Self-employed key workers
Austria admits entrepreneurs whose business brings the economy a measurable benefit — typically an investment of EUR 100,000 or more, new jobs or new technology. There is no points test and no German requirement at application.
In short
- Austria has a dedicated residence title for entrepreneurs: the Red-White-Red Card for self-employed key workers.
- The single legal test is macro-economic benefit — most commonly a sustained transfer of at least EUR 100,000 of investment capital, or the creation or safeguarding of Austrian jobs.
- There is no points system, no quota and no German requirement at application; the business plan carries the file.
- The card is issued for two years; after that it converts to a settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung) covering self-employed activity — for three years, once two years of settlement and Module 1 are behind you.
- The Public Employment Service (AMS) assesses the benefit within about three weeks; end to end, plan for a few months.
Who the card is for
The Red-White-Red Card for self-employed key workers is Austria's residence title for people who want to live in Austria and run a business here — founders investing meaningful capital, entrepreneurs relocating an operating company, and investors who intend to take an active management role rather than hold shares from a distance. It sits alongside the separate Red-White-Red Card for start-up founders, which is tailored to early-stage innovative ventures with lower capital, and alongside the employed key worker categories, which require an Austrian employer. All routes are mapped side by side on the immigration overview.
Unlike most other Red-White-Red categories, this one has no points calculation at all. The authority asks one question: will this person's self-employed activity create a benefit for the Austrian economy that goes beyond the benefit to the business itself? Everything in the application is evidence towards that answer.
The macro-economic benefit test
The law names several ways the benefit can be shown, and they can be combined. In practice, files that succeed usually lead with capital or jobs and support the case with the other limbs.
| How benefit is shown | Benchmark | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer of investment capital | A sustained transfer of at least EUR 100,000 to Austria (as of 2026) | Bank confirmations, capital paid into the Austrian company, financing commitments, proof of the funds' origin |
| Jobs | Creation of new jobs or safeguarding of existing ones | Hiring plan with roles and salaries, existing payroll if a business is acquired, signed offers |
| Know-how and technology | Transfer of know-how or introduction of new technologies | Patents and licences, technical documentation, cooperation agreements with Austrian partners |
| Regional significance | Importance of the business for a whole region | Letters from regional bodies, market analysis showing the gap the business fills |
The business plan decides
The business plan is not a formality. The employment service reads it as the core of the file — a plan that analyses the market, the competition and the choice of location, and shows how the capital and jobs materialise, does most of the persuading.
A convincing plan explains what the business will sell, to whom and against which competitors; why Austria — and usually why Vienna — is the right location; how much capital arrives, when and from where; and how many people will be employed on what terms. It should tie each claim to a document in the annexes. Where the intended activity is a regulated trade, the plan should also address the Austrian trade licence (Gewerbeberechtigung) and who in the company will hold the required qualification.
Applicants relocating an existing business should show its track record — accounts, contracts, customer base — and explain what moves to Austria and what stays abroad. That split matters well beyond immigration law: managing a foreign company from an Austrian desk can shift its tax residence, a risk explained on the page about foreign companies and Austrian place-of-management rules.
Application, timeline and the two-year horizon
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Prepare the file
Business plan, proof of capital and its origin, qualifications, passport, photograph, all-risks health insurance and, where relevant, articles of association and trade licences. Proof of accommodation and of means of subsistence is not required for this card itself — those conditions bite for accompanying family members and for the later settlement permit. Foreign documents usually need legalisation or an apostille and certified translation — start early, this is often the slowest part.
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File the application
As a rule at the Austrian embassy or consulate competent for your place of residence. You may instead file in person with the residence authority in Austria after a lawful entry and during a lawful stay — an application filed that way also lets you remain while it is decided, even once the visa-free period or the visa has run out. The application fees total around EUR 218 (as of 2026).
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AMS assessment
The residence authority passes the file to the Public Employment Service (AMS), which examines the macro-economic benefit and delivers its expert opinion within about three weeks.
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Card for two years
If the opinion is positive and the general settlement requirements are met, the card is issued for 24 months. It entitles you to settle in Austria and pursue the self-employed activity it was granted for.
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After two years
Holders who have run the business as planned and intend to continue it move to a settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung), which authorises settlement and self-employed activity — first for twelve months, then for three years once two years of settlement and Module 1 of the Integration Agreement are behind you. It does not open the employed labour market: taking a job means a change of purpose to one of the employed Red-White-Red Card categories, with its points test and a binding job offer. Five years of settlement opens the way to permanent residence under the Daueraufenthalt–EU title.
Family, company form and the wider plan
Spouses, registered partners and children under 18 apply in parallel for a Red-White-Red Card plus of their own, outside any quota. Family members must generally show basic German (A1) before entry; the details, income thresholds and exemptions are on the family reunification page.
Most applicants operate through an Austrian limited company — a GmbH takes about a week to register once the notarial deed is signed, and the practicalities are covered under setting up a company in Austria. Whether the card holder should also be employed by the company is an immigration question before it is a tax one — the card covers only the self-employed activity it was granted for, and a shareholder holding less than 25 per cent who works for the company counts as employed unless the employment service confirms that he or she really exercises substantial influence on management. How profits are extracted is then a tax question worth settling before the move rather than after: the sequencing arguments are set out on the pre-immigration tax planning page.
Finally, be realistic about what the card is not. It is not an investor visa — capital parked in funds or property does not qualify, a point explained plainly on the golden visa page. The benefit test looks for an entrepreneur who shows up and runs the business.
Questions on this page
Do I need to speak German for the self-employed key worker card?
No. The application itself has no language requirement, and Module 1 of the Integration Agreement counts as fulfilled by law for as long as you hold the Red-White-Red Card. German (A2, Module 1) becomes relevant when you move on to the settlement permit, and B1 if you eventually want permanent residence.
Is EUR 100,000 a fixed legal threshold?
No. It is the benchmark for the investment-capital limb of the macro-economic benefit test. The benefit can equally be shown through job creation or safeguarding, the transfer of know-how or new technologies, or significance for a whole region.
Can I buy an existing Austrian company instead of founding one?
Yes. The test looks at the macro-economic benefit of your personal activity, and acquiring and actively running an established business can qualify. A purely passive shareholding needs no permit — but it also confers no residence right.
How long does the whole process take?
The employment service delivers its expert opinion within about three weeks, but consular filing, document legalisation and the residence authority's own checks mean a realistic end-to-end timeline of several months.
Considering a move to Austria?
Tell us where you stand — the country you are leaving, the shape of your family and your assets, and when you plan to move. We advise on the legal and tax consequences of relocating to Austria and coordinate with advisers in the country of departure.
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