⚑ Responsibility
Who decides on your application?
The government of the federal state where you have your main residence. In some states the district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) or the municipal office accepts the application and runs the test.
| State | Authority |
|---|---|
| Vienna | Municipal Department 35 (MA 35), citizenship unit, Dresdner Straße 89–93, 1200 Wien · tel. +43 1 4000-3535 |
| Lower Austria | Amt der NÖ Landesregierung, citizenship and elections department, St. Pölten |
| Upper Austria | Amt der OÖ Landesregierung, Direktion Inneres und Kommunales, Linz |
| Styria | Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Graz |
| Tyrol | Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung, Innsbruck |
| Salzburg | Amt der Salzburger Landesregierung, Salzburg |
| Carinthia | Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung, Klagenfurt |
| Vorarlberg | Amt der Vorarlberger Landesregierung, Bregenz |
| Burgenland | Amt der Burgenländischen Landesregierung, Eisenstadt |
Department names and booking systems change; check your state government’s current page.
➜ Procedure
How the procedure works
Pre-check
Vienna: the MA 35 online assistant (about 15 minutes, have your payslips ready), ending with booking an information session. There you learn which documents you personally need. MA 35 does not otherwise give individual advice.
Documents that don’t expire
Birth and marriage certificates, school certificates: get them early and have them certified and translated.
Documents that must be recent
Criminal record certificates, proof of income, social insurance record (Versicherungsdatenauszug): shortly before your appointment.
Application appointment
All applicants aged 14 and over attend in person. The form is completed together with the official, documents are scanned and originals returned. For children, everyone with parental responsibility signs.
Investigation
The authority checks with the police, criminal register, immigration office, social insurance and intelligence service and may ask for more documents. Send them only by post or e-mail.
Citizenship test
You are invited after applying. Failed? You may retake it. Format and quiz
Notice of assurance
A written promise: citizenship will be granted if you prove your release from your previous citizenship within 2 years and keep meeting the requirements.
Grant
In person, at a ceremony, with a pledge to the Republic. Then apply for proof of citizenship and a passport, and update your bank and other records.
It depends on the authority, how complete your documents are and any follow-up questions; anything from several months to well over a year is common, plus the time for renunciation. If the authority has not decided within 6 months, you can file a complaint about delay (Säumnisbeschwerde) with the state administrative court. You can appeal (Beschwerde) a negative decision within 4 weeks.
📄 Documents
A typical document list
The authority decides which documents your case needs. This list shows what to expect. Ticks are saved.
Identity and family
Residence and clean record
Income and language
- Documents not in German or English need a translation by a court-sworn and certified interpreter (list of the Ministry of Justice). Multilingual international documents (e.g. a passport) do not.
- Foreign documents usually need an apostille (Hague Convention, e.g. Russia, Ukraine) or diplomatic legalisation. The apostille must be added in the country that issued the document.
- Make sure your name is transliterated the same way in every translation as in your passport.
⚠ Renunciation
Giving up your old citizenship
As a rule, Austria does not allow dual citizenship on naturalisation. If you fail to take the steps needed to leave your old citizenship although they are possible and reasonable, you will not be granted citizenship (§ 10(3) StbG).
- Renunciation comes after the notice of assurance, not before. The assurance proves to your country of origin that you will receive another citizenship.
- You have 2 years. If your country cannot decide in time, tell the authority early and document every step (application, receipt, correspondence).
- Exceptions exist where renunciation is unreasonable, e.g. for recognised refugees, and in the special cases of § 10(6) and § 58c.
For Russian citizens
If you live abroad, you apply to leave Russian citizenship (“выход из гражданства”) through the responsible Russian mission (in Austria, the consular section of the embassy in Vienna or the consulate general in Salzburg). The legal basis is Russia’s 2023 citizenship law No. 138-FZ.
Usually required:
- application for release and Russian international passport
- proof of deregistration from your address in Russia
- the Austrian notice of assurance as proof of your future citizenship (with apostille and Russian translation)
- a tax office certificate showing no tax debts in Russia
- birth certificate, photos, proof of the consular fee
Applicants report that it often takes 6 to 12 months or longer. Outstanding obligations to the Russian state, such as tax debts or a criminal case, can lead to refusal.
Apply for release as soon as you have the assurance. Check the embassy website first for the current document list and fee, as requirements and appointments change often. Get written confirmation of every submission and send copies to the Austrian authority.