blue Card or similar
Parents of non-EU residents get no family permit under the NAG, with one exception: 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 need their own permit, for example a settlement permit with a quota place, German A1 and €2,616.78 monthly income (single, 2026 base; more if regular costs exceed €386.43, § 11 (5) NAG; migration.gv.at).
The other routes are on can I bring my parents to Austria?
10 official facts about the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Relatives in the direct ascending line of the Austrian sponsor, the spouse or registered partner | § 47 (3) NAG |
| Sponsor | Austrian living permanently in Austria who has not used EU free movement for more than 3 months | § 47 (1) NAG |
| Maintenance | The sponsor or the sponsor’s spouse or registered partner must actually provide maintenance | § 47 (3) NAG |
| Liability declaration | Always required; certified by an Austrian notary or court; at least 5 years | § 2 (1) 15 NAG |
| Quota | No quota for the Settlement Permit – Dependant under § 47 (3) NAG. | migration.gv.at |
| Fee | €218 | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Where to file | As a rule in person at the Austrian embassy or competent consulate abroad, before entry; visa-free nationals may file in Austria after lawful entry, with no right to stay beyond the visa-free period | oesterreich.gv.at; § 21 (1), (2) Z 5, (6) NAG |
| German | Proof of German knowledge with the first application | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Work | Not allowed (no labour-market access) | oesterreich.gv.at |
| Validity | 12 months first. A three-year title is possible only once Module 1 is completed and the applicant has been continuously lawfully settled in Austria for the preceding two years; otherwise the shorter validity rules continue. | § 20 NAG |
Who qualifies for the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger?
Parents and parents-in-law of an Austrian citizen qualify if the Austrian lives permanently in Austria, has not used an EU free-movement right for more than three months, and the Austrian or the Austrian’s spouse or registered partner actually supports them (§ 47 NAG). Parents whom neither you nor your spouse or registered partner support fall outside this case (§ 47 (3) Z 1 NAG). They may possibly qualify as other relatives under § 47 (3) Z 3 if they already received maintenance from you or lived in your household in their home country, or if serious health reasons make your personal care essential; ask the authority. Otherwise they need the quota settlement permit on their own income (§ 44 NAG, see Austria retirement visa), which requires €2,616.78 a month for one person or €4,128.24 for a couple (spouses or registered partners living together) in 2026 (base; more if regular costs such as rent exceed €386.43, § 11 (5) NAG). “Parents-in-law” is meant literally, because the law names relatives in the direct ascending line of the sponsor and of the sponsor’s spouse or registered partner. For example, a naturalised Austrian in Graz can sponsor his own mother and his Austrian wife’s father in the same way. An Austrian can likewise sponsor a foreign spouse’s parents before that spouse naturalises; spouses of Austrians can apply for citizenship after six years of lawful residence and five years of marriage in a shared household, if they meet the general conditions too (Austrian citizenship after 6 years).
The key word in the law is tatsächlich (actually), and it is a central condition: the maintenance must really be given. The permit is not for parents who are fully independent. For them there is the general settlement permit for people with own income (Niederlassungsbewilligung types). Spouses and minor children of Austrians are not “dependants” but “family members” and use a different title, explained on family reunification.
What does the sponsor have to prove about income, housing and the liability declaration?
The sponsor has to prove three things. The parent’s living costs must be secured, there must be local-standard housing, and a signed liability declaration is needed in every case (oesterreich.gv.at). The general conditions of § 11 NAG apply: income at least at the level of the ASVG reference rate, which for one person is a base amount of €1,308.39 net a month in 2026 (BMI). Regular costs such as rent, loan instalments, garnishments and maintenance to third parties reduce the income that counts; up to €386.43 a month of them (2026, the freie Station value under § 292 (3) ASVG) is disregarded once in total, and only the part above it raises the income needed (§ 11 (5) NAG). When income comes through a liability declaration, only the part of the sponsor’s income above the attachment-free minimum counts. We found no single official figure for how much the Austrian child must earn on top of their own household. The authority calculates it case by case. For a rough estimate, use the sponsor income calculator.
