Visa Requirements for Austrian Citizens

Visa requirements for citizens of Austria are the rules and laws set by different countries that decide if a visa is required for Austrian nationals to travel there.

There are various different types of visa and the one that is required depends on the destination country, the length of time the Austrian citizen intends to stay, and the purpose of entering the sovereign state or territory.

There are also a number of countries that Austrian passport holders can visit without a visa. Some of these also give Austrians the right to live and work there visa-free.

According to the Henley Passport Index, the Austrian passport is currently ranked 5th in the world for travel freedom (tied with Denmark), allowing holders to visit over 185 different states and territories without applying for a visa in advance and over 115 with no visa at all.

Of the countries that require visitors from Austria to have a visa or travel authorization, around 30 have an online system that facilitates applications without having to visit an embassy.

These electronic visas (eVisas) and electronic visa waivers (also known as electronic travel authorizations or ETAs) are generally for short-term stays for tourism and, in some cases, for business and/or transit purposes.

In order to live, work, or stay long-term in most foreign countries, Austrian nationals must apply for the relevant visas and/or permits in person at an embassy. This may include a resident visa, work visa, or long-stay visa.

In addition, there are a number of states and territories that require travelers from Austria to apply for an embassy visa for any visit, regardless of length and purpose, including short-stay tourist visas.

Visas on arrival are available to Austrian passport holders for certain destinations. These can be obtained at immigration control when entering a country. However, there are frequently long lines to apply and this can lead to the traveler waiting for a long time at the border.

If it is possible to apply for an eVisa beforehand, this is highly recommended to avoid unnecessary waiting.

List of Visa Countries for Austrian Passport Holders

Austrian passport holders require a visa or travel authorization of one type or another in order to visit over 120 different sovereign states and territories around the world.

Depending on the destination, visas for Austrian travelers can be valid for a single entry or multiple entries.

Some cover multiple purposes, such as visit visas for tourism, business, and transit, while other countries have separate tourist visas, business visas, and transit visas.

Electronic visas (eVisas) and electronic travel authorizations (ETAs) are available to Austrian travelers for roughly 30 different destinations. Applicants must complete a simple online application form to obtain an eVisa or ETA.

Visas for around 75 countries are only available to Austrian visitors from overseas diplomatic missions (embassies and consulates) and must be applied for in person.

Long-term visas, residence permits, and work visas for the majority of countries are only available from embassies.

Austrian nationals can obtain a visa on arrival for around 20 different countries by waiting in line and completing an application at border control.

Consult the map below to see all the different countries for which citizens of Austria require a visa or travel authorization in order to visit.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

There are 2 types of online systems that Austrian nationals can use to obtain permission to enter a foreign country: an electronic visa (eVisa) or an electronic travel authorization (ETA), the latter being a digital visa waiver.

ETAs and eVisas for Austrian citizens are designed to streamline the visa application process, eliminating the need to go to an embassy in person. The online forms can be easily completed from the applicant’s home or office.

Travelers from Austria must submit some basic personal information, passport details, and a current email address to receive the approved eVisa or ETA.

Once granted, an eVisa or ETA is electronically linked to the passport that the Austrian national registered in the application form. If this passport is lost, stolen, damaged, or otherwise rendered invalid before the journey, the traveler must reapply using their new passport.

In most cases, an eVisa or ETA for citizens of Austria permits visits for the purpose of tourism, and for many countries, it also allows business trips and transit.

Most eVisas and ETAs have a maximum length of time that Austrian visitors can stay in the destination country. This can vary between 14 days and 3 months.

Find out which countries have an eVisa or ETA system available for Austrian passport holders by checking the list below.

Visa On Arrival

A visa on arrival for Austrian citizens is a type of visa that is acquired at border control when arriving in a foreign country or territory.

Visas on arrival may be available at certain airports, seaports, and land border crossing checkpoints.

There are often long lines to apply for a visa on arrival, so Austrian travelers must be prepared to spend some time waiting at the international border to enter the country.

In some cases, the visa fee must be paid in the local currency. Payment by card is not always possible, so travelers are advised to bring cash.

Visas on arrival grant entry to a state or territory for leisure and tourism purposes and, in some cases, can be obtained by business visitors or by travelers transiting through the country.

Depending on the destination, a visa on arrival may permit a single entry or multiple entries.

The maximum period of time that a visitor from Austria can stay in a foreign country with a visa on arrival varies from 7 days to 3 months, depending on the state or territory.

Austrian nationals can apply for and obtain a visa on arrival for around 20 countries.

Consult the list below for all the different states and territories that have a visa on arrival for Austrian visitors.

Bangladesh
Burkina Faso
Comoros
Gabon
Guinea-Bissau
Lebanon
Mauritania
Mozambique
Pakistan
Somalia
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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Embassy Visa Required

An embassy visa for Austrian passport holders is a type of visa that is obtained from an overseas diplomatic mission (embassy or consulate) belonging to the destination country.

Embassy or consular visas must be applied for in good time before the intended journey, as applications often take several weeks to process.

Austrian nationals must submit an embassy visa application in person. In some cases, an appointment must be made beforehand. A completed form must be submitted, along with supporting documents, such as a valid passport. The exact requirements depend on the country and the kind of visa applied for.

There are different types of embassy visas. Residence visas or permits, work visas, and long-stay visas for citizens of Austria are generally only obtainable from an embassy or consulate.

There are also around 75 countries for which Austrian nationals must apply for tourist visas or short-stay visas at an embassy in order to visit the destination.

Find below a list of all the destinations that require visitors from Austria to apply for a visa, regardless of the length of time they intend to spend there and the purpose of the visit.

Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Algeria
American Samoa
Anguilla
Antarctica
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bonaire
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Burundi
Cameroon
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Congo
Cook Islands
Cuba
Curacao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guernsey
Iraq
Isle of Man
Jersey
Liberia
Libya
Mali
Martinique
Mayotte
Montserrat
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niger
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Pitcairn Islands
Reunion
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Seychelles
Sint Maarten
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Syrian Arab Republic
Tokelau
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen

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Visa Not Required

There are over 115 countries that Austrian passport holders can visit without any form of visa or travel authorization.

For many of these destinations, citizens of Austria enjoy visa exemption for visits of purposes such as tourism, leisure, and, in some cases, business and transit.

There is also usually a maximum period for which Austrian visitors can stay in the state or territory, which varies from 14 days to one (1) year.

If an Austrian national wishes to remain in most visa-exempt countries for longer than this maximum length of time or if the purpose of entering the destination is to live and/or work in the state or territory, they must apply for the relevant visa and/or permits at an embassy.

The exceptions to this are countries within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). As a member of the EU and Schengen Area, Austria has a shared policy of freedom of movement.

This means that Austrian passport holders are exempt from visa requirements to travel to, live in, and work in any of these European countries.

Find the complete list of countries that nationals of Austria may visit without a visa below.