Republic of Austria vs Montenegro
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 Montenegro 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
- Government of Montenegro - Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Montenegro) - verified
- migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration: Red-White-Red Card
Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) - verified
- PSC Montenegro - Temporary residence and work (work permit)
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Montenegro) - 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
Montenegro
Montenegro - an EU candidate, not yet a member - administers residence through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with a dedicated government digital-nomad programme. Headline routes include the single residence-and-work permit, the digital-nomad residence (legislated to run until the end of 2026), business and real-estate residence, and permanent residence after five years.
- Official portal
- Ministry of Internal Affairs (Montenegro)
- Languages
- Montenegrin
- Currency
- Euro
How Republic of Austria and Montenegro differ
| Dimension | Republic of Austria | Montenegro |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 2 | 4 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 5 |
| 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) | Temporary Residence and Work Permit |
| 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 | Montenegrin |
| Currency | Euro | Euro |
| Primary regulator | ÖRAK | Advokatska komora |
| 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
Montenegro
Temporary Residence and Work Permit
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Republic of Austria
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.
Montenegro (7)
Temporary Residence and Work Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for up to one year at a time and renewable while you keep the qualifying job - confirm current validity on the official page.
Digital Nomad Temporary Residence (Montenegro)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Issued for up to two years and extendable for up to two more, within the life of the programme - confirm current validity on the official page.
Residence for Company Founders and the Self-Employed (Montenegro)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for up to one year at a time and renewable while the business stays active - confirm current validity on the official page.
Residence by Property Ownership (Montenegro)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Commonly issued for up to one year at a time and renewable while you own the qualifying property - confirm current validity on the official page.
Temporary Residence for Study (Montenegro)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Tied to your course and renewable while you remain enrolled - confirm current validity on the official page.
Temporary Residence for Family Reunification (Montenegro)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Generally aligned to the sponsor's permit and renewable - confirm current validity on the official page.
Permanent Residence (Montenegro)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Longer-term status, subject to conditions on continued residence - confirm current rules on the official page.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Austria or Montenegro?+
Republic of Austria’s Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Montenegro’s Temporary Residence and Work Permit is the dominant skilled route. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Republic of Austria or Montenegro have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Montenegro has more: 4 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 2 for Republic of Austria. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
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 Montenegro immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/austria/vs/montenegro. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons