Austrian citizenship
To become Austrian by grant (Verleihung) you usually need 10 years of lawful residence, German at level B1, a pass in the Staatsbürgerschaftstest, a clean record and secure income. You apply in person to the government of your Land.
The path to Austrian citizenship
Check your years of residence
Usually 10 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence, at least 5 of them as a settled resident (niedergelassen). 6 years can be enough, for example for spouses of Austrian citizens, EEA nationals, people born in Austria, with German at B2 or with proven sustained integration.
Show a clean record and secure income
No prison sentence for an intentional crime, no serious repeated administrative offences and a positive attitude to the Republic. Your own regular income must reach the legal reference rate (€1,308.39 a month for a single person in 2026) on average over 36 months in the six years before you apply, including the last six months.
Prove German at level B1
The usual proof is the ÖIF Integrationsprüfung B1, which also tests values; listed Austrian school, apprenticeship and university proofs in German also count. Goethe, telc and ÖSD B1 certificates are not on the official B1 lists (Vienna accepts an ÖSD Integrationsprüfung B1 only if taken between 29 May 2018 and 30 May 2021). Certificates at B2, including Goethe, telc or ÖSD, count for the 6-year route. Native German speakers need no proof.
Pass the Staatsbürgerschaftstest
18 questions on the democratic order, the history of Austria and the history of your Bundesland. You pass with 12 of 18 points, or with half the points in each area. Your Land government sets the date, usually after you apply.
Apply in person to your Land government
Apply at the citizenship office of the Land where you have your main residence. The federal fee is €163 for the application (€89 for minors); the grant costs a further €1,448 on the 10-year route or €1,126 on most 6-year routes, plus a Land fee that differs from Land to Land.
Give up your former nationality
If you hold another nationality, you usually first receive a promise of citizenship (Zusicherungsbescheid). You then have 2 years to prove that you have left your former nationality.
Take the oath
Once all conditions are met, citizenship is granted and you take a solemn oath (Gelöbnis) to the Republic of Austria.
Official sources (11)
- Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 (StbG), konsolidierte Fassung — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), checked 18 October 2026
- Nachweise über Deutschkenntnisse für die österreichische Staatsbürgerschaft — Stadt Wien — MA 35 Einwanderung und Staatsbürgerschaft, checked 18 October 2026
- Staatsbürgerschaftsprüfungs-Verordnung (StbP-V), konsolidierte Fassung — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), checked 18 October 2026
- Gebührengesetz 1957 (GebG), § 14 Tarifposten 2 und 6 — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), checked 18 October 2026
- Mein Österreich — Mein Weg zur Staatsbürgerschaft — staatsbuergerschaft.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt, Impressum), checked 18 October 2026
- Mein Österreich — Lernunterlage des Bundes — staatsbuergerschaft.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt, Impressum), checked 18 October 2026
- Mein Österreich — Online Übungstest zur Staatsbürgerschaft — staatsbuergerschaft.gv.at (Bundeskanzleramt, Impressum), checked 18 October 2026
- Staatsbürgerschaftswesen — Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI), checked 18 October 2026
- Staatsbürgerschaftstest — Stadt Wien — MA 35 Einwanderung und Staatsbürgerschaft, checked 18 October 2026
- Kosten für die Verleihung der österreichischen Staatsbürgerschaft (Salzburg) — Land Salzburg — Referat Wahlen und Staatsbürgerschaft, checked 18 October 2026
- Integrationsgesetz (IntG), konsolidierte Fassung — Bundeskanzleramt — Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), checked 18 October 2026