Best Red-White-Red Card Category to Apply for in Austria (2026)

By Best:in Editorial Team · Updated September 2026

As of September 2026, Austria runs four Red-White-Red Card entry categories plus the EU Blue Card for third-country professionals. The Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations route needs only 55 of 75 points and skips the labour market test, making it the most accessible path, while Very Highly Qualified Workers need 70 of 100 points but can enter without a job offer via a six-month Job Seeker Visa.

Best Red-White-Red Card Category to Apply for in Austria, ranked

1.

Red-White-Red Card for Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations

This category needs only 55 of 75 points and skips the AMS labour market test entirely, provided the job offer matches one of the 64 nationwide or 66 regional occupations on the 2026 Mangelberufsliste. That combination of a lower point bar and no labour market check makes it the fastest route for engineers, IT staff, nursing and skilled trades roles.

Best for: Skilled professionals in listed shortage occupations

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2.

Red-White-Red Card for Very Highly Qualified Workers

Very Highly Qualified Workers need 70 of 100 points but face no labour market test and no requirement for a job offer before entry, since a 6-month category D Job Seeker Visa lets them search for work inside Austria. That flexibility suits senior specialists and researchers, though a failed job search means leaving the country and a 12-month wait to reapply.

Best for: Senior specialists without a confirmed job offer yet

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3.

Red-White-Red Card plus

Red-White-Red Card plus removes the employer tie entirely after 21 of the preceding 24 months on a qualifying Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card, at a 2026 fee of EUR 218. It is the only route on this list that gives unrestricted Austrian labour market access, including for family members who meet an A1 German requirement.

Best for: Existing cardholders wanting full labour market freedom

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4.

EU Blue Card Austria

EU Blue Card Austria requires a university degree and a 2026 salary of at least EUR 55,678 a year, well above the Red-White-Red Card's Other Key Workers threshold, plus a labour market test. Its payoff is stronger intra-EU mobility rights, making it a better fit for degree holders planning to move between EU countries.

Best for: Degree holders wanting EU-wide mobility

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5.

Red-White-Red Card for Other Key Workers

Other Key Workers is the broadest category, covering any occupation not on the shortage list at a 2026 salary floor of EUR 3,465 gross per month, but it requires an AMS labour market check confirming no equally qualified local jobseeker is available. Musicians, designers and professional athletes can qualify with only 55 points and no formal training proof.

Best for: Job offers outside the shortage occupation list

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6.

Red-White-Red Card for Start-up Founders

Start-up Founders need 50 of 85 points plus a detailed business plan, evidence of funding or co-founders, and an AMS opinion on macroeconomic benefit delivered within three weeks of a complete file. It suits entrepreneurs building an innovative product, service or method in Austria rather than professionals seeking an existing employer's job offer, and it can later convert toward Red-White-Red Card plus.

Best for: Entrepreneurs launching an innovative business

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What is the Red-White-Red Card and who needs one in 2026?

The Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiss-Rot-Karte) is a combined residence and work permit that Austria issues to skilled non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss nationals for a fixed 24-month period. It ties the holder to one named employer and is administered jointly by the residence authority (Landeshauptmann, Bezirkshauptmannschaft, or MA 35 in Vienna) and the AMS, the national employment service, which runs the labour market checks.

As of 1 January 2026, Austria updated the salary thresholds, the shortage occupation list and the government fee schedule that apply to every Red-White-Red Card category. The card sits alongside the EU Blue Card as one of two main national routes for qualified third-country workers, and both are distinct from the Red-White-Red Card plus, a follow-on status that removes the employer tie after continuous qualifying employment.

How many points do applicants need in each Red-White-Red Card category?

Austria's Red-White-Red Card system runs four separate points-based entry categories, each with its own scoring grid. Very Highly Qualified Workers need at least 70 of 100 points, covering qualifications, work experience, age, language skills and salary in past roles, and this category is exempt from the labour market test. Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations need 55 of 75 points and must hold a job offer that matches one of the 64 nationwide or 66 regional occupations on the 2026 Mangelberufsliste published by the Ministry of Labour.

Other Key Workers, the broadest category, need a minimum of 55 points on a separate grid and a job offer paying at least EUR 3,465 gross per month in 2026, but this route is subject to an AMS labour market check confirming no equally qualified jobseeker is registered locally. Start-up Founders need 50 of 85 points on a founder-specific grid covering the business plan, financing and an AMS opinion on macroeconomic benefit issued within three weeks of filing.

How much does the Red-White-Red Card cost in 2026?

The Austrian government charges a flat application fee of EUR 218 per applicant for any Red-White-Red Card category, the Red-White-Red Card plus and the EU Blue Card, effective 1 January 2026. This replaced a split fee structure of EUR 212 for applicants aged six and over and EUR 192 for younger applicants that applied to Red-White-Red Card plus filings before that date.

Applicants who need a category D entry visa, most commonly holders of a Job Seeker Visa or people entering to collect an approved card, pay a separate visa fee of EUR 195 for anyone aged six and over. Processing generally takes six to twelve weeks from a complete submission, though the AMS labour market check can extend this for the Other Key Workers and some Skilled Workers filings.

How does the Red-White-Red Card compare with the EU Blue Card?

The EU Blue Card is the main alternative for university-degree holders and requires a binding job offer paying at least the average gross annual salary of full-time employees in Austria, set at EUR 55,678 for 2026. That is a materially higher bar than the EUR 3,465 monthly (about EUR 41,580 a year before bonuses) threshold for the Red-White-Red Card Other Key Workers category, and EU Blue Card applications still face a labour market test.

The practical difference is reach rather than prestige. The EU Blue Card is a harmonised EU-wide title with stronger intra-EU mobility rights, while the Red-White-Red Card is an Austria-specific system that accepts a wider range of qualifications and experience levels through its points grids, including occupations such as musicians, designers and professional athletes that do not require formal training proof under the Other Key Workers criteria.

How long does the process take and what comes after the first card?

Red-White-Red Card holders can apply for the Red-White-Red Card plus, which removes the employer tie and gives unrestricted Austrian labour market access, once they have worked under qualifying conditions for at least 21 of the preceding 24 months. The same 21-of-24-month rule applies to EU Blue Card holders who want to convert to the plus status.

Very Highly Qualified Workers who score at least 70 points but do not yet have a binding job offer can instead apply for a six-month category D Job Seeker Visa to enter Austria and search for qualifying work. If no qualifying job materialises within that window, the applicant must leave the country and faces a 12-month waiting period before reapplying for another Job Seeker Visa.

Can family members come too, and what should applicants watch out for?

Direct family members of a Red-White-Red Card holder, meaning a spouse, registered partner or underage children, can apply for their own Red-White-Red Card plus, which grants full labour market access from the start provided they meet basic integration conditions such as German at level A1. This applies whether the sponsoring family member holds a standard Red-White-Red Card or an EU Blue Card.

Because the Red-White-Red Card is employer-tied for its first 24 months, changing jobs during that period generally requires a fresh application tied to the new employer, so most advisers recommend confirming the exact category and points score with the prospective employer before signing a contract for a 2026 start date.

How is this ranking computed?

  • Points/qualification threshold ease: 25%
  • Salary requirement level: 20%
  • Labour market test exemption: 20%
  • Speed to unrestricted status: 20%
  • Family reunification and mobility rights: 15%

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