On 10 April 2024, the Austrian federal government decided to issue the Red-White-Red Card Plus to displaced persons from Ukraine. This residence permit includes unrestricted access to the Austrian labour market, both for employed and self-employed work.
The corresponding law has will come into force in 1 Oct 2024. This new law provides for the following regulation:
What are the requirements for obtaining a Red-White-Red Card Plus as a displaced person from Ukraine?
Persons residing in Austria as displaced persons from Ukraine (blue card) can obtain a Red-White-Red Card Plus if they fulfil the general requirements for obtaining a residence permit, can provide proof of German language skills at A1 level and have been insured in a fully insured employment relationship or as a self-employed person for at least 12 months in the last 24 months. You are fully insured if you earn more than € 518.44 per month as an employee and € 6,221.28 per year as a self-employed person (values for 2024).
The general requirements for obtaining a Red-White-Red Card Plus are
a) A sufficiently secure livelihood: for this purpose, the monthly disposable net income, after deduction of fixed costs for rent or debts, must reach a certain minimum threshold (in 2024 this is € 1,217.96 for single persons and € 1,921.46 for married couples, with an additional € 187.93 per child). As long as you receive basic benefits (e.g. from Caritas), your livelihood is not sufficiently secured.
b) Health insurance in Austria: This is automatically the case if you are legally employed in Austria.
c) Legal entitlement to adequate accommodation for yourself and your family.
d) No threat to public order and security.
The German language skills at A1 level required to obtain the Red-White-Red Card Plus must be proven by a recognised language certificate (Austrian Language Diploma – ÖSD, Goethe Institute, Telc GmbH, Austrian Integration Fund ÖIF).
Furthermore, it is expressly confirmed that in the case of an application for a Red-White-Red Card Plus for displaced persons, the periods already completed with an ID card for displaced persons count as legal residence. These periods can therefore also be counted towards the periods of residence required for an EU permanent residence permit.
How to apply
The application for a Red-White-Red Card Plus is submitted to the competent immigration authority (in Vienna MA 35). Please note that the law has not yet come into force and applications are not yet possible at this time.
