Republic of Austria
Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for the Austria Red-White-Red Card: EUR 218 government fee, employer declaration, AMS points and labour-market checks, salary/collective-agreement evidence, health-insurance evidence, document/photo exposure, translations/legalisation, regulated-profession checks, and RWR Card Plus family scaling.
What does the Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are €228-€363. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at none tracked, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations on 1 July 2026.
Australia skilled-route cost and points layer
Australia skilled points, nomination and Skills in Demand cost answer
Use this answer stack to compare Australia points routes with the sponsor-led Skills in Demand route without merging applicant costs, employer costs and salary evidence.
Calculator context
A points result does not guarantee an invitation, nomination or visa grant. It only says whether the profile clears the 65-point SkillSelect EOI floor. Skills assessment, occupation demand, state nomination, sponsorship, salary thresholds and post-invitation fees still need separate evidence.
| Australia route | Points or sponsor trigger | Mandatory paid-away baseline | Skills, nomination or salary dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 189 Skilled Independent | Points-tested SkillSelect route. The EOI floor is 65 points; there is no sponsor or state nomination bonus. | A$7,501-A$8,705 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment before the EOI can become usable. No fixed salary floor in the route model; invitation depends on occupation demand and invitation rounds. |
| Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated | Points-tested SkillSelect route plus state or territory nomination. Nomination can add 5 points after the state gate is met. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 state or territory fee exposure. No employer sponsor or national salary floor; state criteria can add occupation, residence and funds declarations. |
| Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional | Points-tested regional route. State/territory nomination or eligible-relative sponsorship can add 15 points. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 nomination or eligible-relative gate exposure. No upfront national salary floor; later subclass 191 context is income-evidence timing, not an upfront 491 fee. |
| Subclass 482 Skills in Demand | Sponsor-led route. It is not a points-tested SkillSelect invitation route. | A$10,381-A$13,335 | A$0-A$1,200 skills-assessment exposure where required by occupation, nationality or stream. A$420 sponsor fee, A$330 nomination fee and A$4,800-A$7,200 SAF levy are employer-side; A$79,423/yr CSIT or A$146,576/yr SSIT, plus AMSR where the stream requires it. |
| Comparator route | Route type | Paid-away baseline | Do not collapse these lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore S Pass | Employer-sponsored pass with quota, levy and insurance duties. | SGD 16,405-SGD 18,205 | SGD 15,600 levy and SGD 600-SGD 2,400 insurance stay employer-side; SGD 39,600-SGD 45,600 salary evidence is not a visa fee. |
| New Zealand AEWV | Employer-accredited work route with job-check approval before the worker applies. | NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325 | NZ$775 accreditation and NZ$735 job check are employer-side; variable market-rate job evidence is not paid away. |
| New Zealand SMC | Residence route with points, skilled-employment evidence and post-invitation filing. | NZ$6,810-NZ$8,925 | NZ$0 EOI and NZ$6,450 resident-stage application; NZ$72,800-NZ$109,200 skilled-job pay evidence is not a fee. |
| Austria Red-White-Red Card | Points and employer-declaration route with AMS assessment. | €228-€363 | €218 application fee; €0 points and labour-market gate; €41,580 salary evidence remains a category condition. |
- Australia points calculator
- Subclass 189 guide
- Subclass 190 guide
- Subclass 491 guide
- Skills in Demand guide
- 189 cost-to-complete
- 190 cost-to-complete
- 491 cost-to-complete
- Skills in Demand cost
- Skills in Demand fees
- Australia salary thresholds
- Singapore S Pass cost
- New Zealand AEWV cost
- New Zealand SMC cost
- Austria RWR calculator
- Cost-to-complete JSON feed
- How our skilled-route cost figures compare
Source dates: Australia cost and salary data checked 1 July 2026; comparator cost rows checked 1 July 2026. Latest source record in this cluster: 1 July 2026. This cluster supports retrieval and review, not ranking, traffic, AI-citation or market-share outcome claims.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for the Austria Red-White-Red Card: EUR 218 government fee, employer declaration, AMS points and labour-market checks, salary/collective-agreement evidence, health-insurance evidence, document/photo exposure, translations/legalisation, regulated-profession checks, and RWR Card Plus family scaling.
