US embassy services in Austria: passports, voting and STEP

Living in Austria does not end your paperwork with the United States. Passports expire, children are born, and US banks and courts still want notarized signatures. The US Embassy in Vienna handles these through its Consular Section, and its pages are specific about what it will and will not do. This guide covers the services Americans in Austria use most, in the embassy's own terms.

How to contact the Consular Section

For serious consular emergencies only, US citizens call +43 1 31339 0, press 7 and ask for American Citizen Services (ACS). If that number is ever unavailable, the embassy says to call the US Embassy in Berlin at +49 308-3050 to reach ACS in Austria.

For everything else, email [email protected]. The embassy also runs an online Navigator for American Citizen Services and says the ACS unit cannot reply to messages that do not go through it. Start there for routine questions.

Passports

### Renewing by mail

Adults can often renew without visiting. You qualify for renewal by mail if all of these are true:

• your current passport is a 10-year passport issued within the past 15 years;
• it has not been lost, stolen, damaged or mutilated;
• it was not limited in validity;
• your name is unchanged, or you can submit an original marriage certificate or court order for the change.

If you do not meet all of them, you must book an appointment and apply in person.

The mail package contains:

1. Form DS-82, completed on all pages, signed and dated, with a valid email address. Some fields require US addresses or phone numbers; leave them blank and fill them in by pen after printing.
2. Your most recent passport, and your most recent passport card if you ever had one. Old passports are cancelled and returned.
3. One photo, 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm), plain white background, no glasses, not older than six months. The embassy warns that standard European passport photos are too small.
4. The fee, paid in advance on Pay.gov, which accepts credit cards, US bank transfers, PayPal and Amazon Pay. Print the emailed payment confirmation and include it.
5. A self-addressed return envelope, A5 or similar and large enough for two passports, with 6.60 euros in Austrian stamps. The embassy uses Austrian Post and mails only to addresses within Austria.
6. If your name changed, the original or certified copy of the legal document plus one photocopy. The original is returned.

If you never had a US Social Security number, there is an extra form to submit with your application.

Average processing is four to five weeks from receipt. If you travel within four weeks, the embassy recommends applying in person instead.

### Applying in person

Appointments are required. The embassy recommends printing completed forms in advance. Bring your original passport and one photocopy of the data page. There are two photo booths at the consulate for US-size photos.

You can pay online in advance and bring the confirmation, or pay by credit card at the consulate. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Diners Club are accepted. The embassy does not accept ATM, debit or European Bankomat cards, or checks.

Most in-person cases take four to five weeks on average. Expedited service is not available outside the United States, so ignore that option on the payment form.

### Children's passports

For a child under 16, the child and both parents must appear in person. If one parent cannot come, the embassy has additional instructions. Teens aged 16 or 17 must show that a parent is aware of the application. Bring original documents and one photocopy each, including a birth certificate.

The embassy's tip for families: if your child has never had a US passport, consider applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad first.

### Lost passports and emergencies

If your passport was lost, stolen or expired and you have immediate travel plans, the embassy may issue a temporary emergency passport. It can take from one to several days, depending on the case and the documents available. For a lost or stolen passport, bring any other evidence of US citizenship and a copy of the lost passport, if available.

Dual nationals

The embassy reminds dual nationals of a rule many forget. Under Section 215 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a US citizen must enter and leave the United States on a US passport. On return to the EU, a dual national must enter with their EU passport; entering the EU as an EU citizen on a US passport is not allowed. If you later become Austrian, carry both.

Consular Report of Birth Abroad

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is the formal document certifying that a child born abroad to at least one US citizen parent acquired US citizenship at birth. You gather the documents and submit them online. The application must be filed before the child's 18th birthday. Note that the embassy treats the CRBA as a citizenship document, not a birth certificate, so the Austrian birth certificate still matters.

Notarial services

Notarial services are available to all nationalities, by appointment only. Book one appointment even if you have several documents. Typical uses:

• Acknowledgments of signatures on documents for use in the United States, such as deeds, powers of attorney and bills of sale.
• Affidavits, sworn written statements, such as a marriage affidavit (Ledigkeitsbescheinigung) or an affidavit concerning a lost passport.

Bring the complete, unsigned document, including pages that need no signature, and valid government photo ID in the same name. Consular staff cannot explain the document to you and cannot act as witnesses, so bring your own if needed.

Form DS-3053, the statement of consent for a child's passport, is notarized free of charge.

### What the embassy cannot do

• It cannot authenticate US state documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce decrees or university degrees.
• It cannot provide a Medallion Signature Guarantee.
• It cannot issue an Apostille.

Both the United States and Austria belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. A US public document gets its Apostille from the competent authority in the state where it was issued, typically the Secretary of State. Because both countries are members, the Apostille route is mandatory, and the old consular legalization is ruled out.

For Austrian notaries, the embassy points to the online list of the Austrian Chamber of Notaries.

Lawyers

The embassy keeps a list of attorneys in Austria without endorsing them. It notes that Austrian attorneys are prohibited from taking cases on a contingency basis, so expect to agree fees in advance or follow the official fee guide.

Visiting the consulate

• Mobile phones, tablets and laptops are not allowed inside.
• Do not bring large bags, suitcases, backpacks or packages.
• Baby food and essential medicines in plastic containers, not glass, should be shown to the guards.
• You may bring a lawyer, interpreter or family member, who goes through the same screening.
• The waiting room and restroom are wheelchair-accessible. Request accommodations when you book.

The section also holds occasional outreach days in other cities, such as Graz, for in-person passport and CRBA applications; these are announced on the embassy site.

Voting from Austria

Americans abroad vote absentee in the state of their voting residence. The embassy and the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) describe the steps:

1. Send a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to your local election office. It registers you and requests your ballot in one step. You must complete a new FPCA after January 1 of each year to receive ballots for that year's elections. You can fill it out online at FVAP.gov, which tells you whether your state accepts it electronically. For a general election, FVAP suggests sending it by August 1.
2. Receive your ballot. States must send ballots at least 45 days before a regular federal election, and generally at least 30 days before primaries.
3. Return it. Some states allow electronic return. If yours requires paper, you can drop off your FPCA or ballot at the Consular Section at Parkring 12A, 1010 Vienna (Marriott Hotel building, 4th floor), Monday to Friday 8:00 to 16:00, except US and Austrian holidays. It must be in a US postage-paid envelope, or one with enough US domestic postage, addressed to your election office. Allow at least four weeks for delivery.
4. Use the backup if needed. If your ballot does not arrive in time, use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). If the official ballot then arrives, send it too; only one is counted.

Receiving US mail

Many embassy and bank processes still assume a US mailing address. A virtual mailbox such as iPostal1 can receive and scan US letters while you live in Austria. Remember that the embassy itself returns passports only to Austrian addresses.

Enroll in STEP

The embassy encourages US citizens to join the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to get safety and security alerts and local updates.

Common questions

Can I renew my US passport by mail in Austria? Yes, if your current 10-year passport was issued within 15 years and is undamaged. Send DS-82, the passport, a photo, the Pay.gov receipt and an A5 envelope with 6.60 euros in stamps.

Does the US Embassy in Vienna accept debit cards? No. It accepts major credit cards but not ATM, debit or Bankomat cards, or checks.

Can the embassy apostille my US birth certificate? No. Apostilles for US state documents come from the issuing state, usually its Secretary of State.

Can I drop off my absentee ballot at the embassy in Vienna? Yes. Bring it in a US postage-paid envelope to the Consular Section at Parkring 12A, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 16:00, and allow at least four weeks for delivery.

When must I register my child's birth? The CRBA application must be submitted before the child's 18th birthday.