With Austrian citizenship, you are free to live and work in Austria and across the whole EU whenever it pleases you. Austria’s excellent reputation makes it possible for those who possess Austrian passports to travel to Hong Kong (SAR China), Japan, Singapore, and the USA without a visa or visa on arrival. It enjoys one of the highest ranks as a travel certificate globally and is the holder of the top ten strongest passports, according to the Henley Passport Index. An acquisition of citizenship through the Austrian Citizenship Act will give you and your family unconditional lifetime citizenship to be passed on to subsequent generations.
Applying from abroad
Applicants are normally required to send their residence permit applications to the Austrian representative authorities (BMEIA) (embassy or consulate) from a foreign land prior to entering Austria. The Austrian representative authority which will accept the application is determined according to the living place of the applicant. The applicants are required to hand-deliver the application.
When the representative authority validates that the application is correct and complete, it forwards it to the right immigration authority in Austria. The review of the Austrian representative authority revolves around the element of ensuring that the criteria for granting the residence permit are fulfilled. In case the stipulated conditions are met, the competent representative authority in Austria will be notified. For applicants who need a visa, a visa issuance order is provided. The applicant is informed by the Austrian representative authority abroad. He/she will need to contact the competent settlement authority and collect the residence permit personally. A visa application for entry has to be submitted not later than three months after notification that the intended positive settlement is accepted by the representation authority. And collection of the residence permit from the domestic authority has to be made within three more months (total of six months).
Applying in Austria
The following people are entitled to make their first application for a residence permit in Austria: Family members of Austrians, EU citizens, EEA citizens from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. Or Swiss citizens who have settled in Austria permanently have not used their right to reside under EU law. Or their right of more than three months guaranteed by the EC-Switzerland Agreement on Free Movement of Persons, and have entered and resided in Austria lawfully.
The term “family nucleus” includes the following persons:
- Adult spouses: those who attain the age of 21 on the day of applying.
- Persons who are registered as civil partners and are 21 years or older at the time of the submission of application application.
- Children, adopted or stepchildren, not yet married and under 21 years of age.
Rights and privileges for investment in Austrian citizenship
- Access to almost 190 countries or territories without the need for a visa or arrival visa.
- Permanent residency in all countries of the EU and Switzerland for EU citizenship.
- High quality of life.
- Excellent transport and communications.
Prerequisites for the citizenship program by investment
The citizenship by investment requirements require that the applicants should engage in active investment in the Austrian economy, such as forming partnerships or directly investing in businesses, which increase employment or exports. As a rule, a significant amount of direct investment is required. The qualification requirements are not met by passive investments like government bonds or real estate. In addition, people who have achieved exceptional feats in spheres that advance Austria’s national interest, for example, in sports, science, the arts or philanthropy, can become Austrian citizens. In addition to standard documents (passports, birth, and marriage certificates). All applicants must have a flawless personal record (certificate of no criminal record), a detailed résumé, relevant business background, and strong character references. Under the Austrian Citizenship Act, normally, the applicant has to surrender his or her citizenship before acquiring Austrian citizenship. However, according to Article 10 (6) of the Citizenship Act, the possibility of retaining the former citizenship legally and the possibility of remaining a citizen of another country for the applicant exist.
Austria’s citizenship by investment procedures
A capital investment-based citizenship application requires many procedures and permissions from various government authorities. This makes it essential that the applicant is well-advised at the beginning of proceedings. That every case is carefully prepared and that informal consent of the principal ministries is obtained before the investment is made and the application process is commenced.
When approved, applicants are issued official full citizenship of the Republic of Austria and are entitled to apply for a passport immediately. Passports are normally granted to citizens within a few days after authorisation.
The awarding of citizenship is kept secret and not published to the international media, under government rules that protect privacy or official secrets.
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