Entry and Residence Regulations
EU/EEA and Switzerland
Citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland do not need a visa to enter Austria, but do need a valid personal identification document (passport, identification card).
Here you can find important information about the administrative to-dos after the arrival.
Non-EU/EEA nationals
Please contact us for individual information regarding the entry requirements for students from non-EU/EEA countries. Below, you can find information for study purposes of 6+ months:
Visa or residence title?
A definition
Visa are issued by the Austrian representative authority in the country of residence (e.g. Austrian embassy). A visa cannot be extended in Austria! Visa are usually issued for max. 6 months.
Residence titles are required for longer stays in Austria (6+ months). There are various types, however, the most relevant ones for researching, teaching and studying at the University of Graz are:
- residence permit "student",
- settlement permit "researcher" and "special cases of gainful employment", as well as the
- Red-White-Red Card.
Those titles are issued and extended by the domestic authority (Ministry of the Interior). The Austrian representative authority (e.g. Austrian embassy) accepts residence title applications and forwards them to the domestic authority in charge.
Please contact us if you have further questions!
Non-EU/EEA nationals who come to Austria for study-purposes, have to hold a residence permit "students" to stay and study in Austria longer than 6 months. The permit is usually issued for 12 months. Please gather information about the requirements as soon as possible at the Austrian representative authority in your country of residence. You should apply for the permit at least 3 months before your desired arrival date to ensure a smooth start of studies!
The Welcome Center forwards individual information about the application requirements in Graz upon request.
Further general information:
Some non-EU/EEA nationals are exempt from the visa requirements and can therefore enter Austria without a visa. Students should apply for the residence permit "student" immediately after their arrival in Graz, if they lawfully entered Austria as tourist. The application has to be submitted at the domestic authority of your main residence in Austria. Please note that the residence permit must also be collected within the visa-free stay (usually 90 days). Please note the entry information for study programmes with/without entrance examinations.
If you need a visa to enter Austria, you need a conditional notification of admission (bedingter Zulassungsbescheid), issued by the Academic Affairs of the University of Graz, to apply for the residence permit "student". To receive the conditional admission notification, you have to apply as international student at the Academic Affairs and fulfill all requirements for the admission, so that only the entrance exam result is missing.
The application for the residence permit "student" has to be handed in personally at the Austrian representation in your country of residence. You have to await the decision abroad, which is why you should apply at least 3 months before your desired entry date. Once your application has been approved, you can receive a visa D to enter Austria, which is usually valid for 4 months. If you passed the entrance exam, you can receive an (unconditional) notification of admission (Zulassungsbescheid) to apply for the residence permit "student" in Austria at the domestic authority. Please note that you need to hand in other documents as well. The residence permit has to be collected within the validity of your visa!
Further information:
If you need a visa to enter Austria, you have to apply for the residence permit "student" at the Austrian representation in your country of residence. You need to await the decision abroad. We suggest that you apply at least 3 months before your desired arrival to ensure a smooth start.
The Austrian representation accepts your application and forwards it to the domestic authority (Ministry of the Interior) for further processing. If you plan to live in Graz, your documents will be processed by the authority in Graz (Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Abteilung 3).
If you can enter Austria visa-free, you can submit your application directly in Austria at the domestic authority. We suggest that you submit your application immediately after arrival to ensure a lawful stay in Austria. You need to apply for and collect your residence permit during your visa-free stay (usually 90 days!).
If you have further questions about documents, do not hesitate to contact the Welcome Center.
Further information: