If you have been resident in Austria for five years (settlement permit), you can apply for EU permanent residence. If you hold EU permanent residence, you are largely on an equal footing with Austrian citizens. This means that you also have full access to the social security system, must be treated equally under professional law (with regard to the recognition of professional training from other EEA states in regulated professions), and, above all, have free access to the Austrian labour market.

Attention: Study periods only count as half the time. This applies, for example, if you have held a residence permit for students in Austria and now wish to acquire permanent residence. 

Once this residence permit has been issued, you will have an unlimited right of residence in Austria. 

The card itself expires every 5 years, just like a personal travelcard. It can be reissued at any time, even long after the "end date" stated on the card.

The requirements for permanent residence in the EU are

  • General requirements
  • Uninterrupted, five-year residence in Austria
  • Proof of fulfilment of module 2 of the Integration Agreement (see below)
  • At the time of application, you must hold a settlement permit, Red-White-Red Card, or Blue Card (see the chapter on long-term residence in Austria). Examples include the Settlement Permit - Artist or Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers.

As part of the general requirements, the authorities will check very carefully whether you can prove that you have  sufficient financial resources, as this is the last time your income situation will be checked (you can find out how you can prove this in the section on sufficient financial resources. This criterion no longer needs to be checked once you have been granted EU permanent residence. Permanent residence in the EU even entitles you to social benefits such as means-tested minimum benefits. 

During this five-year period, a single absence of up to 6 months and a total absence of up to 10 months are permitted. Professional secondments do not count as absences.

Only periods in which you stay in Austria under a settlement permit or a Red-White-Red Card are counted in full towards this five-year period. If you have stayed in Austria with a residence permit, only half of this period will be counted.

At the time of application, you must be the holder of a settlement permit or a Red-White-Red Card. This means that you cannot switch directly from a residence permit to EU permanent residence, even if you have been in Austria for a sufficient length of time (more than 10 years) with this residence permit. Every "residence" is considered a status that can "never" become permanent but one that has an—albeit unknown—end date.

Example: You have studied at an Austrian arts university for 5 years and stayed in Austria with a residence permit for students. This time only counts as 2.5 years when acquiring permanent residence. After completing your studies, you must work in Austria for another 2.5 years with a settlement permit or Red-White-Red Card before you can apply for EU permanent residence. 

Example: You are a self-employed artist and are staying in Austria on a permanent residence permit for artists. You extend your settlement permit for one year, after which you can extend it for a further three years. At the end of this period, you can apply for EU permanent residence.
However, this only works if the extension applications were submitted relatively close to the expiry of the previous permit, so that you do not lose a few weeks with each extension due to "premature card production" and a total of five years have been achieved.

As a third-country national, you must fulfil certain requirements as part of the legally prescribed Integration Agreement, which aims to support your integration into Austrian society. Module 2 of the Integration Agreement proves you have German language skills at level B1 and the "values section" of the ÖIF (Austrian Integration Fund) exam proves a certain level of "integration".

Info: The EU has developed a language system (Common European Framework of Reference for Language skills). This system allows you to see how good your language skills are. There are 6 different language levels. If you speak German at a B1 level, you can communicate in familiar situations in your everyday life and at work. Visit the Common European Framework of Reference for Language skills website for detailed information. 

The Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) is an organisation that offers the applicable language course. If you complete the ÖIF course, you have fulfilled module 2 of the Integration Agreement. If you take an ÖSD (Austrian Language Diploma) course, the ÖIF exam would need to be taken separately. You can also fulfil module 2 by presenting of the following certificates instead:

  • Positive German certificate at 9th grade level;
  • Four years’ successful attendance in German lessons at a foreign secondary school;
  • Five years’ attendance at a compulsory school in Austria;
  • Completion of courses totalling 32 ECTS credits (6 hours per week) in which German was the language of instruction as part of a degree programme lasting at least two years. 

What do I need to bear in mind to ensure that my EU permanent residence status is maintained?

The permanent right of residence can only be lost if you

  • stay outside the EU for a continuous period of 12 months (if this is the case and you lose your residence permit as a result, you can simply reacquire it in half the time), or
  • stay in another EEA state for more than six years.

Every time you want to have your EU permanent residence card reissued after 5 years, or if the border control authorities consider your absence to be "long", the authorities will check whether you have spent enough time in Austria.

For this purpose, they will check whether your place of residence was registered in Austria during this period and whether you were continuously registered as a gainfully employed person in the Austrian social security system. Alternatively, they may also check whether you have taken examinations at an Austrian university during this time. You can also prove your continuous residence by making ATM payments within Austria. 

If it is established when you enter Austria that you have been abroad for too long and you are not authorised to enter Austria without a visa, your entry will be refused. You will then have to re-apply for a Red-White-Red Card Plus, presenting all the supporting documents, at an Austrian representation authority abroad.