Austria Red-White-Red Card: points for skilled workers

If you are an American with a job offer from an Austrian company, the Red-White-Red Card is the permit you will most likely use. It combines residence and work authorisation in one card, it is valid for 24 months, and after that it leads to the Red-White-Red Card plus with open access to the labour market.

The card is points-based, and there are several categories with different thresholds. This guide works through the categories that matter for Americans, the 2026 figures published by the federal migration portal, and the rules that trip people up after the card is issued.

The categories

• Other key workers: the general category for people with a job offer. 55 points, a minimum salary and a labour market test.
• Skilled workers in shortage occupations: for people trained in an occupation on the annual shortage list. 55 points.
• Very highly qualified workers: 70 points. The only category where you can come to Austria to look for a job first.
• Start-up founders: 50 points, an innovative business plan and capital.
• Self-employed key workers: no points; a macroeconomic benefit test instead.

The EU Blue Card sits alongside these as a separate permit for degree holders with a high salary.

Other key workers: the 2026 numbers

The employer must pay at least the statutory minimum gross monthly salary, which the portal lists as €3,465 for 2026, plus special payments. The Public Employment Service (AMS) runs a labour market test: the card is only issued if no equally qualified person registered as a job seeker can be placed in the job.

You need at least 55 points. The points table rewards:

• Qualification, up to 30 points, for example a completed programme of studies of at least three years.
• Work experience, up to 20 points.
• Language skills, up to 25 points. German at A1, A2 and B1 counts, and so does English at A2 or B1. There are additional points for English if English is the main language of the company.
• Age, up to 15 points, with the most for applicants under 30 and fewer for those under 40.

Language certificates should not be older than five years. The portal names ÖSD, the Goethe-Institut, telc and the Austrian Integration Fund among the institutions issuing recognised German certificates.

The application fee is €218.

Skilled workers in shortage occupations

This category uses the same 55-point threshold, but the qualification points come from completed vocational training in the shortage occupation rather than a degree, and the age bands are wider, with points available for applicants under 50. The shortage list is set each year by regulation. Check the current list before applying, because occupations move on and off it.

Very highly qualified workers

You need at least 70 points. Points come from higher education (four-year degree), senior management salary in the previous year, work experience, languages (German or English) and age, with points for applicants under 35, 40 and 45.

What makes this category unusual is the job seeker visa. If you have the points but no job, you can apply at an Austrian consulate for a visa valid for six months to look for work in Austria. If you find a job that matches your qualifications in that time, you apply for the Red-White-Red Card from inside Austria.

The EU Blue Card

The Blue Card requires a degree of at least three years and a job offer with a gross annual salary of at least €55,678 in 2026, including special payments. There is no points test, but a labour market test applies. It is also valid for 24 months and the application fee is €218.

Applying as an American

US citizens can enter Austria without a visa, which gives two options:

1. Apply at the Austrian consulate responsible for your place of residence in the US.
2. Have the employer file in Austria, or file in person yourself after a lawful entry. The migration portal states that if you file in person in Austria, you may remain until the decision even after your visa-free period ends.

The AMS gives its opinion on the points and the labour market test, and the residence authority decides. Once approved, applicants abroad receive a category D visa to travel in and collect the card.

Expect to supply:

• your passport and a photo of 45 x 35 mm;
• your degree or training certificates;
• proof of work experience;
• language certificates;
• the employer's declaration (Arbeitgebererklärung) on the official form;
• a criminal record certificate, which the portal recommends be no older than three months.

Documents must be in German or English, or translated.

The 24 months: one employer

The card ties you to the employer named in the application. If you want to change employers during the first 24 months, you must apply for a new card, and the new job can start only after a waiting period of 45 days. This rule surprises people who assume a work permit is portable. Budget for it if you might switch jobs.

Red-White-Red Card plus

If you have worked for at least 21 months within the 24 months under the conditions of your card, you can apply for the Red-White-Red Card plus. It gives unrestricted access to the labour market, so you can change employers freely or become self-employed. It is initially valid for one year. After two years of lawful settlement and completion of Module 1 of the Integration Agreement, you can receive a Red-White-Red Card plus valid for three years.

For Integration Agreement purposes the Red-White-Red Card itself counts as having fulfilled Module 1 (German A2).

Your family

Spouses and registered partners must be at least 21 at the time of application, and children under 18. Family members of Red-White-Red Card and Blue Card holders receive a Red-White-Red Card plus, which lets them work.

US obligations do not stop

Your Austrian salary is taxed in Austria. On your US return you will usually claim the foreign earned income exclusion or foreign tax credits. The US and Austria have a totalization agreement in force since 1991, so you pay social security in one country, not both. If you are sent by a US employer on assignment of five years or less, you may remain in US Social Security with a certificate of coverage. A locally hired worker pays into the Austrian system.

Common questions

Can I look for a job in Austria first and apply later? As a US citizen you can look for work during a visa-free stay, and Red-White-Red Card applications can be filed in Austria after a lawful entry. Very highly qualified applicants can also request a six-month job seeker visa.

Does English count for points? Yes. English at A2 or B1 earns language points in the key worker and shortage occupation categories, with extra points when English is the main language of the company.

What happens if I quit my job during the first two years? You need a new Red-White-Red Card for the new employer, and you can only start the new job after a 45-day waiting period.

What is the minimum salary for a key worker in 2026? The migration portal lists €3,465 gross per month plus special payments for other key workers in 2026. The EU Blue Card requires at least €55,678 gross per year.