Granting of citizenship on the basis of a legal entitlement

General information

Requirements

• fulfilment of the general conditions for naturalisation
• main residence in Austria for an uninterrupted period of at least 30 years, or
• at least 15 years of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Austria with 
  • proof of sustainable personal and professional integration, or
• at least 6 years of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Austria if
  • the person has been lawfully married to an Austrian national for 5 years and the spouses live in the same household, or
  • proof of possession of EU/EEA citizenship is provided, or
  • the foreign national was born in Austria, or
  • granting citizenship is in the interests of the Republic of Austria on account of extraordinary accomplishments in the scientific, economic, artistic or sporting fields that have already been achieved or are expected, or
  • the foreign national provides proof of sustainable personal integration. This is the case if
    • the person has either B2 level of knowledge of German or
    • B1 level of knowledge of German according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and proof of sustainable personal integration is provided.
      Proof of personal integration can be provided, for example, by means of the following activities, which must serve the common good in a special way:
      • at least 3 years of voluntary work with a non-profit organisation (e.g. ‘blue-light’ organisation) or
      • at least 3 years of professional experience in the educational, social or healthcare sector (e.g. geriatric nurse) or
      • at least 3 years of experience in a function in an association or group set up to represent the interests of others (e.g. works council, parents’ representative) or
• at least 10 years of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Austria, provided that the person has the status of ‘person granted asylum’.

Competent authority

The citizenship department of the Regional Government office^{German text} concerned

Costs and fees

• 247.90 Euro to 867.40 Euro in Federal fees

Provincial fees are also levied in addition to the Federal fees and can vary from province to province.

Further information

The granting of citizenship is extended to the applicant’s spouse and children under certain conditions.

Related links

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – Self-assessment grids (→ Europass)

Legal basis

• sections 11a, 12 of the Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz (StbG)
• section 14 of the Gebührengesetz (GebG)