Can you work on the Red-White-Red Card – Start-up Founders (Austria)?

Self-employment only (within the established business).

Country Info Hub

Austria

A prosperous European nation known for its high quality of life, strong economy, and alpine landscapes.

Visa Routes Breakdown

22 Total

Work (10)

PR (1)

Study (2)

Visit (6)

Capital: Vienna
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Fetching live rate...
Languages: German
Time vs Colombo: -3h 30m to -4h 30m
Population: About 0.0 million
Calling code: +43
Drives on: Right
Climate: Temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters

Check my eligibility

Official Visa Data

Visa Routes Breakdown

22 Total

Work (10)

PR (1)

Study (2)

Visit (6)

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Key requirements

Must have a business plan for an innovative product/service.
Must show at least €30,000 in capital (with a 50% equity share).
Must score 50 points under the points system.

Step-by-step process

The verified roadmap from starting your application to the grant.

1
Confirm innovative start-up and 50 points
Eligibility
Check business innovation, business plan, controlling influence, at least EUR 30000 capital with 50 percent equity and at least 50 points.
2
Prepare business and points evidence
Documents
Prepare business plan, capital/equity evidence, qualification, experience, language, incubator/funding evidence if any, passport and insurance.
3
Submit RWR start-up application
Lodgement
Apply through the Austrian representation or residence authority and pay the residence permit fee.
4
AMS assesses innovation and points
Assessment
AMS and the residence authority assess start-up criteria, points and general residence requirements.
Run the approved business
After grant
If granted, pursue the approved self-employed start-up activity and later switch to RWR Card plus if eligible.

Document checklist

Track your progress as you gather what you need.

0 / 5ready

General

Business

Financial

Education

Language

Your ticks stay on this device.

Cost breakdown

A verified breakdown beyond just the visa fee.

Government fee: €218
Agent fee: $1,143
Travel: $747
Settling in: $5,508
Monthly living cost: $1,830

Total estimate

Approx 160 EUR Country baseline (market estimates, not government charges): agent LKR 150,000–600,000; one-way flight LKR 170,000–320,000; arrival/settling EUR 3,320–6,160; monthly shared-room living basket in Vienna EUR 1,230–1,920. USD columns store range midpoints converted using open.er-api.com rates as of Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:02:31 +0000; the visa government fee remains canonical in visa_types.government_fee.

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More details

Important notes

Additional points are awarded if receiving support from an Austrian start-up funding agency.

Streams

Start-up Founder

Official sources

This is information, not legal or immigration advice. Always confirm with the official source before you apply.

Austria

Visa Routes Breakdown

Quick facts

Visa Routes Breakdown

Confirm innovative start-up and 50 points

Prepare business and points evidence

Submit RWR start-up application

AMS assesses innovation and points

Run the approved business

General

Business

Financial

Education

Language

Important notes

Streams

Official sources

Confirm innovative start-up and 50 points

Prepare business and points evidence

Submit RWR start-up application

AMS assesses innovation and points

Run the approved business

General

Business

Financial

Education

Language

Important notes

Streams

Official sources