Austria · Business / Startup

Austria Red-White-Red · Start-up

Investment needed: €30k+ ≈ $34k

Red-White-Red Card – start-up founders

First checked against official sources on 11 Oct 2026Change log

Key facts

Red-White-Red · Start-up is a business / startup route for Austria. Applicants need an investment of €30k+ ≈ $34k. You can stay 2 yrs, renewable. Checked 2026-10-11 against the official source.

Money needed: €30k+ ≈ $34k
Government fees: €218 ≈ $240
Processing: Up to 180 days
First stay: 2 yrs

Cost, time and long term

To apply: government fee €218 ≈ $240; investment €30k+ ≈ $34k; decision: up to 180 days. No lawyer or agent fee is included.

Government fees€218 ≈ $240

EUR 218 (≈ $240)Application fee.

Invested and held€30k+ ≈ $34k

EUR 30,000 (≈ $33,500)Minimum capital of the company to be founded; founder equity share at least 50 percent.

Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of residence

Daueraufenthalt - EU after 5 years of uninterrupted settlement and Module 2 of the Integration Agreement (German and values). Red-White-Red Card, plus card and settlement permit time counts.

oesterreich.gv.at

CitizenshipAfter 10 years of residence

Citizenship needs 10 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence, at least 5 of them settled, and the general naturalisation conditions.

oesterreich.gv.at

ProcessingUp to 180 days

Authorities must decide without undue delay and no later than 6 months after receiving the application.

Federal Ministry of the Interior

Why this route may not fit

Check this before you apply.

Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports

What you'll need

Who can apply4

The applicant founds an innovative company with a consistent business plan.
At least 50 points; bonus points for EUR 50,000 (≈ $55,900) extra capital, incubator admission or funding, and age up to 35.
Personal controlling influence on management.
Founder equity share of at least 50 percent.

What you must show3

Company capital of at least EUR 30,000 (≈ $33,500).
EUR 50,000 (≈ $55,900) further capital earns bonus points.
Application fee: EUR 218 (≈ $240).

Documents1

A business plan.

When you become tax resident

How Austria decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.

Stay on this route: 2 years at first, renewable
Tax residence: Applies to individuals with unlimited tax liability (residence or habitual abode in Austria).
Foreign-source income: Persons with a residence (Wohnsitz) or habitual abode in Austria are subject to unlimited income tax liability, so their foreign-source income is taxed in Austria together with Austrian income; habitual abode arises after six months of stay, retroactively.

All tax rules for Austria Tax records checked 10 Oct 2026

Official site

Full official text

For founders of an innovative company with a consistent business plan, personal controlling influence, at least EUR 30,000 (≈ $33,500) of company capital with a founder equity share of at least 50 percent, and at least 50 points (bonus points for EUR 50,000 (≈ $55,900) extra capital, incubator admission or funding, age up to 35). ^{1 2}

What you must show and pay

An investment of at least EUR 30,000 (≈ $33,500) · Minimum capital of the company to be founded; founder equity share at least 50 percent. ¹
A fee of EUR 218 (≈ $240) · Application fee. ¹

Requirements

The applicant founds an innovative company with a consistent business plan. ^{1 2}
At least 50 points; bonus points for EUR 50,000 (≈ $55,900) extra capital, incubator admission or funding, and age up to 35. ¹
Personal controlling influence on management. ¹
Founder equity share of at least 50 percent. ¹
Company capital of at least EUR 30,000 (≈ $33,500). ¹
EUR 50,000 (≈ $55,900) further capital earns bonus points. ^{1 2}
Application fee: EUR 218 (≈ $240). ¹
A business plan. ¹

Stay

24 months; extendable.
Initial permitted stay: 24 months.
Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.

Nationality

Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.

Work

Run the start-up.

Family

Spouses and registered partners (aged 21 or over at application) and unmarried minor children under 18, including adoptive and stepchildren, can apply for a Red-White-Red Card plus.

