Red-White-Red Card for Start-Up Founders (Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte für Start-up-Gründer)

Year establishedUnknown

Unknown

Governing lawPublished

Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz (NAG – Settlement and Residence Act) and Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz (AuslBG – Act Governing Employment of Foreign Nationals)

Responsible authorityPublished

Public Employment Service Austria (AMS) gives the expert opinion; the local Niederlassungsbehörde or an Austrian embassy/consulate issues the permit

What the program providesPublished

Launch an innovative company in Austria with at least €30,000 in capital, clear the points test, and convert a two-year Red-White-Red Card into unrestricted Card Plus status

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Minimum ageUnknown

Unknown

Clean criminal record requiredUnknown

Unknown

Local health insurance requiredPublished

Yes

Nationality restrictionsPublished

No

Basic eligibilityPublished

Found and personally manage a new, innovative Austrian company with a coherent business plan, prove at least €30,000 in available capital (at least half as equity), and score at least 50 of 85 points across qualification, work-experience, language and bonus criteria

Employment statusPublished

Self-employed

Generational limitPublished

Not applicable

Family sponsorshipPublished

Yes

Spouse includedPublished

Yes

Children includedPublished

Yes

Child age limitUnknown

Unknown

ChildrenPublished

Spouse/registered partner and children apply for their own Red-White-Red Card Plus, which carries unrestricted Austrian labour-market access

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Processing timeUnknown

Unknown

Can apply without travelingPublished

No

How you applyPublished

Personal application at an Austrian embassy/consulate abroad, or with the local Immigration Authority if already legally resident in Austria

Required in-person stepPublished

Personal appearance to lodge the application at the embassy/consulate or Immigration Authority; biometrics for the residence card

Official application routePublished

https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/de/themen/menschen_aus_anderen_staaten/aufenthalt/3/2/2/Seite.120233

Minimum investmentPublished

$35,100

Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published

$35,100

Processing feeUnknown

Unknown

Application feePublished

$255

Total cost to applyPublished

$255

Monthly income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly pension income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly rental income requiredPublished

None required

Savings requiredPublished

None required

Proof of sufficient fundsPublished

Yes

Local bank deposit requiredPublished

No

Minimum local bank depositPublished

None required

Fees paidPublished

Before approval

Cost notesPublished

€218 government fee (~US$255 at ~1.17 USD/EUR, Sept 2026)

Stay required to keep statusPublished

2 days/year

Physical presence requiredPublished

Yes

In-country visit requiredUnknown

Unknown

Move-in windowUnknown

Unknown

Length of residencyPublished

24 months

Residency is lifetimePublished

No

RenewablePublished

Yes

Maximum durationUnknown

Unknown

Maximum duration is lifetimePublished

No

Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published

The residence permit lapses if you are absent from Austria for more than six months at a stretch (a renewed permit's validity then runs only from the day after the prior one expired); a return visit before six months elapse keeps status alive

Tax residency rulePublished

Residents staying more than 183 days per year will be considered tax residents

Personal income taxPublished

range between 20%-55%

Time to permanent residencyPublished

5 years

Time to citizenshipPublished

10 years

Work for a local employerPublished

No

Start a businessPublished

Yes

Remote or freelance workUnknown

Unknown

Local healthcare accessPublished

Yes

University accessUnknown

Unknown

Can buy landUnknown

Unknown

Local bankingPublished

Yes

Permanent residence timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Citizenship timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published

Capital-and-business status, not a no-presence Plan B asset — the founder must personally run the company and hold real capital. Presence figure applies the away-limit conversion (≤ 6 months absence at a stretch → 2 days/year); AMS's own expert-opinion component has a published 3-week service standard, but total embassy/immigration-authority decision time is not published, so pb_processing_weeks are left blank rather than estimated. List claim of 'min US$59,000' corresponds to the optional €50,000 bonus-points capital tier, not the required €30,000 minimum — stored min_active_investment_usd reflects the actual required minimum.

Official program websitePublished

https://www.migration.gv.at/en/types-of-immigration/permanent-immigration/start-up-founders/

Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published

https://www.migration.gv.at/en/types-of-immigration/permanent-immigration/start-up-founders/ | https://www.workinaustria.com/en/residence-employment/red-white-red-card | https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/de/themen/menschen_aus_anderen_staaten/aufenthalt/3/2/2/Seite.120233 | https://relocate.me/visas/austria/austrian-citizenship | https://www.migration.gv.at/en/living-and-working-in-austria/integration-and-citizenship/citizenship/

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.