Red-White-Red Card Austria 2026: types, requirements, steps and health insurance

Which situation are you in?

Your Red-White-Red Card route depends first on whether you already have a job offer, because the employed types need an employer in Austria (migration.gv.at FAQ). Pick the box that fits you.

The Red-White-Red Card in 10 official facts

The Red-White-Red Card application fee is €218 (oesterreich.gv.at, 2026). The minimum salary for Other Key Workers is €3,465 gross a month (migration.gv.at, 2026), a threshold for that type only, and the 2026 shortage list has 64 Austria-wide occupation groups plus regional lists (migration.gv.at, 2026).

What is the Red-White-Red Card in Austria?

The Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte, shortened here to RWR card) is the residence permit Austria uses for qualified workers from “third countries”, meaning anyone who is not a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. It combines the right to live here (settlement) with, for the employed types, the right to work for one named employer. In the words of migration.gv.at, the card “is valid for two years and entitles you as the holder to settlement and employment with a specific employer” (migration.gv.at FAQ).

The legal basis is § 41 of the Settlement and Residence Act (Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz, NAG). The residence authority cannot issue the card alone: it needs a written notification or opinion from the regional office of the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice, AMS) (§ 41 NAG). For the employed RWR categories, the AMS checks the employment side (job offer, qualification, points, pay); self-employed key workers and start-up founders are assessed under their business-based rules. The residence authority checks the residence conditions that apply (identity, health insurance, means of subsistence and a clean record); RWR applicants are exempt from the accommodation condition of § 11 (2) Z 2 NAG (bmi.gv.at). In Vienna, the residence authority is MA 35 (MA 35 Vienna in English).

What are the Red-White-Red Card Austria requirements, type by type?

Red-White-Red Card eligibility and requirements depend on which of the seven types you apply for. The type decides whether points count, whether a minimum salary applies and whether the AMS first looks for a local worker. Use this table to find yours; the official page for each type is linked. The 2026 minimum salary for the Red-White-Red Card is €3,465 gross a month for Other Key Workers; for shortage occupations it is the minimum pay set by law, regulation or collective agreement, for graduates the locally customary salary for comparable junior graduates, and Very Highly Qualified Workers have no fixed amount (migration.gv.at). The Austria salary calculator shows what €3,465 gross a month (2026) leaves you net.

The shortage list changes every year by regulation; for 2026, migration.gv.at lists 64 Austria-wide occupation groups plus regional lists (2026 shortage occupations). What the labour market test means and what happens if your job is not on the list is explained on Austria work visa; the separate EU Blue Card route is on EU Blue Card Austria; for nursing occupations, diploma recognition is covered on nurse recognition in Austria.

How do the points work for other key workers?

Other Key Workers need at least 55 points, which come from four areas: qualification, work experience, languages and age. The table summarises the official scheme for Other Key Workers; the shortage-occupation table is similar but scores age differently (5 points under 50) and gives 30 points for completed training (migration.gv.at). Very Highly Qualified Workers use a separate 70-point table, shown on our job seeker visa page, and a self-check will follow on the points calculator.

Your own points estimate is not a decision. The AMS confirms the score from your documents.

How to apply for the Red-White-Red Card: step by step

You apply for the Red-White-Red Card in person, as a rule at the Austrian embassy or consulate (for the exceptions see § 21 (2) NAG and step 3), or, for the employed types, your employer files it at the residence authority in Austria. We found no online application for the card. The steps run in this order, and step 1 applies to the employed types only.

1. 1
   Get a job offer

   You need an employer in Austria for every employed RWR card type, i.e. all except Self-employed Key Workers and Start-up Founders (migration.gv.at FAQ). Very Highly Qualified Workers may first search on the spot with the six-month job seeker visa.

2. 2
   Check your type and points

   Pick the card type that matches your profile (table above) and estimate your points with the official calculator on migration.gv.at. The calculator is a self-estimate; the AMS decides.

3. 3
   File the application

   Either in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for you, or, for the employed types, your employer files it at the residence authority in Austria, with an employer’s declaration (Arbeitgebererklärung). After lawful entry you may also file in Austria yourself (§ 21 (2) Z 7 NAG); whether you may stay beyond your visa or visa-free period while it is decided is not settled by § 21 (6), so ask the authority.

4. 4
   AMS check

   The residence authority sends your file to the AMS, which checks your type’s conditions: for employed types e.g. points, training and pay (and, for some, the labour market); for self-employed key workers and start-up founders the business-based conditions (see the type table). This step had a four-week target under the employment law, per the Court of Audit.

5. 5
   Card issued, visa D, first working day

   If the AMS agrees, the authority issues the card. Visa-required applicants get a visa D to enter and collect it. From the first working day the employer’s compulsory ÖGK insurance applies.

