How to get Austrian citizenship.

An Austrian passport is considered to be one of the most prestigious in the world. It provides visa-free entry to more than 170 countries.

But if your parents are not Austrian citizens, and you are not going to "act as an investor" who has made a significant contribution to the country's economy, then becoming a happy holder of an Austrian passport is very difficult. Here is a list of basic conditions that are mandatory for all applicants for Austrian citizenship:

• positive attitude towards the country, lack of intentions to violate public order and security, lack of ties with terrorist organizations;
• lack of a criminal record in Austria or any other country, as well as lack of serious administrative violations;
• absence of visa violations & stay restrictions related to non-compliance with the visa regime in Austria or other EU countries;
• availability of sufficient funds for living, at least during the last 6 months preceding the application for naturalization;
• availability of documents confirming knowledge of the German language at a level not lower than B1;
• the availability of documents confirming the successful passing of the exam on the basics of democracy, the federal structure of Austria, the history of the country, etc.

It should be added that Austria does not recognize dual citizenship and one of the conditions for naturalization is the rejection of your “citizenship”.

So, a very vague picture is emerging, which in no way tunes into an optimistic mood. To finally determine if there is a chance to become an Austrian citizen, a couple of very specific questions should be answered:

So how could you get Austrian citizenship in practice? In what terms and for what minimum investment can this problem be solved?

Let's try to understand it, based on our experience. In accordance with the law, an application for citizenship of Austria can be submitted after six years of continuous stay in the country.

In this case, documents confirming that the applicant speaks German at B2 level and the obligation to renounce existing citizenship after receiving Austrian citizenship must be provided.

In practice, the above conditions are necessary, but not sufficient. Get ready that you will additionally have to prove (demonstrate):

• availability of housing in Austria and registration at this address,
• the fact of staying in the country for at least 183 days a year (over the past few years),
• the presence of income "with a margin" to cover your current living expenses,
• tax returns in Austria (as documentary evidence of understanding and fulfillment of your civic obligations),
• health insurance (public or private).

If all of the above attributes are “present” with the applicant, then the chance to get Austrian citizenship is extremely high. Otherwise, it is better not to waste time, since miracles on this path simply do not happen.

Very carefully should approach the issue of income of the applicant. If the income item is only single, for example, wages (as in employment), then questions to the applicant do not arise. If there are several income items, and the applicant used the system of benefits, then one should expect verification of the correctness of calculations in preparing the tax return.

It should be noted that if the applicant is a businessman, for example, the majority shareholder of an Austrian company, then it is possible to verify the activities of this company. If the applicant has assets outside of Austria, then questions about paying taxes on income abroad are possible ...

Which is fundamentally important. Failure to pay taxes, fines, even untimely repayment of a bank loan (including disruption of the payment schedule) may affect the decision to naturalize.

So, the minimum period for obtaining citizenship is approximately seven years from the moment of obtaining a residence permit in Austria. As for the costs, they are completely determined by the program, on the basis of which the status of residence permit & permanent residence was acquired.

It remains only to find out whether in all cases it is necessary to renounce existing citizenship? The answer sounds very encouraging, no, not always. Exceptions are possible. If the applicant can urge authorities that the renunciation of existing citizenship is associated with significant financial & material losses, then there is a chance that the issue of dual citizenship will be resolved positively.