Area: 83,879 km²
Residents: 8,822,267 (January 1, 2018)
Population density: 105 E / km²
Form of Government: Federal Republic of
Government: semi-presidential representative democracy
Neighboring countries: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein
Capital: Vienna National
language: German
Official regional languages: Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian
Religions:
74.1% Roman Catholic,
4.6% Protestant,
4.3% Muslim,
2.2% Orthodox,
0.25% Jehovah’s Witnesses,
0.2% Old Catholic
Currency: Euro
Telephone area code: +43
Time zone: UTC + 1 CET
UTC + 2 CEST (March-October)
In 2020, 10,743 Germans officially emigrated to Austria and 6,334 came back to their homeland. Austria is the most popular country among German emigrants within the EU. Reasons for emigration include a better paid job, studies, family, proximity to home and the desire to gain new experience.
Within the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, 107,875 Germans emigrated to Austria and 67,045 moved back to Germany. This landed this wooded country on the remarkable 5th place on the satisfaction list of all emigration destinations. In 2020 there were officially 199,993 Germans living in Austria.
According to allcitycodes, a total of 8.8 million people live in Austria, of which around 1.3 million are foreigners. That makes up about 15% of the total population. The strongest growth from abroad, besides Germany, comes from Afghanistan, Romania, Syria, Serbia, Hungary, Turkey, Croatia and Switzerland. The most densely populated federal state is the capital Vienna, where most of the immigrants settle, followed by Salzburg and the areas of Vorarlberg, Upper Austria and Tyrol.
Not only the nationalities are diverse, but also the around 250 different Languages spoken in Austria. German is the national language defined in the Federal Constitution. However, Austrian German (dialect) differs greatly from standard German from Germany in terms of pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. The Austrian dictionary is binding for the authorities as well as for school lessons.
In addition to German, Hungarian, Slovenian and Croatian are also official languages in some municipalities and are sometimes also taught in schools in Burgenland, Carinthia and Styria. Other recognized minority languages are Romani, Slovak, Slovenian, Czech and the Austrian sign language.
In Austria there is a central European transitional climate. Spring, summer, autumn or winter – you want to spend as much time as possible in the fresh air. There are more than enough ways to do this. Freshly spring lakes and rivers, picturesque mountain landscapes, valleys or forests invite you to enjoy and experience and let everyday stress fall into oblivion.
About 60 percent of the country is mountainous with a large proportion of the Eastern Alps. A winter vacation is still worthwhile here. Extensive plains lie in the east along the Danube. 43 percent of the total area of the country is forested. Popular travel destinations are the Wachau World Heritage Site, the Hohe Tauern National Park, the Achensee as the largest mountain lake in Tyrol and the Alpbachtal with many sports and hiking opportunities.
General travel regulations (up to the corona pandemic)
EU citizens, EEA citizens and citizens from Switzerland can stay in Austria for up to 3 months without a visa. A valid identity card or passport must be presented upon entry (at the airport). Children also need a valid ID to enter the country.
Third-country nationals (people who are neither EU citizens, EEA citizens nor from Switzerland) require a visa to enter the country. This can be applied for at the Austrian representative authority at the applicant’s place of residence.
Immigration, permanent residence, residence permit
In principle, all persons who take up accommodation in Austria (EU citizens, nationals and third-country nationals) are required to register. The competent registration authority must be informed by means of a registration and deregistration certificate both at the time of admission and when giving up the accommodation. The following information applies to EU citizens as well as to people from Switzerland.
If the stay exceeds 3 months, an application for a registration certificate must be submitted to the competent registration authority within 4 months of entering the country. Requirements for a stay of more than 3 months are:
- Self-employed or dependent employment in Germany or
- proof of sufficient means of subsistence for you or your family members, as well as extensive health insurance cover or
- Completion of training at a school or other educational institution and proof of sufficient means of subsistence and health insurance cover.
After 5 years of uninterrupted residence, an application for a certificate of permanent residence can be submitted. There is also the option of having a photo ID issued for EEA citizens. This photo ID is also used as an identity document. The certificate of permanent residence must be applied for in person from the competent settlement authority. The following documents are required for this:
- Application form (completed and signed)
- valid identity card or passport
- Proof of work (e.g. employment contract, extract from the trade register, tax number) or
- Proof of sufficient means of subsistence and health insurance cover (e.g. bank statement, pension receipt) or
- Proof of admission to a school or other educational institution as well as sufficient means of subsistence and health insurance cover
