Your path to Austrian
citizenship
Who can naturalise and when, which income counts, what level of German you need, how the citizenship test works and what giving up your old citizenship means in practice. With study material, an income calculator, checklists, German flashcards and a practice quiz.
! In a nutshell
Naturalisation is an application with a lot of proof
You must have lived here lawfully for long enough, support yourself, have a clean record, prove your German and basic knowledge, and usually give up your previous citizenship.
Residence Aufenthalt
Lawful and uninterrupted: usually 10 years, 5 of them settled. Reduced to 6 years e.g. with B2 German, after 5 years of marriage to an Austrian citizen, or for EEA nationals.
Income Einkommen
Your own regular income averaged over 36 months from the last 6 years, at least at the ASVG reference rate after rent and loans. Calculator
Clean record Unbescholtenheit
No prison sentence for an intentional offence, no pending criminal case, no repeated serious administrative offences (e.g. drink-driving).
German B1 Deutsch
Usually proven with the ÖIF integration exam at B1. With B2 the waiting period drops to 6 years.
Citizenship test Staatsbürgerschaftstest
18 multiple-choice questions in German: democracy, Austrian history, history of your federal state. To the quiz
Renunciation Verzicht
First you receive a notice of assurance. Then you have 2 years to give up your old citizenship. Only then is citizenship granted.
➜ Step by step
Eight steps to the pledge
The order matters. Get documents too early and you will have to renew them. Start too late and you lose months.
Work out your period
What counts is the day of the decision, not the application. Count days abroad: at most 20% of the period (with 10 years, 2 years in total). Routes
Get your German certificate
B1 is required; B2 can get you there 4 years earlier. Results take weeks, so plan early.
Check your income
Collect your annual payslips (Lohnzettel) and compare them with the reference rate. The last 6 months before applying must be part of the period.
Online check and information session
In Vienna: the MA 35 online assistant with booking of an information session (Erstinformationsveranstaltung). Elsewhere: the citizenship department of your state government.
Gather documents
Birth certificate, passport, marriage certificate, criminal record certificates (including from abroad), proof of income. Apostille and sworn translation where needed. List
Apply in person
Everyone aged 14 and over attends in person. The authority then investigates and invites you to the citizenship test.
Pass the test, receive the assurance
After a positive result you receive the notice of assurance. The 2-year renunciation period starts now.
Give up your old citizenship, take the pledge
Submit proof of release, receive the grant at a ceremony and speak the pledge (Gelöbnis). On the same day you can apply for proof of citizenship and a passport.
The requirements must still be met on the day of the grant: if you lose your job, receive social assistance, get a serious fine or stay abroad too long after the assurance, you can lose it.
€ Costs
What naturalisation costs
Federal fees are set by the Fees Act. On top come state fees, which differ by state, and the cost of documents.
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee (Eingabengebühr) | €163 | €89 for minors |
| Grant under § 10 StbG (10, 15, 30-year routes) | €1,448 | federal fee |
| Grant in other cases (e.g. 6-year route under § 11a) | €1,126 | federal fee |
| Reduced cases (incl. § 10(4), § 11a(2)) | €322 | federal fee |
| State administrative fees | varies by state | ask your state government |
| Citizenship test, German exam, translations, apostilles | varies | the ÖIF exam and translations are often a few hundred euros |
| Giving up your old citizenship | varies | fee of your country of origin, travel to the consulate |
Source: § 14 Fees Act 1957 (Gebührengesetz), tariff items 6 and 14 (as of September 2026). Documents issued for naturalisation are exempt from federal stamp duties.
✓ Checklist
Your preparation
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Requirements
Procedure
☰ Contents
Everything on seven pages
- Routes & requirements6, 10, 15 or 30 years, special cases, general requirements and the income calculator.
- Process & documentsAuthorities, document list, apostille, assurance and renunciation, including a section for Russian citizens.
- Study: democracyConstitution, National Council, Federal Council, President, government, courts, rights, direct democracy.
- Study: history & statesTimeline from 976 to today and the essentials on all nine federal states.
- Learn German words flashcardsThe key terms for the test and the authorities, explained simply, with pronunciation and flip cards.
- Test & quiz practiceFormat and scoring, questions in English with the German original, and an exam simulation.
- Q&ADual citizenship, time abroad, children, fines, military service and more.