Healthcare in Austria
Public insurance covers nearly everyone who works. Private supplementary cover buys choice of doctor and comfort — and how the two fit together matters for the residence permit too.
In short
- Almost everyone who works in Austria is insured automatically — cover follows the job, the trade licence or the shareholding, and an employee cannot opt out; the exceptions are narrow.
- Residents without gainful activity can join the public system voluntarily for EUR 565.25 a month (2026); the contribution can be reduced on application.
- Spouses and children can usually be co-insured with a working family member — free of charge for children.
- Private supplementary insurance (Sonderklasse) buys free choice of doctor, better rooms and access to Vienna's private hospitals; most wealthy families take it out.
- English-speaking doctors are easy to find in Vienna, and emergency care is excellent and covered.
How the public system works
Austrian healthcare rests on mandatory social insurance organised by profession: employees are insured with the ÖGK, the self-employed with the SVS, and a handful of professions with their own carriers. Which carrier catches a managing director depends on the shareholding rather than the title: a salaried managing director holding a quarter of the company or less — and one holding no shares at all — is an ÖGK case like any other employee, while a holding above a quarter moves the mandate to the SVS. Membership is not a choice — insurance begins by law when the employment or self-employment begins, and an employee cannot opt out. The exceptions are narrow: marginal employment paying no more than EUR 551.10 a month (2026) carries accident cover only, with health and pension cover available voluntarily for EUR 83.49 a month; a small trader whose annual income stays under EUR 6,613.20 and turnover under EUR 55,000 can ask the SVS to be exempted from health and pension insurance; and a person posted to Austria by a foreign employer normally stays insured at home on an A1 certificate. Contributions are levied as a percentage of income up to a cap of EUR 97,020 a year (2026); the rates, the employer's share and what the cap means for a large salary are set out on the social security page.
In return, the insured person and their co-insured family receive comprehensive care: doctors under contract with the insurer (Kassenärzte) treat without invoicing the patient, hospital treatment in the general class is covered, and the e‑card — the chip card every insured person carries — is the only paperwork a routine visit requires. Children are co-insured free of charge; for a non-working spouse a supplementary contribution can apply unless children are or were being raised. The standard of medicine is high across the system; what the public tier does not offer is choice of the treating physician in hospital, which is precisely what the private tier sells.
Cover without employment
Many of the individuals we advise do not intend to take up employment in Austria — they live from capital, and capital does not trigger insurance. Such residents have two routes into cover. The first is voluntary self-insurance in the public system: any person with residence in Austria who is not otherwise covered can join, at EUR 565.25 a month (2026). One bar matters in practice: a person whose last cover was compulsory insurance under the GSVG or BSVG — which catches most Austrian traders, company owners and farmers — can only self-insure with the ÖGK 60 months after that insurance ends, and until then the route is continued cover (Weiterversicherung) with the SVS instead. The contribution can be reduced on application where the applicant's economic circumstances justify it — though the assessment looks at means, so this is rarely relevant for the readers of this page. A waiting period of six months generally applies before benefits can be drawn; it falls away where the applicant held statutory health insurance for at least 26 weeks in the preceding twelve months, or for six weeks immediately beforehand, and periods completed in another EU or EEA state or in Switzerland count. Arrivals from further afield should bridge the gap with private cover.
The second route is private comprehensive insurance from an Austrian or international insurer, covering all treatment costs without the public system. Premiums depend on age, health and scope, so no general figure is honest — the market is competitive and quotes are quick to obtain.
The residence permit for financially independent persons requires health insurance covering all risks in Austria. In practice applicants evidence comprehensive private cover for the application, and can move to statutory self-insurance once residence is established. The permit's other conditions are explained on the page about the residence permit for financially independent persons.
Routes into cover at a glance
| Situation | Route into cover | Cost (2026, indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | Automatic — the employer registers you with the ÖGK | Contributions withheld from salary, capped at a base of EUR 97,020 a year |
| Self-employed, or managing director holding more than a quarter of the company | Automatic — SVS insurance with the trade licence or the shareholding; a salaried managing director holding a quarter or less is insured with the ÖGK as an employee | Contributions on business income, capped |
| Resident without gainful activity | Voluntary self-insurance in the public system | EUR 565.25 a month; reducible on application |
| Spouse or child of an insured person | Co-insurance | Free for children; supplement possible for spouses |
| Anyone | Private comprehensive insurance | Premium by age, health and scope — market rates |
Private medicine in Vienna
Private healthcare in Austria comes in two layers. The first is the Wahlarzt system: any doctor may practise without an insurer contract, set their own fees and see patients privately, usually with short notice and long consultations. The patient pays the invoice and the statutory insurer refunds 80% of what it would have paid a contracted doctor — a modest fraction of a private fee, with supplementary insurance covering much of the rest. Most of Vienna's English-speaking specialists work this way, which is why nearly every international family uses it.
The second layer is Sonderklasse — the hospital special class. Supplementary insurance for it buys free choice of the operating surgeon or treating physician, a single or twin room, and admission to the private hospitals; it applies in public hospitals too, where the same senior physicians treat special-class patients. Premiums rise with entry age, so it pays to take the policy out soon after arrival rather than later. Employer group schemes exist for executives — a point worth raising when an executive employment package is negotiated.
| Hospital | District | Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolfinerhaus | 19th (Döbling) | Private acute hospital founded in 1882; international patient services |
| Wiener Privatklinik | 9th (Alsergrund) | Next to the university hospital cluster; many university professors consult here |
| Privatklinik Döbling | 19th (Döbling) | Large private clinic; a favourite of international families for obstetrics |
| Confraternität & Goldenes Kreuz | 9th (Alsergrund) | Vienna's oldest private hospital, merged onto the Goldenes Kreuz site in March 2026; sister clinic to Döbling |
For everyday medicine, English is rarely a problem: embassies and the international schools circulate lists of English-speaking general practitioners, paediatricians and dentists, and hospital emergency departments manage in English as a matter of routine. A European Health Insurance Card from a previous country covers temporary stays only — once Austria is home, one of the routes above must be in place, a point that belongs on the same checklist as the bank account and the other first-weeks tasks.
Questions on this page
What is Sonderklasse insurance?
Private supplementary insurance for the hospital special class: free choice of the treating doctor, a single or twin room, and access to private hospitals. It sits on top of statutory insurance rather than replacing it.
How does the Wahlarzt system work?
You see any doctor without an insurer contract, pay the invoice privately, and your statutory insurer refunds 80 per cent of what it would have paid a contracted doctor for the same service. Supplementary insurance can cover much of the remainder.
Is there a waiting period for voluntary self-insurance?
Generally six months before benefits can be drawn. It is waived if you were covered by statutory health insurance for at least 26 weeks in the preceding twelve months, or for six weeks immediately beforehand — periods completed in another EU or EEA state or in Switzerland count. Arrivals from further afield should bridge the gap with private cover.
Are my spouse and children covered if only I work?
Usually yes, through co-insurance. Children are co-insured free of charge; for spouses a supplementary contribution can apply unless children are being raised.
Does a European Health Insurance Card cover me once I live in Austria?
No. The EHIC covers temporary stays only. Once Austria is your residence you need Austrian cover, whether through work, self-insurance or private comprehensive insurance.
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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