Austria Working Holiday Visa

Travelling across the world to work, live and travel in a foreign country is a pretty big deal. A working holiday visa gives you the chance to live in a foreign country for a longer period of time than you would on a vacation because you will be able to earn money while you are there.

Working holiday visas generally allow any traveller to be employed in the country during your visit as a way of supplementing your travel funds. It's a great way to experience day to day life beyond the tourist zones and gain deeper insights into the culture.

A wide variety of people view Austria as an attractive country to live, work and explore. Situated in the Alps, Austria is dominated by high land and has a beautiful landscape that offers a lot of variety with snowy peaks, glaciers, lakes and rivers, and vineyards. Austria is where numerous music legends were nurtured and offer countless music festivals such as Castle Grafenegg Music Festival and Salzburg Festival.

Under the Work and Holiday Visa, your primary intention for the trip is for a holiday with employment and study being incidental rather than primary reasons for the visit. One of the many objectives of the program is to let young adults acquire or improve foreign language skills and gather professional experience abroad, which are important aspects when starting a career, with another objective being to promote young people’s understanding of other countries and cultures.

Austria is just one of many countries that offer Working Holiday Visa opportunities to young people who wish to experience the world. For more countries that offer a Working Holiday scheme, check out our blog post: Working Holiday Visas – Which Countries Offer Working Holiday Visas?

Austrian Visa D – Working Holiday Visa

The Working Holiday visa can be applied for by means of a Visa D application form. You can only apply for a visa from your home country. Visa applications should be submitted at least 6-8 weeks before departure, no earlier than 3 months before the intended departure.

Once granted, you also enjoy the freedom of movement to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days provided that you fulfill the general entry conditions like proof that you can support yourself during your stay.

Participating Countries

Austria has made Working Holiday visa agreements with the following 10 participating countries:

Argentina
Australia
Canada
Chile
Hong Kong
Israel
Japan
New Zealand (up to 6 months)
South Korea
Taiwan

If you are between 18 to 30 years old, you may be eligible to stay in Austria for 6 to 12 months depending on your nationality. The main objective of your stay must be travelling and exploring a new language and culture.

To qualify for the working holiday program, you must meet the following conditions:

be at least 18 and not more than 30 years old
holds a return ticket or show sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket
provide proof of sufficient funds for the initial period of stay in Austria
has health insurance for the entire period of your stay
Has no record that aWorking Holiday Visa from Austria was issued previously
Has not been expelled by a Schengen country and/or be considered as a threat to public order, internal security or public health
Should not be accompanied by children or other dependents

If you are a citizen of Austria and are considering a Working Holiday experience in one of the participating countries above, contact the Embassy of the country in question for more information.

Argentina

The agreement on a Working Holiday Programme with Argentina came into force September 2019. Citizens of Argentina can stay up to 12 months in Austria and cannot work for the same employer for more than 6 months. Your visa application can only be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
Biometric passport picture
Valid Argentinian passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Sufficient and reasonable financial resources to cover expenses incurred at the beginning of the stay.
Proof of transportation (ticket reservation, two ways) or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket.
Criminal record

Australia

Citizens of Australia can stay up to 12 months in Austria and the duration of the visa cannot be extended.

Aside from the general conditions of the visa such as age limit, sufficient funds etc, you should have a tertiary qualifications or have successfully completed at least two years of higher education

The visa application should be personally submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Canberra. Australian citizens already in the Schengen zone can also submit the application at Austrian Embassies in Ljubljana, London and Bratislava or at the Austrian Consulate General Munich.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
Biometric passport picture
Valid Australian passport
Health, accident, and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of transportation (ticket reservation, two ways) or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket.
Evidence of holding tertiary qualifications or of having successfully completed at least two years of higher education

Canada

With a Working Holiday visa citizens of Canada can stay up to 12 months in Austria. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Ottawa. Canadian citizens already in the Schengen zone can also submit the application at Austrian Embassies in Ljubljana, London and Bratislava or at the Austrian Consulate General Munich.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
passport photo
Valid Canadian passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000), valid for the entire Schengen area
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of transportation (ticket reservation, two ways) or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket
Police Clearance check

Chile

Citizens of Chile can stay up to 12 months in Austria with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa application can only be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Santiago de Chile.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid Chile passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of transportation (ticket reservation, two ways) or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

Hong Kong

Holders of Hong Kong passport can stay up to 12 months in Austria with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Consulate General in Hong Kong.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid Hong Kong passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of departure prior to arrival: either departure ticket or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

Israel

With a Working Holiday Visa, Israeli nationals can stay up to 12 months in Austria. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Israel.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid Israeli passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of departure prior to arrival: either departure ticket or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

Japan

As of 2018, Japanese nationals can stay up to 12 months in Austria with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Japan and the visa is for free.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid Japanese passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of departure prior to arrival: either departure ticket or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

New Zealand

Holders of New Zealand passports can stay up to 6 months in Austria with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in Australia and at the Visa Application Center in Auckland. New Zealand nationals already in the Schengen area can also submit the application at the Austrian Embassies in Ljubljana, London and Bratislava or at the Austrian Consulate General Munich.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid New Zealand passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of departure prior to arrival: either departure ticket or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

South Korea

South Korean nationals can stay up to 12 months in Austria with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Embassy in the Republic of Korea. South Korean nationals already in the Schengen area can also submit the application at the Austrian Embassies in Ljubljana, London and Bratislava or at the Austrian Consulate General Munich.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid South Korean passport
Health, accident and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of departure prior to arrival: either departure ticket or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

Taiwan

Taiwanese nationals can stay up to 12 months in Austria with a Working Holiday Visa. The visa application can be submitted at the Austrian Office in Taipei.

To apply, you should prepare the following documents:

Completed Visa-D application form
biometric passport photo
Valid Taiwanese passport
Health, accident, and travel insurance covering all risks for the entire period of the stay (minimum cover EUR 30,000)
Proof of sufficient financial means for your maintenance for the initial period of stay
Proof of departure prior to arrival: either departure ticket or proof of sufficient financial resources to purchase such a ticket

Application processing usually takes 15 business days from receipt of a complete application and may take longer during peak times and in exceptional circumstances.

To help support your escapade in Austria, we have gathered several sites who may offer something that may interest you. You may visit the following websites.

You can also join groups in social media to assist with your job search.

Are you ready to have your gap year in Austria? Do you need more clarification on the Working Holiday Visa or is there anything that we missed in our blog post? Talk to us in the comment section below.

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