How long do you want to stay?

Although you are travelling to Austria for professional reasons, a business trip does not count as gainful employment. 

Check the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s list of countries  to see whether there is a visa requirement for citizens of your country of origin. 

• If you are authorised to enter without a visa, you only need a valid passport to enter the country.
• If a visa is required for your nationality, a tourist visa (type C tourist) is sufficient for your entry.

You do not need a work permit.

Attention: Your activities may be related to your profession, but you are not allowed to do any actual work. A type C visa (tourist) is not sufficient for this. Instead you would need a type C visa (gainful employment). See below.

Artists and cultural workers who only enter Austria for a one-day performance or an artistic production lasting a maximum of 8 weeks and are employed for this purpose by an employer in Austria do not need a work permit under certain conditions. Their employers only need to report their employment. 

Self-employed artists do not need a work permit in advance. 

Attention: Independent of this, you still need to find out whether you need a visa. See below for more information.

This special rule applies to the following groups of artists:

• Concert or stage artists
• Artists
• Film, radio, and television professionals
• Musicians

Artists and cultural workers in these sectors do not require a work permit if they are employed by an event organiser in Austria

• for one day (e.g. a single concert), or
• for a maximum of eight weeks as part of an overall artistic production (e.g. an ongoing film production, the preparation of a concert, a theatre production including the performance).

and their employment serves to secure the event or the overall production. This means that the achievement of the artistic project is not possible without this artist. 

Some examples of a one-day performance include, for example: 

• Concerts
• Events
• Theatre performances
• An appearance on a live radio or television programme

Your employer in Austria must notify the responsible regional office of the Public Employment Service (AMS) of your employment as a short-term employee no later than the day you start work (obligation to notify). An informal email to the relevant "Foreigners' Employment Centre (Ausländerfachzentren" of the AMS is sufficient for this purpose. Copies of passports as well as dates of arrival and departure of the artists and cultural workers involved should be attached.

This regulation allows artists and cultural workers to carry out several consecutive jobs with different employers in Austria without needing a work permit. 

Example: You are an orchestral musician and go on tour in Austria. You are hired once by the Volksoper, once by the opera house in Graz, and once by the Salzburg Festival for one event each. As these are only one-day events and you are employed by three different employers, you do not need a work permit. 

Example: You are a performance artist from Nigeria and are employed by a theatre for 8 weeks in March to prepare and perform your show. In June, you are employed by another theatre for another 4 weeks to prepare and perform your performance again. You do not need a work permit because you will be employed twice by two different employers for an artistic production lasting a maximum of 8 weeks. 

You will need a different visa depending on the period in which the individual day events/complete productions take place with different employers:

• Within a period of 3 months: type C visa (gainful employment)
• Within a period of 6 months: type D visa (gainful employment)

Attention: Even if people of your nationality are authorised to enter the country without a visa as tourists, you will need a type C or D visa for such employment activities. A tourist visa is not sufficient.

Example: You are part of an Indian film team and are to shoot a scene for a feature film in Tyrol for 3 weeks for an Austrian producer. No work permit is required for you or any of your colleagues (including the technical and administrative support staff), but you will need a type C visa to enter and stay in Austria. The producer must notify the AMS of your employment.

Artists who already have a permanent settlement permit in Austria can also work on a short-term basis in this way

Example: You are a singer from Jamaica and are permanently active as a self-employed artist in Austria. You already have a residence permit for this activity (artist). The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) would like to hire you to develop a CD for 8 weeks. You do not need another permit to carry out this additional employed activity, but the ORF does need to report your employment.

If you would like to stay in Austria for up to three months and need temporary gainful employment:

• Type C visa (gainful employment)
• If you would like to work on an employed basis, you need a work permit; employers can apply for a security certificate in advance to avoid time-consuming communication between the embassy and the Public Employment Service (AMS).
• If you are self-employed, you do not need a work permit  However, you must register with the tax office and, if you want to practise a trade, you need a trade licence. See the chapter on labour law. 

The security certificate confirms to your employer that you will receive a work permit from the Austrian authorities as soon as you have been issued with the appropriate visa and are therefore authorised to stay in Austria. The security certificate must be applied for by your employer at the regional office of the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS). 

Attention: It is important that you do not start working until you have a work permit. Otherwise, you will be reported to the financial police during an inspection. 

Your visa application will only be processed immediately once the AMS has issued the security certificate and sent it to the representation authority abroad (embassy or consulate). If your visa is approved, your employer will receive your work permit after you enter the country.

Info: If you will be working as an intern in Austria, your employer only needs to report your activity to the AMS and does not need to apply for a work permit and safety certificate. However, in this case, you are not allowed to receive any form of remuneration, making internships very rare.

If you would like to stay in Austria for up to 6 months and work during this time, you need 

• a type D visa.
• If you wish to work on an employed basis, you may need a security certificate and you definitely need a work permit. The relevant information in the section on residence for third-country nationals for up to 3 months applies to the security certificate.
• If you want to work on a self-employed basis, you do not need an employment licence or a safety certificate. However, you must register with the tax office and, if you want to run a business, you need a trade licence. See the chapter on labour law.

If your security certificate is positive and your visa has been issued, your employer can apply for your work permit after you have entered the country. 

If you want to stay and work in Austria for more than 6 months, a visa is no longer sufficient. You need a residence permit. Depending on how long you want to stay and what job you want to do, you will need a specific type of residence permit.

There are three categories of residence permits:

• Residence permits
• Red-White-Red Cards (this is a type of settlement permit) and Blue Cards
• Settlement permits

In the following sub-chapters you will learn about

• the general requirements that apply to all residence permits,
• which residence permits are relevant for artists and cultural workers, and
• the specific requirements that you must fulfil for the respective residence permit.