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    Student visa guide

    Austria student visa 2026: cost, requirements and how to apply

    The Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" (Section 64 Settlement and Residence Act) costs $479 in fees nobody can skip, up to $1,238 if every situational extra applies.

    By Global Admissions Editorial · Checked against 4 official sources

    How much does a Austria student visa cost in 2026?

    Applying for a student visa in Austria on the National visa D plus the "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" residence permit costs $479 in fees you cannot skip: National visa D to enter and collect the permit ($226) and Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" application fee ($253). Situational extras (renewal of the residence permit, residence permit for a spouse or minor child and red-White-Red Card after graduation) add up to $759 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.

    Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" (Section 64 Settlement and Residence Act) cost breakdown

    Every line the Austria application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.

    National visa D to enter and collect the permit$226
    EUR 195 for applicants over six years old; EUR 97 for children under six Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA): Visa, including visa D fees
    Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" application fee$253
    EUR 218, paid when the application is lodged oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student", application
    Mandatory total$479
    What the Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" (Section 64 Settlement and Residence Act) costs before any optional service.
    Situational extras, only if they apply to you
    Renewal of the residence permit$253
    EUR 218 per renewal; the student permit normally runs one year at a time oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): Renewal applications for Austrian residence titles
    Residence permit for a spouse or minor child$253
    EUR 218 per family member under "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Familiengemeinschaft" oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Familiengemeinschaft", application
    Red-White-Red Card after graduation$253
    EUR 218 for the graduate card once you have a qualifying job offer oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): "Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte" for graduates, application
    If every extra applied$1,238
    Worst case. Most applicants pay none or one of these.

    Amounts are US dollars. Austria bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate. The native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

    Things to watch

    • Two charges are unavoidable: the visa D that gets you into the country and the EUR 218 permit fee. The range tops out where a first year is followed by one renewal.
    • The permit is issued for one year at a time, so the EUR 218 comes round again annually. Students on an EU or multilateral mobility program get two years and pay it half as often.
    • Austria uses no blocked account, so there is no lump sum to deposit. You show monthly means at the ASVG rate instead, which is a cash-flow requirement rather than a fee.
    • Health insurance covering all risks is a condition of the permit and is not in this table. Neither are certified translations or apostilles, which are priced by the provider and the issuing state.
    • USD figures convert at EUR 1 = USD 1.16, the rate on 29 August 2026.

    How much bank balance do you need for a Austria student visa?

    For the Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" (Section 64 Settlement and Residence Act), Austria asks you to show EUR 1,308 (about $1,518). The accepted form is Regular income or own savings at the ASVG reference rate (Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz), or a declaration of liability (Haftungserklärung) from a third party, and it covers One month of living costs for a student older than 24. Students under 24 show EUR 722.58 a month instead, and the money has to be available for every month the permit covers. This is money you show, not money you pay, so it never appears in the fee table above. The figure comes from migration.gv.at (Austrian Federal Government migration platform): Temporary residence, including the student reference rates, checked August 2026.

    migration.gv.at (Austrian Federal Government migration platform): Temporary residence, including the student reference rates · checked August 2026

    Austria student visa requirements and documents checklist

    8 documents every applicant provides, 1 more depending on where you apply from.