| Who | Document | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Parent | Valid passport, photo 45 × 35 mm not older than 6 months | Must be valid |
| Parent | Civil-status and relationship documents, e.g. birth certificate | Apostille or legalisation may be needed |
| Parent | German certificate | Ask the embassy which level and provider it accepts |
| Parent | Health insurance: “compulsory insurance or a corresponding policy” | All risks, pays in Austria, valid from entry |
| Sponsor | Haftungserklärung certified by an Austrian notary or court | At least 5 years; proof that the sponsor can pay |
| Sponsor | Income proof, rental or ownership contract | Housing must be usual for the household size |
| Both | Proof of actual maintenance (e.g. regular transfers) | Listed as a possible extra document |
Documents not in German need, as a rule, a translation by a sworn, court-certified interpreter; English documents usually need none (oesterreich.gv.at). The printable standard list is on Austria visa documents; all fees are on Austria visa fees.
How do your parents apply, step by step?
As a rule, your parents apply in person at the Austrian embassy or a competent consulate in their home country, before they enter Austria; there is no filing deadline (oesterreich.gv.at; § 21 (1) NAG). A parent entitled to visa-free entry may instead file in Austria after lawful entry, but gains no right to stay beyond the visa-free period (§ 21 (2) Z 5, (6) NAG); parents who need a visa cannot switch to filing in Austria, because the in-country exception for an Austrian’s family (§ 21 (2) Z 1) covers spouses and minor children only. The authority for your parent’s future place of residence decides. In Vienna that is MA 35 (MA 35 Vienna), in Graz the Styrian provincial government, and elsewhere the district authority. The law allows up to six months for a decision; we found no official average for this permit.
- 1Check the route
Your child is Austrian and has not used an EU-law right of residence for more than 3 months in another EEA country or Switzerland and returned not merely temporarily? Then this permit fits. Otherwise see the fork below.
- 2Liability declaration
The Austrian child signs a Haftungserklärung at an Austrian notary or court and gathers proof of income.
- 3German and documents
Parent: German certificate, passport, photo, birth certificate showing the relationship, translations and apostilles where needed.
- 4Health insurance from entry
All-risk cover that pays in Austria, valid from the planned entry date; note its minimum term.
- 5File at the embassy
As a rule in person at the Austrian embassy or competent consulate abroad, before entry, and pay the application fee; visa-free nationals may file in Austria after lawful entry (§ 21 (2) Z 5 NAG), but filing does not let them stay beyond the visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG). The authority for your parent’s future place of residence in Austria decides.
- 6Visa, entry, card
Filed abroad and need a visa? After approval, apply for the visa within 3 months and collect the card in Austria within another 3 months. Filed in Austria as a visa-free national? Follow the authority’s instructions for collecting the card. Then register the address.
Which health insurance do your parents need?
Your parents need health insurance that covers all risks and pays in Austria as a condition for the permit (§ 11 (2) 3 NAG); for the Angehöriger permit, a national residence title, travel insurance “is in any case not sufficient” (BMI). Parents cannot be co-insured on your ÖGK when they arrive (§ 123 (7) ASVG), and because they may not work they get no job-based ÖGK cover either. So your parent needs cover of their own. Private cover can start on entry, while ÖGK self-insurance (€565.25 a month in 2026) is possible only after registering in Austria. The general rules are on health insurance for a residence permit.
