If you are married to an Austrian citizen, or to someone with valid residence in Austria, family reunification is the route that lets you live there together. It is one of the more common ways into Austria and one of the more procedural.
Being married is not enough on its own. There are conditions to meet, documents to produce, and an annual cap that decides when — not whether — many applications are granted. Here is what the route asks for in 2026.
The steps
1. Check that you meet the conditions
Residence through marriage is popular and comparatively involved. Refusals and long delays usually trace back to a condition that was not met rather than to anything about the marriage itself.
- You must be legally married to an Austrian citizen, or to a third-country national who holds valid residence in Austria.
- Both spouses must be at least 21 at the time the application is made.
- You must show income sufficient to support yourselves without recourse to Austrian social assistance. The thresholds follow the ASVG reference rates, revised every January. For 2026: €1,308.39 a month for a single person, €2,064.12 for a couple, and €201.88 per child.
- You must evidence accommodation in Austria that is adequate for the size of your family.
- You need health insurance valid in Austria and covering all risks.
- In most cases you must show German at A1 level before you travel, though exemptions exist depending on your circumstances.
- Any document not in German or English needs a certified translation, and some need an apostille or legalisation.
2. Assemble the documents
From the applicant — the non-EU spouse:
- The completed and signed application form.
- A recent passport photograph, 35 × 45 mm.
- A valid passport with at least two blank pages.
- Birth certificate, officially translated and attested.
- Police certificate, officially translated and attested.
- Marriage certificate, officially translated and attested.
- Health insurance valid in Austria.
- Evidence of accommodation — a tenancy agreement or equivalent.
- Financial documents, including recent bank statements.
- Your German A1 certificate, where it applies.
Three things you will see on checklists for this route do not belong on it: a return flight reservation, a hotel booking, and travel insurance with €30,000 of cover. Those are short-stay Schengen visa requirements. You are applying to settle, so what is wanted is a tenancy agreement rather than a hotel, and insurance valid in Austria covering all risks rather than a travel policy.
From the Austrian spouse:
- A copy of a valid passport or identity card.
- Proof of Austrian citizenship.
- Proof of income — payslips or a tax assessment.
- Proof of accommodation — a tenancy agreement or proof of ownership.
- The residence registration certificate, the Meldezettel.
3. File at the Austrian representation
The first application is lodged in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate in your country of residence. They check the file and pass it to the competent authority in Austria.
This is worth being clear about, because it is where a common piece of advice goes wrong. Travelling to Austria on a short-stay Schengen visa and marrying there does not create an in-country route. The first application is still filed from abroad.
4. The interview and the genuineness check
Assessment commonly takes several months. You may be asked to attend an interview or to supply further documents, and the authority will examine whether the marriage is genuine.
5. The decision, and the D visa
If the residence permit is approved you are issued a type D visa, which is what allows you to travel to Austria and collect the permit itself. After arrival you must register your address within three days.
6. After you arrive
You apply for the residence permit as a family member — Familienangehöriger. It is normally issued for twelve months and is renewable.
What it costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Residence permit application | €218 |
| Certified translation and legalisation | Varies by document and country |
| German A1 examination | Set by the test centre |
| Health insurance | Varies by provider |
The €218 figure is the residence permit application fee, applying from 1 January 2026. Lower figures still circulating — anything around €120 or €160 — predate the current schedule. Fees for minors differ, so check the amount for a child with the representation before budgeting.
What residence you actually get
1. Family of an Austrian citizen
Where your spouse is an Austrian citizen, the permit issued is normally Familienangehöriger. It lets you live in Austria and, once the conditions are met, leads towards long-term residence.
2. Family of a third-country national
Where your spouse is a non-EU national resident in Austria, you may qualify for one of the following.
- Red-White-Red Card plus. For family members of Red-White-Red Card or EU Blue Card holders, and of people with long-term residence in Austria. It carries unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market.
- Residence permit — dependant. For other dependants meeting specific conditions, including a declaration of liability from the sponsor.
3. How long it lasts
- The first permit is normally granted for twelve months.
- After two years of lawful residence and completion of Integration Agreement Module 1, it can be extended for three years.
- After five years of continuous lawful residence you may qualify for long-term EU residence.
Where this route most often stalls
Three things decide most timelines, and none of them is the marriage.
The first is the annual quota. Austria caps how many family reunification permits it issues each year. You can meet every condition and still wait for the next year’s allocation. The cap does not apply to everyone — family of Red-White-Red Card holders, EU Blue Card holders, Austrian citizens and researchers are exempt. Establish which category your spouse falls into first, because it can be worth months.
The second is German before departure. The A1 certificate is needed at application, not after arrival, and language courses take longer to arrange than most people allow for.
The third is documents. Translation, apostille and legalisation sit on the critical path and routinely take longer than the applicant expects. Start them first.
Common questions
Can I work in Austria on this? Holders of the Red-White-Red Card plus have full access to the labour market and need no separate work authorisation. Other permits differ, so check what your specific card allows.
What happens if the marriage ends? A divorce or separation can invalidate the residence permit. It may survive in two situations:
- You qualify for a different type of residence permit in your own right.
- You meet specific criteria, such as length of residence in Austria and degree of integration.
What if we are engaged but not yet married? Family reunification requires an existing legal marriage. Entering Austria on a short-stay visa to marry there does not convert into this route. The first application is filed from your country of residence, and a short-stay visa is issued for a temporary visit. Marry first, then apply.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and it describes published official rules rather than any individual case.
