Moving to Austria from Germany: Registration, Insurance, Tax

What do you need to know about moving to Austria from Germany?

German citizens move to Austria under EU free movement rules, so no visa is needed. Two deadlines apply, and they are easy to mix up: three days for the registration form (Meldezettel) and four months for the residence certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung).

The Federal Statistical Office counts about 13,500 departures from Germany to Austria in 2025, second only to Switzerland with 22,700 (Zahl der Woche No. 24, 9 June 2026). At the start of 2025, about 239,500 Germans lived in Austria (press release N031, 11 May 2026).

Do you need a visa or residence permit for Austria?

No visa is needed. For stays of up to three months, Austria cannot require a residence document, according to Your Europe (last checked 1 July 2026). After three months, the authorities can ask you to register.

For entry, the German Federal Foreign Office (status 25 October 2026) lists a passport, an ID card or a child passport. An expired document is accepted if it expired no more than one year ago. A provisional ID card must be valid. Border checks take place on the German-Austrian border, and no vaccinations are required for entry.

When must you apply for the residence certificate?

If you stay longer than three months, you apply for the residence certificate within four months. The Austrian government portal oesterreich.gv.at gives this deadline (2026). Applications go to the local settlement authority.

You must show one of three grounds:

• You work, as an employee or as a self-employed person.
• You have sufficient means and comprehensive health insurance.
• You are in education, for example at a university.

You apply in person at the district authority. In Vienna the office is MA 35, in Graz the Styrian provincial government. The fee at the time of the application is 44 euros (2026). Without the certificate you can face a fine, but you cannot be expelled for this reason alone (Your Europe).

How do you register your address in Austria?

You register within three days of moving into your accommodation, using the form called Meldezettel. The rule is stated on oesterreich.gv.at (13 January 2026) and applies to EU citizens as well. Registration is free of charge.

Each person needs a separate form, and your landlord or host signs it. Late registration can lead to a fine of up to 726 euros, and up to 2,180 euros for repeat cases (2026). The municipal office handles the form. In cities with their own statute it is the city administration, and in Vienna the district office.

The portal lists online registration with ID Austria or EU Login. Email and fax are currently not permitted. EURES mentions only registration in person or by post, so check which route your office accepts. If you work for an employer, the employer registers you for work, and the confirmation must be issued without delay.

What does health insurance look like in Austria?

Austria has compulsory insurance for everyone in employment (oesterreich.gv.at, 16 March 2026). Employees are registered by the employer. The e-card is the chip card for insured persons and their family members, and it gives access to the electronic health record ELGA. Children under 14 do not need a photo on the card.

If you do not work, the residence certificate requires comprehensive health insurance and sufficient means. The 2026 marginal-employment threshold is 551.10 euros per month. Voluntary self-insurance is possible, and family members can be co-insured. Your Europe adds a general EU rule: pensioners without a pension from their country of residence request form S1 from the paying state (last checked 19 August 2026). For details, read health insurance when moving to Germany as a comparison with the German system.

How are taxes and a German pension treated?

Germany and Austria have a double taxation treaty, signed in Berlin on 24 August 2000 and in force since 18 August 2002 (Legal Information System of the Republic of Austria, version 25 October 2026). Anyone with a residence or habitual abode in Austria is subject to unlimited income tax there, on worldwide income (Austrian Ministry of Finance, 1 January 2026).

When both states claim you as a resident, the treaty sets a ranking: permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode and nationality. If this does not decide the case, the two tax authorities agree among themselves. For pensions in general, only the state of residence taxes them. Payments from the statutory social insurance are taxed only by the paying state. For a German statutory pension, this points to Germany. That reading is an application of the rule and not wording from the treaty. The source gives no information on the German tax amount.

Germany generally exempts income that Austria may tax, and credit applies only to certain income such as dividends, interest and royalties. Austria also generally exempts income, with credit for a short list of income types.

The German pension insurance pays your pension in the same amount to an account of your choice in most cases when you move to an EU country. You report the move at the latest two months beforehand. A yearly life certificate follows. If it is missing, the insurer compares death records with your country of residence. Bank fees and exchange-rate losses are at the recipient's expense, and you need an IBAN and BIC.

How do you find a home in Austria?

Rental contracts can be oral or written. The person who hires the estate agent pays the commission (EURES). EURES reports average housing costs of 9.9 euros per square metre at the end of 2024, including running costs.