Checked 2026-10-11

Official sources

Start-up founders (Red-White-Red Card): points criteria · Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior / BMI migration portal (migration.gv.at) · checked 2026-10-10
AuslBG Annex D: admission criteria for start-up founders (section 24(2)) · Federal Chancellery (Legal Information System RIS) · checked 2026-10-10
Aufenthaltstitel "Daueraufenthalt - EU" (requirements and counting rules) · oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal) · checked 2026-10-11
Verleihung der Staatsbuergerschaft nach zehn Jahren · oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal) · checked 2026-10-11
Other forms of settlement (settlement permit – gainful employment excluded) · Federal Ministry of the Interior (migration.gv.at) · checked 2026-10-10

Red-White-Red · Start-up and its alternatives

Route	Money needed	Stay	Work
Red-White-Red · Start-up	Needs an investment of €30k+ ≈ $34k	2 yr, renewable	–
Red-White-Red · Self-employed	Needs an investment of €100k+ ≈ $112k	2 yr, renewable	–
Startup Visa Portugal	Needs savings of €6,446+ ≈ $7,200	2 yr, renewable	–
Entrepreneur visa Spain	–	3 yr, renewable	–
Startup Visa Italy	Needs savings of €50k+ ≈ $56k	1 yr, renewable	–

Questions people ask

How much money do I need for the Red-White-Red · Start-up?

An investment of at least EUR 30,000 (≈ $33,500). Minimum capital of the company to be founded; founder equity share at least 50 percent. A fee of EUR 218 (≈ $240). Application fee.

How long can I stay on the Red-White-Red · Start-up?

24 months; extendable.

How long does the Red-White-Red · Start-up take to process?

Authorities must decide without undue delay and no later than 6 months after receiving the application.

Can I work on the Red-White-Red · Start-up?

Run the start-up.

Can I bring my family on the Red-White-Red · Start-up?

Spouses and registered partners (aged 21 or over at application) and unmarried minor children under 18, including adoptive and stepchildren, can apply for a Red-White-Red Card plus.

Who can apply for the Red-White-Red · Start-up?

Does the Red-White-Red · Start-up lead to permanent residence in Austria?

Time on the Red-White-Red · Start-up counts toward permanent residence in Austria, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Red-White-Red · Start-up counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 10 years of residence.

How are Red-White-Red · Start-up holders taxed in Austria?

No special regime in our records is tied to the Red-White-Red · Start-up. The standard rules apply: Progressive rates: 0% to EUR 13,539 (≈ $15,100); 20% to 21,992; 30% to 36,458; 40% to 70,365; 48% to 104,859; 50% to 1,000,000; 55% above (55% limited to 2016-2029).

More in Austria

Artist permit Working Holiday Financially independent permit Blue Card Red-White-Red · Key worker Red-White-Red · Shortage job Red-White-Red · Top talent Special employment permit

Business / startup visas elsewhere

🇬🇷 Business investor permit 🇩🇪 Self-employed permit 🇫🇷 Entrepreneur / freelancer 🇬🇧 Innovator Founder 🇳🇱 DAFT self-employed 🇨🇾 Startup visa

≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.

Ask the AI about this route AI

An AI assistant answers from the published records on this page and cites them. It can't assess your personal eligibility. Don't include personal details.

How this was checked

Checked on 2026-10-11 against 5 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.

Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.

Start-up founders (Red-White-Red Card): points criteria · Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior / BMI migration portal (migration.gv.at) · checked 2026-10-10
AuslBG Annex D: admission criteria for start-up founders (section 24(2)) · Federal Chancellery (Legal Information System RIS) · checked 2026-10-10
Aufenthaltstitel "Daueraufenthalt - EU" (requirements and counting rules) · oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal) · checked 2026-10-11
Verleihung der Staatsbuergerschaft nach zehn Jahren · oesterreich.gv.at (Austrian federal government portal) · checked 2026-10-11
Other forms of settlement (settlement permit – gainful employment excluded) · Federal Ministry of the Interior (migration.gv.at) · checked 2026-10-10

Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.