Traveling to Austria

Entry & Residence Permits/ VISA

Do You Need a Visa?

The following overview should give you an idea of whether you will need an entry permit (visa) or a residence permit to enter Austria. Citizens of all EU member states and the following countries and regions are exempt from the obligation of obtaining a visa (if the stay does not exceed 90 days and is for tourist purposes only):

Albania*, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El, Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, Macedonia*, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova*, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Serbia*, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, St. Christoph and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine*, United Arab Emirates, United States (USA), Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela

*The visa exemption applies only to holders of biometric passports. The length of your stay in Austria determines whether you must apply for an entry permit (visa) or a residence permit.

If you are planning to take up employment in Austria, even if it is just temporary or short-term, please make sure that you obtain all the necessary work authorization papers and (if you are not self-employed) a letter from your employer in advance. Without proper documentation, neither a visa nor a residence permit can be issued.

Please note: Belizeans wishing to visit Austria are required to attend to the Embassy of Austria in Mexico City personally in order to apply for a Schengen visa.

Entry Permit (Visa)

An entry permit (visa) is issued to individuals who plan to go to Austria on a temporary basis. The stay must not exceed six months (in most cases) and you are not authorized to take up any employment in Austria. In general, an entry permit is not a work authorization. However, some exceptions to this rule apply, mainly concerning certain temporary job assignments. (For more information please click here).

Please note that there is no legal claim on obtaining the visa applied for. In the event that changes are made to the application after it was received, additional fees will be charged.

If your answer to one of the following questions is yes, you will most likely need an entry permit (visa) to enter Austria.

Do you pass through Austria in (airport) transit?
Do you intend to temporarily visit Austria as a tourist or to see friends or relatives who live in Austria?
Are you on a (short-term) business trip to Austria?
Will you take part in a conference or a seminar in Austria?
Will you attend a German language course (up to six months)?
Are you planning on studying or doing an internship in Austria for up to six months?
Will you be working as a guest professor at an Austrian university for one semester?

Residence Permit

A residence permit is issued to foreign nationals who want to stay in Austria for more than six months.

If you answer yes to one of the following questions, you will most likely need a residence permit in order to both enter and stay in Austria.

Are you planning on moving to Austria for an indefinite period of time because you are retiring or you are married to an Austrian citizen?
Will you be transferred to your company’s office in Austria for more than six months?
Are you planning on studying at a university/college or attending school (grade 1-12)?
Are you planning on staying in Austria for a period longer than six months?
Will you be working as a researcher (as stipulated by Austria’s “Alien Employment Act”) at an Austrian university for more than six months?
Are you planning on taking up a one-year-job as an “au-pair” in Austria?

Airport Transit Visa (Visa A)

PLEASE NOTE: If you need to go through passport control (this is the case when you travel from one Schengen country to another Schengen country) or if you have to spend one night in Vienna, you must apply for a Schengen Visa (Visa C)

Travel Visa (Visa C)

If you intend to go to Austria as a tourist, to visit friends or on a business trip for a period not exceeding 90 days and your country does not participate in the Visa Waiver Program, you need a Schengen travel visa (Visa C). This visa is not a work permit.

Please note that in order to apply for a Schengen travel visa at the Austrian Embassy or Consulate, your main destination (e.g. longest duration of stay) must be Austria. In absence of a main destination, Austria must be your first point of entry into the Schengen zone.

Please note: Belizeans are required to attend to the Embassy of Austria in Mexico City personally in order to apply for a Schengen visa.

Please have a look at the information sheet.

Also find here the application form, for a Schengen Visa which will be required in order for you to travel to Austria.

Once you have gathered all the required documents, please make an appointment (one appointment per person) to hand in your visa applications at the Austrian Embassy in Mexico City here.

Austrian National Visa (Visa D)

If you intend to stay in Austria for more than 90 but less than 180 days as a tourist, student, on a business trip, to visit friends or relatives, or you intend to take up short-term employment (less than 6 months) AND you are neither an EU nor an EFTA citizen, you need a national Austrian visitor visa (Visa D).

The Visa D entitles you to stay up to 90 days within 180 days in the other Schengen countries. A Visa D will allow you to work temporarily under clearly specified circumstances (e.g. if you are an artist or entertainer on a short-term employment/contract, see more information here in Austria. It is not a work permit per se and, as such, does not allow you to take up any employment you like. Please note that you need the visa D to legally take up your temporary employment (as outlined above) even if you are allowed to enter Austria without a visa and your stay does not exceed three months.

You must provide the Embassy or Consulate with all documents and additional authorizations required; otherwise, the visa will not be issued.

To get further information about the application procedure, please click here.