Republic of Austria vs Principality of Liechtenstein
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Republic of Austria and Principality of Liechtenstein government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- migration.gv.at — Official immigration portal
Federal Ministry of the Interior (Austria) - verified
- Migration and Passport Office
Migration and Passport Office (Liechtenstein) - verified
- migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration: Red-White-Red Card
Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) - verified
- Migration and Passport Office - Issue of residence permit (B) for employment
Migration and Passport Office (Auslander- und Passamt), Liechtenstein - verified
Republic of Austria
Austria issues residence permits through the MA 35 (Vienna) and Bezirkshauptmannschaften (other regions). The headline route is the Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte), a points-based work permit for skilled workers, key workers, graduates of Austrian universities, self-employed, and startup founders. The EU Blue Card (Austria) is also available. Settlement after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
- Official portal
- Federal Ministry of the Interior (Austria)
- Languages
- German
- Currency
- Euro
Principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein - an EEA member (not EU) in a customs and currency union with Switzerland - rations residence tightly. Residence Permit B is allocated half by a twice-yearly lottery and half by direct government grant under a small annual quota, and third-country nationals are excluded from the lottery. Many people instead work as cross-border commuters from Austria or Switzerland. A settlement permit follows five years of residence, and naturalisation requires a municipal popular vote.
- Official portal
- Migration and Passport Office (Liechtenstein)
- Languages
- German
- Currency
- Swiss franc
How Republic of Austria and Principality of Liechtenstein differ
| Dimension | Republic of Austria | Principality of Liechtenstein |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 5 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 2 | 2 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 4 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Red-White-Red Card for 24 months -> Red-White-Red Card plus after 21 qualifying months -> citizenship usually from 10 years residence. | — |
| Dominant skilled visa | Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) | Residence Permit B for Gainful Employment (Liechtenstein) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | No fixed published floor | — |
| Skilled visa processing time | Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. | — |
| Skilled visa government fees | Austria publishes a EUR 218 application fee for the Red-White-Red Card, with the same fee shown for Red-White-Red Card plus/family applications. | — |
| Official languages | German | German |
| Currency | Euro | Swiss franc |
| Primary regulator | ÖRAK | LIRAK |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Republic of Austria
Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- Austria publishes a EUR 218 application fee for the Red-White-Red Card, with the same fee shown for Red-White-Red Card plus/family applications.
- Processing time
- Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Principality of Liechtenstein
Residence Permit B for Gainful Employment (Liechtenstein)
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Republic of Austria
Routes unique to Principality of Liechtenstein
Visa routes side by side
Republic of Austria (5)
Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 24 months; then RWR Card Plus after at least 21 months of qualifying employment during the preceding 24 months.
EU Blue Card (Austria)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years; renewable.
Student Residence Permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung Studierender)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Normally 12 months; renewable while the requirements and required study progress continue to be met.
Family Reunification (Familiennachzug)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 year initially; renewable. Spouses get RWR Card Plus (3 years).
Red-White-Red Card — Startup Founder
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years; then RWR Card Plus progression.
Principality of Liechtenstein (5)
Residence Permit B for Gainful Employment (Liechtenstein)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for an initial period and renewable while you keep qualifying; the annual quota is very small - confirm current validity on the official page.
Residence Permit B without Gainful Employment (Liechtenstein)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for an initial period and renewable while you keep qualifying; the annual quota is very small - confirm current validity on the official page.
Cross-Border Commuter Permit / Grenzganger (Liechtenstein)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · For EEA nationals, commonly valid for the term of the contract up to a set maximum and renewable; third-country commuters have stricter conditions - confirm current validity on the official page.
Settlement Permit C (Liechtenstein)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Longer-term settlement status with fewer conditions than Permit B, subject to continued residence - confirm current rules on the official page.
Family Reunification (Liechtenstein)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Generally aligned to the sponsor's permit and renewable - confirm current validity on the official page.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Austria or Principality of Liechtenstein?+
Republic of Austria’s Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Principality of Liechtenstein’s Residence Permit B for Gainful Employment (Liechtenstein) is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Republic of Austria vs Principality of Liechtenstein immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/austria/vs/liechtenstein. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons