Red-White-Red Card Key Workers

The Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers and Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations is Austria's flagship skilled-migration scheme, and this page focuses on the Key Workers strand - the points-based route for skilled professionals filling Austrian labour-market needs.

The Red-White-Red (RWR) Card is built on a transparent points system. Applicants are scored against criteria such as qualifications, work experience, language skills (German and English), age and any study completed in Austria. Reaching the required points total, together with a binding job offer at the appropriate salary, opens the door to a combined residence and work permit.

The Key Workers category targets skilled professionals whose competencies match a concrete vacancy and who score enough points to demonstrate they are an asset to the Austrian economy. It is distinct from the Shortage Occupations strand, which works from a published shortage list. In 2026 the RWR Card remains central to Austria's effort to attract talent to Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg, with a clear progression from the initial 24-month card to a RWR Card plus and eventual settlement.

Eligibility for the Key Workers route combines a points score with a job offer. You must reach the minimum points threshold for the category, with points awarded for your highest qualification, relevant work experience, German and English language ability, age, and any prior study in Austria.

Alongside the points, you need a binding job offer from an Austrian employer for a position matching your qualifications, with a gross salary meeting the minimum set for the category and consistent with Austrian norms. The Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) assesses whether the points and salary conditions are met and, in some cases, whether the post can be filled domestically. Qualifications may need formal recognition, and regulated professions require the relevant Austrian authorisation. The role must genuinely require the applicant's skills.

Step one: use the points criteria to confirm you reach the Key Workers threshold, and secure a binding job offer with a qualifying salary from an Austrian employer.

Step two: gather documentation - passport, degree certificates with recognition where required, evidence of work experience, language certificates, and the signed employment offer.

Step three: lodge the Red-White-Red Card application. If applying from abroad, this is normally done at the Austrian embassy or consulate; the employer may also initiate the case with the regional immigration authority in Austria.

Step four: the application is forwarded to the competent authority, which consults the AMS to verify the points score, salary and labour-market conditions.

Step five: provide biometrics and pay the applicable fees.

Step six: once the AMS confirms the criteria and the authority approves, the Red-White-Red Card is granted, valid for 24 months and tied to the specific employer.

Step seven: travel to Austria, register your residence and collect the card. Family members may apply for the Red-White-Red Card plus.

Austrian Red-White-Red Card fees are modest: the application fee and the card-issuance fee together total roughly EUR 160. Family members applying for the Red-White-Red Card plus pay comparable amounts. The more significant costs are preparatory - formal recognition of foreign qualifications, which can carry its own assessment fee, certified German translations of diplomas and documents, and language testing for German or English certificates used to score points. Add biometric-appointment travel and, until public health insurance begins, private cover. After arrival, Vienna housing deposits and living costs are the main practical expenses.

Red-White-Red Card applications for Key Workers are typically decided within around eight weeks of a complete submission, reflecting Austria's target for the scheme. The timeline depends on the AMS verification of points, salary and labour-market criteria, and can extend if qualification recognition is still pending. Submitting language certificates and recognised diplomas up front speeds the points assessment. Family applications for the Red-White-Red Card plus filed alongside the main applicant are generally processed in parallel. Incomplete documentation or an unclear job offer are the most common causes of delay.

After arriving in Austria you must register your residence (Meldezettel) with the local registration office within three days. Collect your Red-White-Red Card from the immigration authority. Your employer registers you with the Austrian social-insurance system, which provides statutory health cover; confirm your e-card is issued.

Open an Austrian bank account, register for tax so payroll withholding is correct, and obtain any digital identification needed for online public services. Accompanying family members on the Red-White-Red Card plus complete their own registration; the plus card gives spouses free access to the labour market. Children should be enrolled in school. Austria places weight on German-language progress for integration and for later steps, so enrolling in German courses early is worthwhile. After meeting the conditions, Key Workers can progress to a Red-White-Red Card plus and eventually toward permanent settlement.