Vienna City Guide

Page 10

Vienna City Guide

Please note that the whole application process can take approx. 4-6 weeks or longer. Work

permits are usually linked to the employer and the location. Should the employer change,

the work permit will need to be re-applied for. It is also important to note that residence and

work permits have to be renewed around four to six weeks before expiry date. Working

without a valid permit is illegal.

EU citizens (with the exception of Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania) do not need a work

permit.

Registration with the ‘MA 35’ Authority

EEA citizens (European Economic Area, i.e. EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein

and Norway) and citizens from Switzerland will have to register with the Foreign Office (in

Vienna it is the so-called ‘MA 35’ authority) within four months after they have first registered

at the place of residence in Vienna.

Required documents are:

ID card or passport

Proof of sufficient health insurance coverage

Proof of sufficient financial means (e.g. employment contract etc.)

Birth certificate

For spouse: marriage certificate

Child Benefit

Everyone who is a resident in Austria may claim child benefit (called “Familienbeihilfe”). This

allowance is paid for children living in Austria and who have not yet completed the age of

18. Under certain conditions, one can continue to receive child benefits for children between

the ages of 18 and 25. The allowance is payable to one person for each eligible child.

An application for the child benefit must be submitted in order to receive these benefits. The

application can be made up to five years after the birth of the child, in which case the

payment is also made retroactively. Applications need to be filed at the local tax office in

charge of the district you live in (“Wohnsitzfinanzamt”). The authority will then decide in each

individual case whether child benefit will be granted.

For the application, the following documents will usually be required:

Application form

Work permit/residence permit (if applicable)

Marriage certificate (notarized translation into English or German)

Copy of the registration at the place of residence (“Meldezettel”)

Confirmation of employment from your employer

Residence permit of the child(ren) (if applicable)

Birth certificate of the child(ren) (notarized translation into English or German)

Bank details of the applicant (Bank name, bank code, account number)

All documents can be copies of the respective original. Depending on the authority’s

processing time, the application process takes between two weeks and four months.