Red-White-Red Card Austria documents. The official checklist for the job seeker visa, the RWR card and the EU Blue Card (migration.gv.at, PDF) asks for originals and copies of:

• Red-White-Red Card application form (linked in the migration.gv.at FAQ) and, for the employed types, the employer’s declaration (self-employed key workers and start-up founders submit the documents for their business-based rules).
• Valid passport, birth certificate and a photo of 45 × 35 mm.
• Proof for every point you claim: degree or training certificate, employment records, language certificates.
• Proof of accommodation in Austria. The law exempts the RWR card and the EU Blue Card from it (BMI), so bring a tenancy contract if the authority asks.
• Proof of health insurance covering all risks (see health insurance); § 42 (1) NAG exempts the EU Blue Card from § 11 (2) Z 2 and Z 4 but not from health insurance (§ 42 NAG).
• Proof of means of subsistence; translations of documents not in German or English.
• Fee €218 (2026); if you need a visa D to enter and collect the card, the visa D fee is €195 in 2026 (bmeia.gv.at; we found no statement on whether it is charged in this case).

The residence authority is MA 35 in Vienna and the district authority or city council elsewhere (migration.gv.at). Fees for every permit are collected on Austria visa fees.

How long does Red-White-Red Card processing take?

Red-White-Red Card processing time has a legal deadline: the decision must be made “without delay, at the latest within eight weeks” of filing (§ 41 (3) NAG), and migration.gv.at says “the entire application process takes approximately eight weeks”, depending on how complete your file is. The most recent measured figures we found come from Austria’s Court of Audit (Rechnungshof, report Reihe BUND 2024/11, April 2024). In 2022 it took 62 days on average from application to card, with a median of 52 days; the AMS step averaged 28 days, and Vienna’s median was 63 days. These are 2022 figures, not a promise for your case.

The same report gives the only official approval-related figure we found. In 2022 the AMS issued a positive opinion on 79 % of RWR card and Blue Card applications (shortage occupations 69 %, Other Key Workers 84 %, Very Highly Qualified 84 %, Graduates 94 %). That is the AMS step only, not a final approval rate, and we found no newer official figure. What lowers the odds and how appeals went is on Austria work visa.

Do you need health insurance for the Red-White-Red Card?

Yes, Red-White-Red Card applicants must prove all-risk health insurance that pays in Austria when they apply, and the migration.gv.at FAQ (checked 2026) says the authorities “will accept travel health insurance, provided it covers costs well above €30,000”, including rescue and return (migration.gv.at FAQ). That is an exception migration.gv.at states for this route only; it does not apply to student or settlement permits, and we do not apply it to family permits. Employment subject to compulsory health insurance (a marginal job up to €551.10 a month in 2026 gives accident insurance only) gives ÖGK cover from the first working day: “As an employee you are insured from the start of your work”, your employer registers you before your first day, and “no application is necessary” (oegk.at, our translation). For employees, the authority checks this compulsory insurance (oesterreich.gv.at).

Where Care Austria fits, and where it does not. Care Austria is private health insurance (insurer HanseMerkur Versicherungsgruppe (Advigon Versicherung AG); prices by age: Austria health insurance cost), not travel insurance; cover cannot start before you enter Austria (or before the premium is paid). Its terms do not insure people who are subject to compulsory ÖGK insurance, so for an employee (other than in a marginal job up to €551.10 a month in 2026) it can only bridge the time before the job starts. Because the unlimited tariff (€155 a month under 50 in 2026) can be cancelled ordinarily only after 1 year, then only to 31 December with 1 month’s notice (AVB § 3), even a two-week gap costs at least €1,860 (12 months; more if cover does not start on 1 January); the documents do not say whether the contract can end early when ÖGK insurance starts, so ask Care Concept AG in writing. For a gap of days or weeks, compare that with what it costs to keep your travel policy running. Care Austria is worth a look only for a gap you can document: a long wait before the start date, or a relative who cannot be co-insured yet or at all. ÖGK self-insurance (€565.25 a month in 2026) needs residence in Austria with a valid permit and pays benefits only after a six-month waiting period, unless enough recent statutory cover in Austria, the EU/EEA or a treaty state whose agreement adds up insurance periods waives it (ÖGK self-insurance). The general insurance rule for permits is on health insurance for a residence permit.

When do you get the Red-White-Red Card plus, and how long is it valid?

RWR card and Blue Card holders can switch to the Red-White-Red Card plus after working under the conditions of their card for at least 21 of the last 24 months, and it gives “fixed-term settlement and unlimited labour market access” (migration.gv.at). The main Red-White-Red Card plus benefit is therefore that you can change employer or work self-employed without a new AMS check. The law speaks of holding the title for two years (§ 41a NAG). Red-White-Red Card plus validity is one year; people who have lived here lawfully for at least two years and fulfilled Module 1 of the Integration Agreement can get it for three years. The fee is €218 in 2026 (oesterreich.gv.at).

