The Integration Agreement applies to all non-EU citizens, who have come to Austria since Jan 1st 2003 and wish to settle in Austria, as well as to non-EU citizens, who wish to extend a settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung)
issued after Jan 1st 1998.
Settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung)
All non-EU citizens who wish to settle in Austria permanently need a settlement permit. In order to obtain this settlement permit it is
important to prove that one’s “centre of life” (“Mittelpunkt des Lebensinteresses”) is Austria.
Settlement permits are issued for persons who:
are self-employed and have business in Austria,
take up employment in Austria,
are dependants (spouses, children) of a person with a settlement permit.
Initial applications for settlement permits have to be submitted
from outside Austria – the exception are asylum seekers married
to Austrian citizens. Settlement permits are subject to quota control,
which means that only a certain number of settlement permits is issued
each year. Recognised asylum seekers and dependants of Austrian and
EU-citizens are exempt from these regulations.
Persons who wish to stay in Austria for an indefinite period of time need
an unlimited settlement permit. The unlimited settlement permit is issued
to persons who have fulfilled the Integration Agreement and those who
are exempt from it (e.g. individuals with a settlement permit who have a
regular income and have lived in Austria for more than five years).
How can you fulfil the Integration Agreement?
All non-EU citizens who have applied for an unlimited settlement permit
since Jan 1st 2003 or who wish to extend a settlement permit issued after
Jan 1st 1998 have to fulfil the Integration Agreement.
There are several ways of fulfilling the Integration Agreement
(proof of a basic knowledge of the German language):
Passing the official Austrian integration exam (Integrationsprüfung),
which you can sit at Deutschinstitut Wien. Please click here for more
information about the integration exam. (Ist das eine extra Unterseite?)
Proof of 5-year attendance of an Austrian school and a pass
grade in German at age 15
Proof of a pass grade in the equivalent of German at age 15 at
a school outside Austria
Proof of existing knowledge of the German language
(recognised diplomas/certificates)
School leaving certificate at university entry level
Lehrabschlussprüfung in Austria (vocational college certificate)
Settlement permit “key personnel” and their dependants,
who are exempt from the Integration Agreement.
