When can I apply for Austrian citizenship? - Checklist
When can I apply for Austrian citizenship? - Checklist
Have you been in Austria for a long time and are wondering when you can apply for Austrian citizenship?
Were you born in Austria and do not have citizenship?
Don’t know when you can apply for citizenship?
There are various ways to obtain Austrian citizenship. But as a normal citizen, it is sometimes difficult to see how you can apply for Austrian citizenship. With this checklist and the Checklist for documents we want to try to make it easier for you to find out whether you can apply for Austrian citizenship and what documents you need for this.
2 paths to citizenship
To put it simply, there are two ways to obtain the Austrian citizenship:
1st way: Citizenship through ancestry (father and/or mother are citizens)
2nd way: Citizenship is granted
1. Way: Ancestry
Children receive citizenship at birth if...
... the
mother is an Austrian citizen
or
... mother and father are married
and the father is an Austrian citizen.
ATTENTION:
If the parents are not married, the child will only be granted citizenship from birth if the Austrian father has acknowledged paternity within eight weeks of the birth or if this has been established by a court.
If the father has not done so, the child must apply for Austrian citizenship.
For more information on how your child can obtain Austrian citizenship and what exceptions there are, read this article:
Can my child have dual citizenship?
Yes and no.
In principle, the state of Austria does not allow dual citizenship.
However, there are some exceptions where the authorities still allow dual citizenship.
You can find more details in our article on dual citizenship in Austria:
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2nd way: Citizenship is granted
2a: First the basic requirements that must be met:
1. B1 - German Certificate
2. Basic knowledge of the democratic order
3. Basic knowledge of the history of Austria and the federal state (place of residence)
4. Positive attitude towards the Republic of Austria (No threat to peace, order and security)
5. No existing residence ban
6. No return decision
7. No close relationship with an extremist or terrorist group
8. No loss of previous citizenship
9. No criminal record
10. Sufficient income
11. The award must not cause any damage to the Republic of Austria
3. Basic knowledge of the history of Austria and the federal state (place of residence)
4. Positive attitude towards the Republic of Austria (No threat to peace, order and security)
5. No existing residence ban
6. No return decision
7. No close relationship with an extremist or terrorist group
8. No loss of previous citizenship
9. No criminal record
10. Sufficient income
11. The award must not cause any damage to the Republic of Austria
2 B
: If the basic requirements are met, the following further requirements must be fulfilled:
- 6 years of continuous residence
with any form of residence title without longer absences from Austria with German level B2.
- 10 years of continuous residence
with German level B1, provided that at least 5 of the 10 years of residence have been with residency in Austria.
In addition, there are special cases and individual privileges for persons who have been in Austria for a longer period of time (clarify with a lawyer).
What does no criminal record mean?
No criminal record means:
1. No court convictions
2. No pending criminal proceedings (both domestic and foreign)
3. No serious administrative offences with a particularly unlawful nature
Sufficient income
As an applicant, you must provide proof of a fixed and regular income of your own for an average of 36 months over the last 6 years prior to the application date, with the last six months prior to the application also being taken into account.
For 2024, the following amounts are considered sufficient income:
For single people: 1,217.96 €
For married couples: 1,921.46 €
For each child: additional 187.93 €
ATTENTION:
Monthly financial burdens (rental costs, loan installments, leasing, maintenance obligations, etc.) must be added to these amounts, minus a free station granted by law (2024: 359.72 €).
You can find more detailed information about the necessary income and how it is calculated in our article:
How high must my income be to obtain Austrian citizenship?
Do I have to do military service?
General military service in Austria is from 17 to 50 years.
Every male Austrian citizen MUST perform military service.
Basic military service lasts 6 months. Anyone who cannot or does not want to do military service for reasons of conscience can do civilian service as an alternative to military service. This lasts 9 months.
However, there are some exceptions for dual citizens, for example. Read our article on military service and Austrian citizenship:
Do I need a lawyer?
What advantages does hiring a lawyer entail?
As you can see in this checklist, there is a lot to consider. In addition, there are many different documents that must be submitted with the application itself (Checklist documents). A lawyer can be of great help to you here.
Dr. Klammer has a lot of experience with the process of obtaining Austrian citizenship. With the help of his expertise and that of his team, you will quickly notice that the whole process will not only be much easier but also much faster.
Due to many applications etc. there are often very long waiting times for citizenship applications, but with our help the whole process is accelerated considerably: Read our latest success stories here: Accelerate citizenship applications.
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How can we help?
Dr. Klammer and his team already have a lot of experience with applying for Austrian citizenship and the authorities responsible for these applications. We can support and accompany you from start to finish.
Currently, citizenship applications take months or even years to be processed, but with the help of Dr. Klammer and his team, you can submit your application immediately:
Have you already submitted an application and have not yet received a response from the authorities? Contact us, perhaps you can file a complaint about the delay:
Dr. Klammer can help you with all your concerns on this topic
About the below contact form
you are welcome to contact us and describe your situation. Dr. Klammer and his team will examine the matter and get back to you about the next steps.
If you would like to speak to us personally, we would be happy to offer you an initial consultation at our usual rate (EUR 180), during which we will provide you with professional information about the options for up to an hour and will also be happy to lay the foundation for representation in any legal proceedings arising from this matter.
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