Do you need a tourist visa to Austria?
You may need a visa depending on where you are from, why you are going to Austria, and how long you will stay there. If you are a citizen / resident of the Schengen area or the EEA/EU, you do not need an Austrian tourist visa.
In addition, guests from the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the Principality of Andorra, the Republic of San Marino or any other country with a visa agreement with Austria can visit Austria without a visa for up to 90 days.
You can find a more detailed explanation of who needs a visa to visit Austria here.
From January 1, 2024, or when the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) comes into force, citizens of Kosovo will not need a visa to enter the EU either. In the meantime, Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans where citizens need a visa to enter the EU.
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Requirements for a tourist visa to Austria
To obtain a tourist visa you need to prepare some documents:
- The passport. Please make sure that your passport is valid when applying. You must have a passport that has been issued somewhere in the last 10 years and does not expire during your visit. Your passport should also have two blank pages.
- The visa application form. You must print out the online form, fill it out with your personal information, and sign it. After that, you must attach the form to your documents (in the case of a minor, the parents / legal guardians must sign it).
- Photos. You must have two photos along with your documents. Photos must comply with the photo rules for a Schengen visa.
- The Schengen travel insurance. You need to have travel insurance in the amount of 30,000 euros. Schengen travel insurance must cover all medical problems or emergencies that may occur.
- The proof of residence in Austria. You must provide proof that you have provided accommodation for the duration of your stay. This can be a hotel reservation or a rental agreement.
- The confirmation of financial stability. To obtain a visa, you must provide proof that you can financially support your stay in Austria.
- A cover letter. You should also write a cover letter stating the reason for your visit, how long you will stay, and briefly explain your travel plans.
- Civil status documents. For your Schengen visa to Austria, you must also attach a copy of your civil status or birth certificate or marriage certificate.
- Visa commission. When you apply for a tourist visa to Austria, you will have to pay a fee and attach a receipt to the documents. The visa fee depends on your profile and visa type.
- Travel schedule. You must also provide a detailed itinerary for your trip.
- Copies of previous Schengen visas. If you have previously been issued a Schengen visa. You must also attach copies of it to your documents.
- Invitation letter. You must provide proof of invitation if a family member or friend invited you to Austria.
- Employment contract. If you are employed, you must provide an employment contract along with other documents.
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Remember: all your documents must be in English or German language, and you must translate them. The translation must be performed by a certified translator.
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How do I apply for a tourist visa to Austria?
To apply for a Schengen tourist visa, follow a few simple steps:
- Upload the visa application form. The first thing you need to do is fill out the form and make sure it's ready to go.
- Collect all your documents. Make sure that all the above documents are ready and up-to-date.
- Make an appointment. You can't just submit your documents when you're ready, you need to make an appointment at the embassy/consulate and submit them.
- Prepare for the interview. You will probably be asked to come to an interview, during which you will answer a few questions about yourself and your journey.
- Wait for a response. After you apply, you will have to wait for a notification about whether you have been granted a visa or not.
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Where should I apply?
You need to apply to your local government. This can be either an embassy, a consulate, or an official representative office of the Austrian government that can issue visas. It depends on your country. You can use
the online generator to find the nearest representative office.
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Where can you go with a tourist visa?
With an Austrian tourist visa, you can visit any country in the Schengen area, as long as your visa is valid. The Schengen area consists of 26 European countries and with a Schengen visa you can move freely between these countries.
* Please note that if you plan to visit countries other than Austria, you will still need to apply for a visa at the Austrian representative office, as this is your main destination.
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How long can you stay in Austria with a tourist visa?
Tourist Schengen visas are valid for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. If you plan to visit other countries in the Schengen area, these days are also taken into account.
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What if you need to stay longer?
In cases where you need to stay longer, you can apply for a visa extension. However, it will be very difficult to get a sequel.
Renewal is rarely granted unless you have a good reason to extend it. In general, you will be granted a visa extension for the following reasons:
- Good personal reason. This can be the unexpected death of a family member, a friend, or an unexpected wedding of a friend or family member.
- Humanitarian causes. You want to stay to help someone financially, emotionally, or medically.
- Force majeure. Something unexpected has happened that makes you unable to return to your country. It can be a global pandemic, a natural disaster, or a difficult political situation in your country.
- Late date recording. You can request an extension if you entered Austria later than the date of your visa. For example, if your visa was valid for 15 days and you entered Austria on Day 16, you can request an extension.
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In addition, if you plan to stay for more than 90 days, you can apply for a National D visa. This type of visa allows you to stay in Austria for up to 6 months and apply for a residence permit, which can be valid for one to five years. The application requirements and procedure for obtaining a D visa are more or less the same.
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How long does it take to get a tourist visa to Austria?
In most cases, your application process takes up to 15 days. In some cases, this may take longer, but you will get notification of any problems that occur.
Check your email address, as the embassy will let you know if your visa has been approved. After that, you can go and get a visa, or the embassy will send it to you by courier.
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How much does a Schengen tourist visa to Austria cost?
The fee for a tourist visa to Austria depends on the profile of the person applying for the visa.
