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Citizenship
Immigration Law
Insights
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When can I apply for citizenship?
There are two routes to Austrian citizenship: descent and grant. Here you can see which requirements apply to you.
Which route fits you?
Check whether you meet the requirements for Austrian citizenship
Answer 5 short questions and find out whether you are ready to apply.
How long have you been living in Austria without interruption?
Only continuous, legal residence counts towards citizenship.
Do you have a valid, registered residence status in Austria?
e.g. registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung), residence permit or EU citizen registration.
Is your German at B1 level or higher?
A certified B1 certificate (e.g. ÖSD, Goethe) is required for citizenship.
Do you have a clean criminal record in Austria?
No criminal convictions in the last 5 years is a requirement.
Can you prove sufficient income or financial means?
Employment, self-employment, a pension or provable savings all count.
In short
- You are a citizen from birth if your mother, or your father if he was married to your mother, is an Austrian citizen. Everyone else needs a grant of citizenship (Verleihung).
- For a grant: German at B1 level, the citizenship test, a clean criminal record and secure means of subsistence.
- Residence: as a rule ten years, in certain cases six years.
- As a rule, you must give up your previous citizenship.
Checklist
Two routes to citizenship
Living in Austria or being born here does not make you a citizen automatically. Either you have citizenship from birth (descent), or you must apply for it (grant). The documents you need for the application are listed in the document checklist.
Route 1
Descent
A child is an Austrian citizen from birth if
- the mother is an Austrian citizen, or
- the parents are married and the father is an Austrian citizen.
Please note: If the parents are not married, the Austrian father must acknowledge paternity, or have it established by a court, within eight weeksDeadline: eight weeksIf paternity is acknowledged or established by a court within eight weeks of the birth, this takes effect for citizenship from the birth (§ 7 Abs 1 StbG). of the birth. Otherwise the child needs an application for a grant of citizenship.
Route 2
Grant
Everyone else must apply for citizenship. Two stages apply: first the basic requirements, then a minimum period of residence in Austria.
As a rule, you must give up your previous citizenship. There are exceptions.
Stage 1
Basic requirements for a grant
- German at B1 levelGerman B1Independent use of the language under the Common European Framework of Reference. Proven by a recognised language certificate (§ 10a StbG, § 7 Abs 2 Z 2 IntG). Children under 14 are exempt. (certificate)
- Basic knowledge of the democratic systemCitizenship testA written test on the democratic system and the history of Austria and of your federal province (§ 10a Abs 1 Z 2 StbG). The authority provides learning materials. and of the history of Austria and your federal province
- A positive attitude towards the Republic of Austria§ 10 Abs 1 Z 6 StbGCitizenship is only granted to a person whose conduct so far guarantees a positive attitude towards the Republic and who is no danger to public peace, order and security.Legal text in RIS →, no danger to peace, order and security
- No valid residence ban and no return decision
- No close links to extremist or terrorist groups
- Giving up your previous citizenship (exceptions possible)
- A clean criminal recordClean criminal recordNo final conviction to a prison sentence for an intentional offence or a financial offence, and no pending criminal proceedings for such an offence before an Austrian court (§ 10 Abs 1 Z 2 to 4 StbG). Further obstacles are set out in § 10 Abs 2.Which penalties count (in German) →
- Sufficient, secure income
- The grant must not harm the Republic of Austria
Stage 2
How long must you live in Austria?
6 years
of continuous lawful residence, without longer absences, with German at B2 level, or with German at B1 level and proven lasting personal integration, for example through several years of voluntary work (§ 11a Abs 6 StbG§ 11a Abs 6 StbGGrant after six years: with German at B2 level, or with German at B1 level and lasting personal integration, for example at least three years of voluntary work in a non-profit organisation or work in education, social services or health care.Legal text in RIS →).
10 years
of continuous lawful residence with German at B1 level, at least 5 of them with settled residenceSettled residence (Niederlassung)Residence with a permit for permanent settlement, for example a Red-White-Red Card, a family member permit or permanent residence EU (Daueraufenthalt-EU). A temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung), for example for students, does not count towards the five years..
There are also special cases and privileged routes, for example for spouses of Austrian citizens, for descendants of victims of Nazi persecution (§ 58c StbG) or for extraordinary achievements. We clarify in the initial consultation whether one of them applies to you.
