To enter the territory of Austria, a visa is required for citizens of the CIS countries. There are several types of visa documents that allow you to stay in the country for a certain time:
- transit visa category A is issued to passengers of airlines transiting through the territory of Austria. It does not give the right to leave the airport transit area;
- The category B transit visa covers travel by road and rail to travel through Austria to other countries. It is issued for 5 days.
- a category C visa gives the right to stay in Austria and other Schengen countries for no more than 90 days;
- category D visa is a national Austrian visa that allows you to stay only in Austria from 3 to 6 months without a permit for a residence permit.
Violation of the visa regime can lead to serious consequences. Marks of the revealed facts are affixed in the passport and entered into a common database. In the future, it will be difficult for a foreigner to obtain a visa not only to Austria, but also to all other Schengen countries.
A visa can be issued for one trip, or it can have multiple validity. It depends on the purpose of visiting the country and the length of stay in it. Visa processing takes 3-5 days.
It is advisable to apply for a visa in advance, two weeks before the trip. All information provided is checked in the most thorough way and the embassy may have questions, it will take time to clarify them.
Work or labor visa to Austria
Since July 2011, Austria has introduced a points system for issuing work visas to make it easier for only highly qualified specialists to enter the country. All matters relating to employment and the issuance of work visas are governed by the Employment of Foreign Workers Act. A work (labor) visa is the only visa document that gives the right to employment in the country.
To work in Austria, it is possible to obtain a visa for specialists of the following categories:
- Highly qualified personnel with higher education. To obtain a permit, you must score 70 points, which take into account education, academic degree, excellent knowledge of German or English, age, work experience, salary for the last year.
This group of specialists receives a visa for a period of six months without reference to a specific employer and allows them to find work in Austria on their own. Then the visa is extended for 1 year of work already with a specific employer, after which you can apply for a visa that allows you to work throughout the country.
- Workers in scarce professions. The list of such specialties is determined annually depending on the current situation. Workers or nurses can also fall into this group, but in order to score the required 50 points out of 75, a good knowledge of the German language is required.
- Other professions. This includes people with a non-deficient profession or “persons with special qualifications”, such as athletes or actors, as well as graduates of Austrian universities.
Student visa to Austria
Obtaining a visa to Austria for study is a simple process. The main thing is to have on hand a confirmation of enrollment in an educational program or an invitation to study. The diplomatic institution checks its authenticity and often calls for an interview. An applicant for a visa must know not only his specialty and the address of the university, but also indicate his personal number of the applicant.
A student visa can be issued for different periods depending on the duration of the study process, but on average for one year. Initially, in the consular department of your country, you can get a visa for 4 months. Then in Austria it is reissued for an annual one. Each year, after payment is made, it is renewed at the local magistrate for the next academic year.
One of the important conditions for obtaining a student visa is confirmation of financial security, which should be enough to pay for accommodation and meals for the entire period of study. For students under 24 years old, you need to have an amount of about 430 euros per month (5160 euros per year). For persons over 24 years old, the amount increases to 780 euros per month (9360 euros per year). A student visa gives the right not only to study, but also to work in Austria. Working hours for students are limited to 10 hours per week and a salary of 36.33 euros per month.
Business visa to Austria
A business visa to Austria allows you to enter the Schengen countries in order to establish business ties, participate in business events or organize a joint venture with foreign partners. Such a visa can have a single or multiple validity and give permission both to all countries of the Schengen zone, and only to the territory of Austria.
The basis for issuing a business visa is an invitation from the Austrian side both in electronic form and on the letterhead of the organization. The Austrian partner must issue such an invitation at the migration service and indicate in it the last name, first name, patronymic, date and place of birth of the invitee, and his passport number. The invitation must include the date and purpose of the visit.
In addition to the standard package of documents, you must provide a letter from the organizers of the event, confirming that the invitee will actually visit the exhibition or take part in negotiations, conferences or other business meetings.
A foreign citizen can obtain a business visa :
- Schengen, giving the right to stay for 90 days in any of the Schengen countries (category C);
- Austrian national, allowing you to stay only in Austria for up to 3-6 months (category D).
If a business trip is connected only with staying in the country, it is better to issue a national one. Applying for a D visa is easier and faster. The possibility of obtaining a multiple entry visa increases if there is a good visa history of visiting the Schengen countries and Austria in particular.
Tourist visa to Austria
To obtain a tourist visa, a prerequisite is the purchase of a tour, for the period of which a visa is issued. Documents for a visa can be submitted only after its 100% payment. In addition, you must pay for insurance, flight, hotel, transfer and have return tickets. The insurance policy must be issued by a company that has its representative office in Austria.
Most often, a tourist visa to Austria is a single entry visa and its term usually does not exceed 3 months. A valid passport should not contain valid Schengen visas or a note that the tourist has decided to apply for a visa at the embassy of another country. This rule also applies when the period for which the Schengen visa was issued does not coincide with the travel dates.
Recently, the requirements for the authenticity of the signature of a tourist in a visa application form have become stricter. Now the signature is carefully verified with the passport and an additional receipt confirming the authenticity is written. When canceling the tour, the visa is also canceled, because. the travel company that processed the visa will no longer be able to guarantee the reliability of the failed client.
Austria visa documents
In order to obtain a visa to Austria , you need to provide a complete package of documents. Mandatory documents for all types of visas are:
- Completed visa application form in German or English.
- Actual photograph 3.5 x 4.5 cm (2 pcs).
- A foreign passport with a validity period exceeding by 3 months the period of the issued visa.
- Copies of the information pages of the international passport and all pages of the internal passport.
- Austrian invitation.
- Certificate from the place of work/study.
- Health insurance with coverage of at least 30,000 euros.
- Necessary financial support for staying in the country (copies of bank documents, statements, cash).
For a tourist trip, you will need confirmation of booking tickets and hotels, a travel insurance policy. For a business trip, a letter of commitment from the host, an invitation to a partner or organization, an extract from the company’s registration in the trade register is desirable.
The embassy or consulate may additionally request documents confirming the purpose of the trip and reliability. A big plus will be the presence of a good visa history and the absence of violations.
