Stage 02 — Just Arrived
Your first 30 days in Austria, in the right order.
Austrian bureaucracy is orderly and unforgiving of the wrong sequence. Registration comes first, then social insurance, then the bank account, then everything else becomes possible.
Checklist
Just Arrived
Week one
- Register your address (Meldezettel) at the Meldeamt within three working days of moving in.
- Non-EU citizens: collect your residence title and check the work permissions attached to it.
- Open an Austrian bank account — most providers need the Meldezettel and your ID.
- Confirm your employer has registered you with social insurance before your first working day.
Weeks two to four
- Wait for your e-card; it is your key to the Austrian health system.
- Check your first payslip against your contract, especially the collective agreement classification.
- Arrange household and personal liability insurance — Haushaltsversicherung is near-universal here.
- Set up your FinanzOnline access for the tax office.
Before month three
- Apply for family allowance (Familienbeihilfe) if you have children.
- Check whether the Zuzugsbegünstigung applies to you — the deadline is six months after arrival.
- Review whether you are over-insured through products sold at the bank counter.
- Start your Austrian pension account and request your first statement.
What goes wrong
The expensive mistakes.
Buying the first product the bank offers
Tied advisors sell what their institution distributes. Unit-linked policies and bank savings plans bought in the first month are among the most common regrets we see.
Missing the six-month relocation incentive deadline
The Zuzugsbegünstigung under section 103 of the Income Tax Act must be applied for within six months of moving. It cannot be claimed later.
Ignoring the payslip
Collective agreement classification, overtime treatment and the Jahressechstel all affect your net. Errors compound quietly over years.
Run the numbers
Free calculators built on current Austrian rules.
FAQ
Questions we get asked.
The official residence registration form. You must register your Austrian address within three working days of moving in, and you will need the confirmation for a bank account, residence title and most administrative steps.
Where are you in the journey?
Fifteen minutes with a senior advisor. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.