In detail
Clean criminal record
- no court conviction
- no pending criminal proceedings for an intentional offence before an Austrian court
- no serious administrative offences
Which administrative penalties count? Administrative penalties and naturalisation (in German) →
In detail
Sufficient income
You must prove a fixed and regular income of your own: on average over 36 monthsPeriod: 36 monthsFrom the last six years before the application; the last six months before the application must be included (§ 10 Abs 5 StbG). from the last six years before the application, including the last six months. The reference rates (Richtsätze), adjusted every year, are decisive; rent, loans and maintenance payments are added.
After the grant
Military service
Male citizens in Austria are subject to compulsory military service: six months of basic military service or nine months of civilian service. There are exceptions for dual citizens.
Questions we get asked
Requirements: short answers
Does a student residence permit count towards the ten years?
It counts as lawful residence. Of the ten years, however, at least five must have been with settled residence, that is with a permit for settled residence (Niederlassung). A temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung) does not count for this.
When can I apply after only six years?
Among other cases, with German at B2 level, with German at B1 level and lasting personal integration, or as the spouse of an Austrian citizen after five years of marriage in a shared household (§ 11a StbG).
Does an administrative penalty prevent naturalisation?
Not automatically. The authority examines your overall conduct under § 10 Abs 1 Z 6 StbG. Parking fines are usually not an obstacle; serious or repeated offences can be.
Do I have to take the citizenship test?
Yes, as a rule, for a grant of citizenship. Exempt are, among others, children under 14 and people who cannot take the test because of a permanently poor state of health (§ 10a Abs 2 StbG).
Expungement
When will your conviction be expunged?
Once the expungement period (Tilgungsfrist) has ended, a court conviction no longer appears on the police clearance certificate (Strafregisterbescheinigung). We calculate the period for a single conviction.
What were you sentenced to?
Length of the prison sentence
As stated in the judgment.
Stated on the judgment or on the police clearance certificate.
For guidance only. This is not legal advice. Applies to a single conviction by an Austrian court for offences committed as an adult. For sexual offences, longer periods may apply or expungement may be excluded. Life sentences are not expunged. As of October 2026, source: Expungement Act 1972 (§§ 1 to 6 TilgG, RIS), oesterreich.gv.at.
Length of residence
How long does your residence already count?
Enter since when you have lived lawfully in Austria and when you were abroad. We calculate the periods for six and ten years.
For example, the start of your first residence permit.
First permit for settled residence (Niederlassung), for example a Red-White-Red Card. A temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung) does not count.
What counts is the day of the decision. If you leave this empty, we calculate with today.
Stays abroad
Trips, holidays and longer stays. The day you leave and the day you return count here as days abroad.
For guidance only. This is not legal advice. As of October 2026, source: Citizenship Act (StbG), §§ 10, 11a, 15 StbG, RIS. We check with you how the authority counts absences in your individual case.
Packages & prices
Flat-fee packages for citizenship.
You know the full cost before you start.
- ✓ Personal consultation with our experts
- ✓ Review of your documents
- ✓ Filing of the application with MA 35, without you needing your own appointment at the authority
- Everything in Basis, plus:
- ✓ Legal representation in the procedure
- ✓ Responses to all letters from the authority
- Everything in Plus, plus:
- ✓ All communication with the authority
- ✓ Regular follow-ups with MA 35 to speed things up
- ✓ Obtaining Austrian documents
- ✓ Appeal against the notice (Bescheidbeschwerde) if rejected
Prices per applicant. If you instruct us, the initial consultation (€180) is deducted from the package price. No hourly rates. All package details →
How we work
Three steps, from the first conversation to the notice (Bescheid).
Initial consultation
For a flat fee of €180. We listen, go through your documents and tell you honestly where you stand.
Clear assessment
You know exactly what is realistic, what it costs and what happens next, in writing.
We get started
We file applications, monitor deadlines and keep you updated by e-mail, phone or WhatsApp, in your language.
Team
The people behind your case.
Mag. Igor Matejuk, BEd
Mag. Adrian Zitter
Looking for the whole team? Meet everyone →
Contact
How to reach us.
Unsere Erfolge
Aktuelles aus der Praxis.
1010 Vienna (Stephansplatz)