- The cost of a Schengen visa for an adult: 80 euros.
- The cost of a Schengen visa for children aged 6-12 years: 40 euros.
- Payment for a Schengen visa for children under 6 years of age: free of charge.
- The cost of a Schengen visa for citizens of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova and Georgia: 35 euros.
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Health insurance
Insurance to Austria is a mandatory document for crossing the border, both with visa — free travel, and for opening a visa for employment, for a long-term or short-term period. There are several types of health insurance:
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Insurance for a long-term work visa.
- Travel insurance.
- A travel insurance plan for obtaining a Schengen visa must meet the following requirements:
- It must cover at least 30,000 euros for medical expenses and emergency evacuation.
- It should be valid in all 26 countries of the Schengen area.
- It must be valid for the entire period of your stay in Europe.
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What should the travel insurance plan cover in Austria?
Make sure that your plan covers:
- Cost of treatment. This includes:
- Inpatient and outpatient treatment.
- Doctor's visit.
- Hospitalization.
- Surgery.
- Prescription medications.
- Emergency dental care.
- Cost of repatriation or evacuation. If you are seriously ill or have a serious accident that requires medical attention in your country, travel insurance covers the cost of repatriation. It also covers repatriation in the event of death.
When entering or re-entering from third countries, your pet should usually be examined by a border veterinarian.
Please note: the border veterinary service is not established at every customs office (for air traffic, for example, only at the Airports of Vienna and Linz). Then you will have to move to the appropriate customs office.
To import animals into Austria, you must have the following documents:
- Veterinary passport - registration of the animal with notes on all necessary vaccinations at the place of residence of the owner with an officially certified translation into German.
- Chip ISO 11784 - for dogs and cats.
- Rabies vaccination. Vaccination must be done at least 30 days before entering the country and no more than one year before entry.
- Certificate of rabies antibodies - blood samples for tests should be collected no earlier than 30 days after vaccination, but no later than 3 months before the trip.
- The form №1 - veterinary certificate. It is provided only by state veterinary hospitals on the basis of a veterinary passport indicating the dates of vaccinations and the names of vaccines. Form №1 - the main document with a validity period of 3 days, which grants the right to transport an animal or bird, it indicates: full name of the owner or accompanying person, type of animal, dates of vaccinations, destination and route.
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All documents must be presented with a certified translation into German.
Exceptions to border Veterinary Control, which are summarized in the following document: Veterinary rules for Live Pets on tourist trips (only in German).
The current rules and additional information can be found on the website.
A person who is entering Austria from a non-EU country must declare such goods (at least orally):
- Which are used not for personal needs, but for sale.
- Purchased outside the EU in excess of the established limits for the import of tobacco, alcohol and alcoholic beverages, perfumes, coffee, tea, medicines and other items that make up the consignment and exceed the amount for which the goods are allowed to be imported.
- Goods that are prohibited or restricted from being imported.
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For the import of goods into the country, duties and other taxes are levied, for example, excise duty (on beer, alcohol, cigarettes), turnover tax.
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No fee is charged for items that make up a non-commodity batch if they are intended for their own (non-commercial) use and are carried in personal baggage.
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The following categories of goods are exempt from duty if imported into Austria in the following maximum quantities:
Tobacco products (per person at least 17 years of age):
- 200 cigars (only by air; when entering Austria through other EU countries, customs regulations of transit countries apply);
- 50 cigars;
- 250 grams of tobacco.
Alcohol and alcoholic beverages (per person at least 17 years of age):
- 1 liter of distilled beverages and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 22%, non-denatured ethyl;
- alcohol with a strength of more than 80%;
- 2 liters of alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 22% or less;
- 4 liters of wine;
- 16 liters of beer.
Medicines in appropriate quantities for your own travel consumption.
Other items are exempt from duties and taxes if their value does not exceed the established limit.
Items intended for personal use during the trip are allowed to be imported freely and without paying duties to Austria, unless there are other import bans (for the availability of new goods, for example, photographic equipment, then you must present receipts confirming the purchase of goods).
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Cash flow control in Austria
Tourists must declare during customs control the presence of an amount exceeding the following standards:
- cash in the amount of 10,000 euros or more;
- equivalent amount in another currency;
- other easily convertible valuables (such as checks issued to third parties).
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Ban on the import of goods to Austria
It is forbidden to import products containing meat and milk, including sausage products, canned food, lard, etc. The ban does not apply to baby food and special preparations necessary for people with relevant chronic diseases (in this case, products should be carefully packed, and their weight should not exceed 2 kg.). If meat and dairy products are found in the passenger's possession, they will be withdrawn, and the passenger will have to pay a fine.
Without the appropriate permit, it is prohibited to import into the territory of Austria narcotic drugs and drugs containing drugs, firearms and ammunition (hunting weapons must be indicated in the declaration and must have a special import permit issued by the Austrian representative office), explosives, edged weapons, certain food products, plants and products of plant origin (allowed only in small quantities), etc.
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The rest of the rules for passing customs in Austria can be found on the website.
Österreich