Permanent Residency in Austria
The routes to a long-term, renewable status
After five years of continuous lawful settlement a non-EU national can apply for the long-term residence permit, known as Daueraufenthalt-EU. The two conditions that carry weight are the second stage of the integration agreement, which requires German at B1, and continuing proof of income, accommodation and insurance. Quotas govern entry into several settlement categories, not the step up to permanent residence.
| Qualifying period | Five years of continuous settlement source |
| Language | German at B1 under module 2 of the integration agreement |
| Also required | Income above the reference rates, accommodation, health insurance |
| Card validity | Issued for five years and renewed; the status itself is open-ended |
| Quota-limited entry route | Settlement permit without gainful employment, capped annually |
The integration agreement
The integration agreement runs in two modules. Module 1 requires German at A2 together with knowledge of the fundamental values of the legal and social order, and must generally be completed within two years of receiving the first permit. Failure to do so can affect renewal.
Module 2 requires German at B1 and is the gateway to long-term residence and, in a different form, to citizenship. Certificates must come from institutions recognised for this purpose, and a general language certificate is not automatically accepted.
The settlement permit without gainful employment
Austria does have a route for people living on passive income — pensions, investments, rental income — through the settlement permit without gainful employment. It is not a soft option. The permit is among the most heavily quota-limited categories in the annual ordinance, with only a small number of places nationwide, and demand routinely exceeds them.
Applicants must show income clearly above the reference rates from sources that do not involve working in Austria, comprehensive insurance, and accommodation, and must in addition provide German at A1 with the application. Holding this permit does not permit employment or self-employment in Austria at all.
How quotas actually behave
- The federal government issues a settlement ordinance each year fixing the number of permits per category and per province.
- Places in the most sought-after categories are commonly taken early in the year, after which applications wait rather than being decided.
- An application that is complete and meets every substantive condition can still remain undecided purely because the annual number is exhausted.
- Employment-based routes such as the Red-White-Red Card and the EU Blue Card sit outside the quota, which is why they are the dominant paths in practice.
What long-term residence provides
- An open-ended right to live in Austria with free access to the labour market.
- Equal treatment with Austrian nationals in defined areas including employment, education and social security.
- The possibility of moving to another EU member state under the long-term residents directive, subject to that state's own conditions.
- Not: a passport, the vote in national elections, or protection against loss of status through extended absence from the EU.
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Official sources
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.