Fixed-term leases under the Tenancy Act run for at least five years, or three years if the landlord is not a business. After one year, a tenant can end the lease with three months' notice to the end of a month, and the right cannot be waived (oesterreich.gv.at, 3 April 2026). Deposits are agreed freely. Three gross monthly rents are usual, up to six are allowed, and the landlord returns the deposit with interest (1 January 2026).

EU and EEA citizens need no permit to buy land and are treated like Austrians. Each federal state regulates land purchases by foreigners itself. Non-EU buyers generally go through an approval procedure.

Can you work in Austria as a German?

Yes. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have free access to the labour market (EURES). Check your contract and ask your employer about the commuter allowance. The portal mentions a tax number only for self-employed people. For employees it says that the employer pays wage tax to the tax office. Self-employed people apply for a tax number when they start the activity.

Formal recognition of qualifications exists only for regulated professions. University degrees from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland normally need no validation, says the recognition portal Berufsanerkennung.at. An ENIC NARIC assessment is a recommendation without legal effect.

What are the requirements at a glance?

Step	Deadline or value	Authority
Stay without a document	up to 3 months	none
Residence certificate	apply within 4 months, 44 euros (2026)	Settlement authority, MA 35 in Vienna
Registration form	within 3 days of moving in, free of charge	Municipality or city administration
Fine for late registration	up to 726 euros, repeat up to 2,180 euros (2026)	Registration authority
Pension notice	report your move 2 months ahead	German pension insurance

What you need to bring

The official pages list these items:

• A valid passport or ID card.
• For the registration form: certificates for name, birth and nationality, plus a travel document. Your host signs the form.
• For the residence certificate: passport or ID plus proof of your ground, for example a certificate of employment. An apostille and a certified translation may be required.
• If you do not work: proof of comprehensive health insurance and sufficient means.

Your local authority can give you the current list for your case. See also oesterreich.gv.at.

Where do you find similar guides?

For the opposite direction, read moving to Germany and how to register your address in Germany. Other destinations are collected in the Countries overview.

Frequently asked questions

Do Germans need a visa to move to Austria?

No. Austria cannot require a residence document for stays of up to three months (Your Europe, last checked 1 July 2026). After that, you may be asked to register.

How long do you have to register your address in Austria?

Three days after moving into your accommodation (oesterreich.gv.at, 13 January 2026). The residence certificate has its own deadline of four months.

How much does the residence certificate cost?

The portal oesterreich.gv.at names a fee of 44 euros at the time of the application (2026). Address registration is free.

Is a German statutory pension taxed in Austria?

Under the double taxation treaty, payments from statutory social insurance are taxed by the paying state, which means Germany for a German pension (version 25 October 2026).

Can a German citizen buy land in Austria?

Yes. EU and EEA citizens need no permit and are treated like Austrians (oesterreich.gv.at, 1 January 2026).

Sources

1. Auswärtiges Amt: Österreich, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise, 2026 (As of: 25.10.2026)
2. Your Europe: Registering your residence, 2026 (As of: last checked 01.07.2026)
3. oesterreich.gv.at: Aufenthalt von EU-/EWR-Bürgern, 2026
4. oesterreich.gv.at: Registration of residence, 2026 (As of: 13.01.2026)
5. oesterreich.gv.at: Sozialversicherung nach dem Umzug, 2026 (As of: 16.03.2026)
6. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes: Doppelbesteuerungsabkommen Deutschland-Österreich, 2026 (As of: version 25.10.2026)
7. Bundesministerium für Finanzen Österreich: Einkommensbegriff, 2026 (As of: 01.01.2026)
8. Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Rente im Ausland, Umzug, 2026
9. Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Rentenzahlung ins Ausland, 2026
10. oesterreich.gv.at: Mietvertrag und Kündigung, 2026 (As of: 03.04.2026)
11. oesterreich.gv.at: Kaution, 2026 (As of: 01.01.2026)
12. oesterreich.gv.at: Grundstückskauf durch Ausländer, 2026 (As of: 01.01.2026)
13. EURES: Living and working conditions in Austria, 2026
14. Berufsanerkennung.at: Professional recognition, overview, 2026
15. Statistisches Bundesamt: Zahl der Woche Nr. 24, 2026 (As of: 09.06.2026)
16. Statistisches Bundesamt: Leben im europäischen Ausland (Nr. N031), 2026 (As of: 11.05.2026)

General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the linked official pages before you act.

Author: Vathanakone Prakosay · Updated on October 25, 2026