Can I work in Austria if I have a residence permit from another EU country?

Keith Davies
Aug 8, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Aug 9, 2023

Question

A question that gets asked frequently by Third Country Nationals in the groups is whether a residence permit/visa from another EU country allows you to move to and work in Austria. This is epecially true as Austria has a number of neighbouring countries ( Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland).

Answer

The simple answer is NO, you cannot move to Austria and work with a residence permit/visa from another EU Country.

Having a residence permit/visa from another EU country does not provide you with full EU Freedom of Movement rights; this only applies to EU/EEA nationals and their family members. Most residence permits from other EU countries only allow you to visit other Schengen countries (includes Austria) for 90 days in any 180 day period for tourism reasons (i.e. no working).

The only two possible exceptions to this are the "Long Term Resident - EU" Permit or "EU Blue" Permit and even then, it simply helps make that move a "little" bit easier. You still need to apply for an Austrian residence permit and meet the criteria for the Austrian residence permit.

Note: Denmark and Ireland do not have these permits.

Long Term Resident - EU

A Long Term Resident EU permit from another EU state only helps you apply for an Austrian Residence Permit. You must apply for one of the following residence permits:

Niederlassungsbewilligung – Settlement permit for self-employed activities only.
Settlement permits without gainful employment
RWR Residency permit (or EU Blue), provided you fulfil the standard criteria (e.g. Employer)

You will NOT be issued with an Austrian “Daueraufenthalt – EU”. Special rules also apply if you previously held an EU Blue card in another EU State (Ref: NAG § 49).

Family Members will be issued with different residence permits, depending on the type of residence permit the sponsor applies for and assuming the appropriate conditions are fulfilled.

There are strict annual quotas related to these inbound permit requests. There are proposals at an EU level to expand this residence permit, but they are still currently only proposals.

EU Blue

If you have held an EU Blue card from another member state for at least 12 months (Ref: NAG § 50a), then you may apply for an EU Blue card in Austria within one month of arrival; but you still need an employer to sponsor you. If you previously held multiple EU Blue cards in different EU States, different rules apply.

Family Members should be issued with a Red-White-Red - Card plus, provided the conditions are fulfilled.

Further Information