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.