| Option | Cost a month | When it works | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| ÖGK co-insurance | 3.4 % of your contribution base (§ 51d ASVG) unless exempt | Only after 10 months in your household, narrow roles | Not available for the application or on arrival |
| ÖGK self-insurance | €565.25 | After registering in Austria with a valid permit | 6-month waiting period unless waived; not usable for filing abroad |
| Care Austria Standard 50–64 | €222 | From entry; unlimited term | 1-year minimum term (AVB § 3); €268 from 2028 |
| Care Austria Standard 65–74 | €510 | From entry; unlimited term | 1-year minimum term (AVB § 3); €617 from 2028 |
| Care Austria 364, 65–74 | €219 | Up to 364 days | Extra MA 35 declaration; suitability for a 12-month permit not confirmed |
| Travel insurance | — | Visits only | Not sufficient for a settlement permit |
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). HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG) is the insurer behind Care Austria, which Care Concept AG sells. The age band changes on 1 January of the year your parent turns 65 (AVB). If your parent has a pre-existing condition, ask before you apply, because the policy terms set special rules (AVB). The self-insurance details are on ÖGK self-insurance, and Austria health insurance cost puts all prices side by side.
How a naturalised daughter in Vienna brings her mother, 68
Illustrative example: Priya, 41, became an Austrian citizen in 2024 and has always lived in Vienna. Her widowed mother Lakshmi, 68, lives alone in Chennai; Priya sends her money every month. Priya has never lived in another EU country, so the route is the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger. Priya signs a liability declaration at a Vienna notary; Lakshmi takes a German course, collects her birth certificate with an apostille and, as an Indian national who needs a visa, files at the embassy in New Delhi, paying €218 (2026 fee).
For health cover, Lakshmi falls into the 65–74 band. Care Austria Standard unlimited costs €510 a month in 2026, or €6,120 for the first year, which is the whole minimum term only for a cover start on 1 January (AVB § 3). ÖGK self-insurance would cost €565.25 a month, €55.25 more, could only start after she registers in Vienna, and pays benefits in kind only after a six-month waiting period unless waived (oesterreich.gv.at). From 2028 the unlimited Standard price for her band steps to €617 per the policy terms. Had Lakshmi been 60, her tariff would be €222 a month (€2,664 a year).
What changes if you used EU free movement first?
An Austrian who used an EU-law right of residence for more than three months in another EEA country or Switzerland and returned to Austria not merely temporarily moves the parents’ case from the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger to the EU-law route. In that case §§ 52–56 NAG apply to your family by analogy (§ 57 NAG). Your supported parents then may qualify for an Aufenthaltskarte, and the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger is not the right title. The card is filed in Austria within four months of entry, with no quota and no German test before entry, and the fee is €91 (2026). The full route is on parents of EU citizens.
How is the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger renewed?
The permit is renewed in Austria at the settlement authority, before it expires and at the earliest three months before; a late application counts as a new first application (oesterreich.gv.at). After the first 12 months, a three-year title is possible only once Module 1 is completed and the applicant has been continuously lawfully settled in Austria for the preceding two years; otherwise the shorter validity rules continue (§ 20 NAG). Proof of health insurance that covers all risks and pays in Austria is needed again at renewal (§ 11 (2) 3 NAG). Long-term options are on permanent residence in Austria; the renewal process itself is on residence permit renewal.
Cover for your parent from the day of entry
- Care Austria Standard unlimited costs €222 (50–64) or €510 (65–74) a month in 2026
- Minimum term 1 year (AVB § 3); ends when your parent leaves Austria for good
- 364-day tariff €219 (65–74) 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)
The insurer is HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG), and Care Concept AG handles the sale. Ask before you apply if your parent has a pre-existing condition, and read the full plan and limits first.
Care Concept says the policy can be taken out before the trip with immediate confirmation, and the start date can be postponed if the appointment or flight moves; cover cannot start before your parent enters Austria (AVB § 6). A 14-day withdrawal right applies; if cover has already started, Care Concept retains the pro-rata premium for that period.
Go to Care Concept’s application
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger?
The Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger is the Austrian settlement permit for “dependants” of an Austrian citizen who lives in Austria and has not used EU free movement — for example the parents and parents-in-law whom the Austrian or the Austrian’s spouse or registered partner supports (§ 47 (3) NAG). migration.gv.at calls it the “Settlement Permit – Dependant”. It needs no quota place (migration.gv.at), costs €218 in 2026 and does not allow work.