    DocumentWho needs itWhat it involves
    Written confirmation of admission from an Austrian higher education institutioneveryoneThe confirmation must come from a university, university of applied sciences, private university or college of education. Non-degree study counts only in defined cases, such as a university course of at least 40 ECTS that is not purely language teaching, or a preparatory course for a required entrance examination. source
    Proof of secured means of subsistence at the student reference rateeveryoneStudents under 24 show EUR 722.58 a month and students over 24 show EUR 1,308.39 a month, both figures in force since 1 January 2026. A declaration of liability from a third party can be given instead. source
    Health insurance covering all risks and payable in AustriaeveryoneCompulsory insurance, voluntary insurance in the Austrian social insurance scheme and private cover all qualify, provided the private policy matches the scope of statutory cover. Travel health insurance is never enough. source
    Valid travel document and a recent photographeveryoneThe passport must be in your current name, and the photograph must be no more than six months old and 45 by 35 millimetres. source
    No accommodation proof, but accommodation costs still counteveryoneThe student permit is one of the few Austrian titles that does not require you to prove a legal claim to local-standard housing. Your housing costs are still fed into the calculation of whether your means are sufficient. source
    Criminal record extract from your country of residenceeveryoneAuthorities frequently ask first-time applicants for a police clearance certificate from the country of nationality, or from any country you lived in for more than six months beforehand. An extract less than three months old is recommended. source
    Certified translations and, where required, an apostilleeveryoneDocuments that are not in German may have to be submitted in a certified translation by a sworn and court-certified interpreter, and may need an apostille to be recognized. Documents in English usually do not need translating. source
    Evidence of academic progress at renewaleveryoneA renewal application must include proof of study success in the previous academic year, a current record of studies and confirmation that you are continuing the program. source
    Airport transit visa A if you change planes in Austriafor students from 5 countries, Bangladesh to Sri LankaNationals of a set list of countries need a category A visa even to stay inside the international transit zone of an Austrian airport. Plan for it if your route connects through Vienna. source

    How to apply for a Austria student visa

    1. Secure admission to an Austrian institution

      Get the written confirmation of admission. If your program requires an entrance examination, ask the university for a conditional admission decision so you can start the residence application before you sit it.

      source
    2. Lodge the residence permit application in person before you travel

      First applications are normally filed at the Austrian embassy or consulate for your place of residence, which checks the file and forwards it to the settlement authority in Austria. Apply at least three months before you intend to enter, because you have to wait abroad for the decision.

      source
    3. Wait for the settlement authority's decision

      The authority must decide without delay and at the latest within 90 days. If it intends to grant the permit it tells the Austrian representation abroad, which then notifies you.

      source
    4. Apply for the visa D and travel

      You have three months from the notification to apply for the entry visa. A visa D costs EUR 195 for applicants over six and covers stays of 91 days to six months.

      source
    5. Collect the permit in person in Austria

      The residence permit card has to be picked up at the settlement authority within a further three months, so six months from the notification, and always inside the validity of your visa. The permit runs for one year, or two years if you are on an EU or multilateral mobility program.

      source
    6. Register your address, then arrange work authorization if you need it

      Register with the local registration office within three working days of arriving. If you want a job, your employer applies to the public employment service for an employment permit before you start.

      source

    Austria student visa processing time

    The settlement authority must decide a first residence permit application within 90 days at the latest. Applications for a visa D must be decided within six months, and the Austrian representation in New Delhi advises applying at least three months before your intended entry.

    oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student", application · checked August 2026

    Austria student visa work rights, dependants and what comes after

    Work rights

    Third-country students are covered by the Foreigners Employment Act and need an employment permit for any job, including marginal work. Employers can obtain that permit for up to 20 hours a week without a labor market test, and more hours are possible only if the post cannot be filled from the domestic or integrated foreign workforce. Compulsory internships that form part of your Austrian program need no permit, but the employer must notify the employment service at least three weeks in advance.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Dependants

    Spouses, registered partners and unmarried minor children of a student permit holder can apply for the "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Familiengemeinschaft". Spouses and registered partners must be at least 21 at the time of application, the application fee is EUR 218 per person, and employment is allowed only where the card is endorsed with labor market access.

    source

    After graduation

    Graduates can have the student permit extended once, for twelve months, to look for work or start a business, provided the general conditions such as health insurance are still met. Once you have a job matching your qualification you switch to the "Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte" for graduates, which the settlement authority must decide within eight weeks and which is normally issued for up to two years. Apply before the student permit expires so your residence stays continuous and your student years count towards long-term residence.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Language requirement

    The residence rules set no German level for the student permit; the language requirement comes from the institution that admits you. What the permit does demand is that foreign-language documents may have to be filed in a certified translation, though documents in English generally do not need translating.

    source

    Austria student visa requirements for Indian students

    The full Austria visa guide for Indian students, with the fee in your currency.

