Republic of Austria vs Republic of North Macedonia
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 Republic of North Macedonia 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
- Consular services - visas and legal stay
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Republic of North Macedonia - verified
- migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration: Red-White-Red Card
Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) - 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
Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia publishes its consular visa and foreigner-stay guidance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The official route set distinguishes short-stay and transit C visas from long-stay D visas, and explains that D visas are linked to a Ministry of Interior decision granting temporary residence. Temporary residence grounds include work, study, student exchange, training, volunteering, research, family reunion, humanitarian reasons and property ownership by eligible EU or OECD residents.
- Languages
- Macedonian, Albanian
- Currency
- Macedonian denar
How Republic of Austria and Republic of North Macedonia differ
| Dimension | Republic of Austria | Republic of North Macedonia |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 6 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 2 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 0 |
| 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) | Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence |
| 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 | Macedonian, Albanian |
| Currency | Euro | Macedonian denar |
| Primary regulator | ÖRAK | MBA |
| 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
Republic of North Macedonia
Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Routes unique to Republic of Austria
Routes unique to Republic of North Macedonia
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.
Republic of North Macedonia (6)
Short-Stay and Transit Visa (C Visa)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 90 days for short stay, or up to 5 days for transit.
Business Visit C Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Within the C visa framework: short stay up to 90 days, or transit up to 5 days where applicable.
Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows a Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved residence period in that decision.
Long-Stay D Visa for Study Temporary Residence
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved period in that decision.
Long-Stay D Visa for Family Reunion
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved period in that decision.
Temporary Residence for Eligible Property Owner
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved residence period in that decision.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of Austria or Republic of North Macedonia?+
Republic of Austria’s Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) requires a salary of at least No fixed published floor; Republic of North Macedonia’s Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence 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 Republic of North Macedonia have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Republic of North Macedonia has more: 3 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 Republic of North Macedonia immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/austria/vs/north-macedonia. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons