Austria Start-up Founder
Austria
Residency
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See if you're a match →Austria's startup-founder route is for founders building an innovative company with meaningful ownership and funding. It generally requires a qualifying startup plan, enough points, capital, and proof the founder will actively run the business.
- Type
- Startup residence
- Startup fit
- Founders building an approved startup in Austria
- Core requirements
- Startup approval, business plan, and funding proof
- What to know
- Approval can depend on official judgment or program space
- Duration
- Red-White-Red Card is issued for the first 2 years.
- Renewal / path
- Can move to Red-White-Red Card plus after 2 years if requirements are met.
Summary
Austria's Red-White-Red Card for Start-up Founders is for third-country founders launching an innovative company in Austria. The route requires a coherent business plan, personal controlling influence, qualifying capital, and enough points.
The business must be more than a standard local small business. Austria looks for innovative products, services, processes, or technologies and a credible plan to bring them to market.
Eligibility
- You are a third-country national
- You plan to establish an innovative company in Austria
- You will personally control the company's management
- You can prove at least €30,000 in capital for the company, with at least 50% equity
- You score enough points under the start-up founder criteria
- Your residence file is otherwise admissible: valid passport, health-insurance coverage, no public-order or security concern, and enough means to support yourself without relying on Austrian welfare. Austria generally does not require separate proof of locally customary accommodation for a Red-White-Red Card, but housing costs can still matter when the authority checks means.
Duration, Renewal, and Long-Term Path
- Duration: The Red-White-Red Card for start-up founders is issued for the first two years.
- Renewal: After two years, start-up founders can move to a Red-White-Red Card plus if the legal requirements are met.
What This Route Allows
If approved, this route gives you startup residence in Austria. Initial validity: Red-White-Red Card is issued for the first 2 years. Renewal or longer-term path: After 2 years, can move to Red-White-Red Card plus by showing the startup remains innovative, active, and capitalized and that you still meet the residence requirements. Key limit: You need at least €30,000 in company capital, at least 50% equity, personal control, a qualifying point score, health insurance, and means to support yourself.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a guarantee of approval. Immigration authorities can still review documents, admissibility, background, funds, and whether the facts match the pathway rules.
Key Documents
- Passport
- Business plan
- Evidence of capital and equity structure
- Education or special-skill documents
- Work-history evidence
- Language certificates if claiming language points
- Incubator, funding, or additional investment evidence if applicable
- Health insurance and other residence documents
Next Steps
- Confirm the business is innovative by Austrian standards.
- Prepare a business plan and capital evidence.
- Estimate your points.
- Gather documents for education, experience, language ability, funding, and incubator support.
- File the application through the Austrian representation or competent authority.