    The application starts at the embassy in New Delhi, not in Austria

    Indian nationals must file the residence permit application in person at the Austrian Embassy in New Delhi before traveling, and wait in India for the decision. A visa, whether C or D, can never be applied for or extended from inside Austria.

    source

    There is a conditional-admission route if you must sit an entrance exam

    The university issues a conditional admission decision, you apply for the residence permit on that basis, and after approval the embassy issues a visa D valid for four months so you can travel and sit the examination. At that stage funding and accommodation only need to be made plausible, for example a parents' maintenance confirmation or a student hall booking.

    source

    Final proof is checked in Austria before the card is handed over

    After passing the entrance examination you present the final admission decision plus concrete proof of funding and accommodation to the Austrian authority, and only then can you collect the residence permit. Collection must happen within the validity of the visa D.

    source

    The embassy quotes a flat EUR 120 charge, the national schedule says EUR 218

    The New Delhi page states a flat fee of EUR 120 for the residence permit with possible further charges, while the federal fee page for the student permit lists an application fee of EUR 218. Budget for the higher figure and confirm the amount payable with the embassy when you book.

    source

    Register within three working days of arriving

    The embassy sets a three-working-day deadline to register at the registration office covering your Austrian address. Missing it is an administrative offense and complicates the later renewal.

    source
    United States
    From $535 all-in
    United Kingdom
    From $1,760 all-in
    Canada
    From $175 all-in
    Australia
    From $2,250 all-in
    Germany
    From $190 all-in
    France
    From $183 all-in

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    How much is the Austria student visa fee?
    The National visa D plus the "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" residence permit application charge is $253 (Residence permit "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" application fee). Add the other mandatory items (National visa D to enter and collect the permit $226) and the all-in mandatory total is $479. Optional extras add up to $759 on top.
    How much bank balance is required for a Austria student visa?
    EUR 1,308 (about $1,518), held as Regular income or own savings at the ASVG reference rate (Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz), or a declaration of liability (Haftungserklärung) from a third party, covering One month of living costs for a student older than 24. Students under 24 show EUR 722.58 a month instead, and the money has to be available for every month the permit covers. It is money you show rather than money you pay, so it is separate from the visa fees. The rates are tied to the pension top-up reference rates in the General Social Insurance Act and were last set on 1 January 2026. Regular monthly costs such as rent are deducted from your income where they exceed EUR 386.43 (the Wert der freien Station under section 292(3) ASVG, as published on oesterreich.gv.at), so the higher your rent, the more income you must show. Austria has no blocked account: you prove the money with pay slips, employment confirmations, insurance payments or proof of savings, and social benefits that would only arise once the permit is granted do not count. Source: migration.gv.at (Austrian Federal Government migration platform): Temporary residence, including the student reference rates (August 2026).
    Can you work on a Austria student visa?
    Third-country students are covered by the Foreigners Employment Act and need an employment permit for any job, including marginal work. Employers can obtain that permit for up to 20 hours a week without a labor market test, and more hours are possible only if the post cannot be filled from the domestic or integrated foreign workforce. Compulsory internships that form part of your Austrian program need no permit, but the employer must notify the employment service at least three weeks in advance. Source: oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs): Studying and working for third-country nationals (August 2026).
    How long does a Austria student visa take?
    The settlement authority must decide a first residence permit application within 90 days at the latest. Applications for a visa D must be decided within six months, and the Austrian representation in New Delhi advises applying at least three months before your intended entry. Source: oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student", application (August 2026).
    Can you bring your family on a Austria student visa?
    Spouses, registered partners and unmarried minor children of a student permit holder can apply for the "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Familiengemeinschaft". Spouses and registered partners must be at least 21 at the time of application, the application fee is EUR 218 per person, and employment is allowed only where the card is endorsed with labor market access. Source: oesterreich.gv.at (Federal Ministry of the Interior): "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Familiengemeinschaft", application (August 2026).
    What's not included in the National visa D plus the "Aufenthaltsbewilligung – Student" residence permit fee?
    Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
    When are these fees due?
    Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

    Official sources

    Last verified August 2026.