What is a Haftungserklärung and who has to sign it?
A Haftungserklärung (liability declaration) is a written promise by a third person — here the Austrian child — to cover the parent’s housing and maintenance and to be liable for certain public costs. It must be certified by an Austrian notary or an Austrian court and be valid for at least five years (§ 2 (1) 15 NAG). For this permit the sponsor must sign one “in any case”, even if the parent has own income (§ 47 (3) NAG).
Do my parents need to speak German to get the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger?
Yes, your parents need some German. The official page says German knowledge must be proven with the first application (oesterreich.gv.at). It does not name the level on that page; the law asks for German at the most basic level (A1) through a recognised language diploma that is not older than one year (§ 21a (1) NAG). Exemptions exist, for example on health grounds proven by a medical opinion (§ 21a (4) NAG). Ask the embassy which certificate it accepts before booking an exam; accepted providers and exemptions: German A1 for an Austrian residence permit.
Can my parents work in Austria on this permit?
No, your parents cannot work on this permit. The permit allows settlement “ohne Arbeitsmarktzugang” — without access to the labour market (oesterreich.gv.at). A later switch to a Red-White-Red Card plus is possible only with a quota place and a notice from the AMS. Because your parents do not work, they also do not get compulsory ÖGK insurance through a job.
Can my parents be co-insured on my ÖGK insurance?
No, your parents cannot be co-insured on your ÖGK when they arrive. Parents count as co-insured dependants only after living at least 10 months in your household, and only if they raise a child there or run the household unpaid with no working-capable spouse present (§ 123 (7) ASVG); the co-insured person, as a rule, costs 3.4 % extra unless exempt (ÖGK). Details: ÖGK co-insurance.
Can my parents apply in Austria after arriving on a tourist visa?
No, parents who entered on a visa cannot file their first application in Austria. As a rule, the first application is filed in person at the Austrian embassy or a competent consulate abroad, before entering Austria (oesterreich.gv.at; § 21 (1) NAG). The in-country exception for an Austrian’s family (§ 21 (2) Z 1 NAG) covers only the core family — spouse, registered partner and minor unmarried children — not parents. The only exception that fits parents is visa-free nationality: a parent entitled to visa-free entry may file in Austria after lawful entry and during the lawful stay (§ 21 (2) Z 5 NAG), with no right to stay beyond the visa-free period (§ 21 (6) NAG). Parents who filed abroad and need a visa apply for it within three months of approval and collect the card in Austria within another three months (oesterreich.gv.at); a visa-free parent who filed in Austria follows the authority’s instructions for collecting the card.
How long is the Niederlassungsbewilligung Angehöriger valid?
The first permit is issued for 12 months (§ 20 (1) NAG). At renewal it is issued for three years only once the parent has completed Module 1 of the integration agreement and has lived lawfully in Austria for the past two years (§ 20 (1a) NAG). Renewal is filed in Austria, before expiry and at the earliest three months before — see residence permit renewal.
Official sources
- oesterreich.gv.at: Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger (last update 10 August 2026), with requirements, documents, fee, procedure and renewal
- migration.gv.at: family reunification on the Settlement Permit – Dependant, with no quota (checked 30 October 2026)
- § 2, § 11, § 20, § 47 and § 57 NAG; § 123 ASVG (RIS)
- ÖGK: self-insurance, ÖGK: co-insurance, oesterreich.gv.at: self-insurance
- BMI: reference rates and insurance; migration.gv.at: other forms of settlement
- Care Austria policy terms (AVB) and tariff page, both insurer documents, read 30 October 2026
Our editorial standards, about this site and contact pages explain how we work. Related pages are Austria residence permits and health insurance in Austria. 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).
Parents cannot be co-insured on arrival
Check Care Austria’s prices by age band and its 1-year minimum term before your parent files the application.
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age 65–74: €510/month in 2026 · unlimited, min. 1 year (AVB § 3)
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