How does Red-White-Red Card renewal work?

Red-White-Red Card renewal is filed before your card expires, at the earliest three months before (§ 24 (1) NAG; steps: residence permit renewal); § 24 (1) sets the same timing for a Red-White-Red Card plus renewal. If you have worked at least 21 of the last 24 months under the card’s conditions, you can apply for the Red-White-Red Card plus instead of a second RWR card. If you work in employment subject to compulsory health insurance, your health insurance at renewal is that ÖGK cover, and you need no private policy while you work (a marginal job at or below €551.10 a month in 2026 does not by itself give statutory health cover). If you are a self-employed key worker or start-up founder, ask the social insurance. Later, permanent residence (Daueraufenthalt EU) is a separate step: Austria permanent residence permit; naturalisation is another one, with its own rules on Austrian citizenship.

Bringing your spouse / parents: what changes?

The spouse (or registered partner, at least 21) and unmarried minor children of a Red-White-Red Card holder receive a Red-White-Red Card plus as family members; this route is quota-free. They file in person at the embassy before entering, unless they may enter visa-free or already hold a valid title (filing in Austria gives no right to stay beyond the visa or visa-free period, § 21 (6) NAG); family of RWR card holders need German A1 before entry unless an exception applies, while families of Very Highly Qualified Workers and Blue Card holders do not (migration.gv.at). For insurance, families “are usually covered by their sponsors’ health insurance (co-insurance)”. Children are covered at no extra cost and spouses for 3.4 % of your contribution base unless an exemption applies. Co-insurance needs residence in Austria, so confirm the exact ÖGK start for a spouse with the ÖGK. The travel-insurance exception above is not stated for family permits.

Parents are not family members under this route. They need their own settlement permit, with its own income and insurance rules, explained on can I bring my parents to Austria?. Spouses and children are covered on family reunification in Austria.

For the first price, age is the calendar year in which cover starts minus the year of birth; after that, the unlimited Standard tariff moves to the next band from 1 January of the year the spouse or parent turns 50 or 65 (AVB premium table). Minimum term 1 year (AVB § 3). Older applicants: ask Care Concept AG in writing whether a new contract can start at your age.

Worked example: a chef from Manila with a job in Salzburg

Illustrative example: Maria, 33, is a trained chef with a culinary diploma and seven years of hotel-kitchen experience. Restaurant chefs are on the 2026 shortage list, so she aims for the Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations card. Her Salzburg employer files the application at the residence authority in Salzburg with the employer’s declaration; Maria’s file includes her training certificate, employment records, an English certificate, a tenancy agreement for a shared flat and a travel health policy that covers well above €30,000 including rescue and return costs (the migration.gv.at FAQ rule, checked 2026). She pays the €218 fee (2026).

The AMS confirms her points, the card is approved, and she collects a visa D at the embassy in Manila. She lands on a Thursday and starts work the following Monday. From that day she is insured with the ÖGK through her employer. For those four days her travel policy still runs, so she does not need Care Austria: with its 1-year minimum term, four days of cover would cost at least €1,860 at the 2026 under-50 price (12 months; more if cover does not start on 1 January). Her husband, 35, follows on a Red-White-Red Card plus. He can be co-insured once he lives in Austria if the ÖGK conditions are met, but the date the ÖGK accepts him is not certain, so they ask the ÖGK first. He still needs his own all-risk cover that pays in Austria for his permit and for the time until co-insurance starts (§ 11 (2) Z 3 NAG; see the family section above), so a private policy such as Care Austria Standard unlimited at €155 a month under 50 (2026; 1-year minimum term, AVB § 3) is a documented need for that gap, and for longer if he turns out not to be eligible.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• migration.gv.at: permanent immigration and the type pages linked in the table (pages undated, checked 30 October 2026)
• migration.gv.at FAQ on the employer, students, change of employer, insurance at application and processing time
• migration.gv.at: Red-White-Red Card plus and 2026 shortage occupations
• § 41 NAG, § 41a NAG and § 24 NAG (RIS, Federal Legal Information System)
• oesterreich.gv.at: RWR card for shortage occupations (last update 7 August 2026) and RWR Card plus (last update 10 August 2026), for the fees and the eight-week deadline
• ÖGK: insurance for employees, on cover from the first working day of employment subject to compulsory insurance
• Official document checklist (PDF) and bmeia.gv.at: visa
• Court of Audit Austria (Rechnungshof), “Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte und Blaue Karte EU”, Reihe BUND 2024/11 (PDF), April 2024, with the 2022 processing times and AMS opinions
• Care Austria policy terms (AVB) and tariff page (the insurer documents behind the prices, read 30 October 2026)

Our editorial standards and about this site pages explain how we work; questions go to the team via contact. This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice; the AMS and the residence authority decide. Referral links may earn us a commission from Care Concept AG at no extra cost to you (affiliate disclosure).