Money you don't get back
€228-€363
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
€0
Not a fee. For shortage occupations, the employer must pay the minimum required by law, regulation or collective agreement; overpay customary in the company must also be granted.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
€41,580
Conditional category line. Other Key Workers must be paid the 2026 statutory minimum of EUR 3,465 gross monthly and reach at least 55 points.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
€24,769.44
Optional family-scaling evidence, not a fee. The 2026 standard income rates are EUR 2,064.12/month for married couples and EUR 201.88/month for each child.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red-White-Red Card application fee | €218 | Gov fee | Migration.gv.at lists the Red-White-Red Card category application fee as EUR 218. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| Employer declaration and job-offer evidence gate | €0 | Service | The application must include an employer declaration with the specific details of the future Austrian employment; most employed RWR categories also require a binding job offer. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| AMS points and labour-market assessment gate | €0 | Service | The residence authority sends the file to AMS. AMS checks the required points, training/salary adequacy and, for other key workers, whether an equally qualified registered jobseeker can be placed. Migration.gv.at - Other Key Workers |
| Collective-agreement or legal minimum-pay evidence | €0 | Proof of funds | Not a fee. For shortage occupations, the employer must pay the minimum required by law, regulation or collective agreement; overpay customary in the company must also be granted. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| Other Key Worker statutory minimum salary evidence(optional) | €41,580annual salary at EUR 3,465/month in 2026 | Proof of funds | Conditional category line. Other Key Workers must be paid the 2026 statutory minimum of EUR 3,465 gross monthly and reach at least 55 points. Migration.gv.at - Other Key Workers |
| Health insurance coverage evidence | €0 | Insurance | The applicant must have health insurance covering all risks in Austria. Public social insurance through Austrian employment is sufficient where it exists. Migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration |
| Passport photo for residence-title file· indicative | €10-€25 | Service | The official document list requires a 45x35mm photo not older than six months. Local photo costs vary. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| Criminal-record extract for initial application· indicative | €0-€120 | Service | Austrian authorities may require a current criminal-record extract from the country of nationality and any country of habitual residence over six months; many authorities require it for initial applications. Local certificate fees vary. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| Certified translations and legalisation(optional)· indicative | €0-€500 | Service | Conditional: documents not available in German or English need translations into German or English, and the authority may require legalised versions for review. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| Language certificate for points(optional)· indicative | €0-€250 | Service | Conditional: German, English or listed language certificates can support the points score. The official pages recognise institutions such as Austrian Language Diploma German, Goethe-Institut, Telc, Austrian Integration Fund, Cambridge, IELTS, TOEIC and TOEFL depending on language. Migration.gv.at - Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations |
| Regulated-profession recognition or authorisation(optional)· indicative | €0-€500 | Service | Conditional on profession. Migration.gv.at says formal recognition is only required for regulated professions such as health professions, public-school teachers, nursery-school teachers and lawyers. Migration.gv.at - Other Key Workers |
| Private health-insurance bridge before payroll coverage(optional)· indicative | €0-€1,200 | Insurance | Conditional: if public social insurance will not cover the applicant from the relevant date, budget for private bridge cover until Austrian employment/social insurance starts. Migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration |
| Family Red-White-Red Card plus application(optional) | €218per family member | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. Family members of Red-White-Red Card holders generally obtain Red-White-Red Card plus if they meet the granting requirements, and the current application fee is EUR 218. Migration.gv.at - Red-White-Red Card plus |
| Family subsistence reference-rate evidence(optional) | €24,769.44annualised couple baseline; add EUR 2,422.56/year per child | Proof of funds | Optional family-scaling evidence, not a fee. The 2026 standard income rates are EUR 2,064.12/month for married couples and EUR 201.88/month for each child. Migration.gv.at - Family reunification |
| Family A1 German certificate(optional)· indicative | €0-€250per adult family member where required | Service | Conditional: first-time family applicants for Red-White-Red Card plus generally need A1 German evidence unless an exemption applies. Migration.gv.at - Family reunification |
| Family accommodation-title gate(optional) | €0 | Service | Optional family-scaling gate. Family reunification applicants must show a legal title to adequate accommodation; the main Red-White-Red Card itself is listed among permits where proof of adequate accommodation is not required. Migration.gv.at - Permanent immigration |
Baseline sunk cost is the EUR 218 Red-White-Red Card application fee plus one passport-photo range and a conservative EUR 0-120 criminal-record extract exposure for a single principal applicant. Zero-cost gates for the employer declaration, AMS assessment, salary/collective-agreement evidence and health-insurance evidence are included because they are approval requirements even when no public tariff exists. Other Key Worker salary, private insurance bridge, translations/legalisation, regulated-profession recognition and family lines are excluded from the baseline unless they apply to the actual filing. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/austria-red-white-red-card. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
FAQs
What does the Red-White-Red Card (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are €228-€363 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are none tracked. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.