Austriae-card (Austrian social insurance card)
Definition
The e-card is Austria's social insurance chip card, issued to every insured person and their insured dependants to prove health insurance cover. It shows your name and social insurance number, carries the European Health Insurance Card on the back and is the key to the e-card system and the ELGA electronic health record.
Also called: e-card, ecard Austria, Austrian e-card, Sozialversicherungskarte, e-card Österreich, digitale e-card, Sozialversicherungsnummer
Checked against official sources on
What is the e-card?
The e-card is the card you show at every doctor's visit, hospital or other health facility connected to the e-card system. The front shows your name, title, social insurance number (Sozialversicherungsnummer), card sequence number, the e-card service line (050 124 3311) and the health advice line 1450. The back is your European Health Insurance Card. oesterreich.gv.at stresses that no medical data is stored on the card itself: it is a key to the system and to ELGA, Austria's electronic health record.
As a health professional in Austria you will also meet it from the other side, because practices and hospitals read patients' e-cards to check cover and use services such as the e-prescription and the e-vaccination record.
How new arrivals get one
- Become insured. Austria has compulsory insurance for everyone in work. oesterreich.gv.at says it starts automatically once the legal conditions are met, for example employment paid above the marginal earnings threshold of €551.10 a month in 2026.
- Get registered. Your employer registers you with the social insurance carrier, which gives you a social insurance number and an e-card. Family members can be co-insured.
- Photo. Cards issued since 1 January 2020 to people aged 14 and over carry a photo. The social insurance usually takes it from official registers, including the register of foreign nationals that holds your residence permit photo. If no photo is available, you must bring one to a registration office.
- Receive the card by post. Issuing it is free.
If you arrive on a Red-White-Red Card, you will usually be insured through the job the card was issued for.
What it costs
There is an annual service fee (Serviceentgelt), collected by your employer. It is €25 for 2026, collected in November 2025, and is adjusted slightly each year. It is not charged for co-insured dependants, and people in social need can apply to their insurer for exemption. A fee can be charged for replacing a card you lost or damaged through your own fault.
Using it day to day
- Forgot the card? The doctor can enter your social insurance number by hand to check your cover. Some doctors take a deposit until you bring the card.
- Digital e-card. The e-card is also available on your phone in the social insurance apps, such as MeineSV and Meine ÖGK.
- Lost or stolen. Report it to your social insurance carrier at once; a new card is posted to you, and you can be treated in the meantime if you give your social insurance number.
Common problems
- Shown as not insured. gesundheit.gv.at says this can happen after a change of insurer or with a faulty card. The doctor decides whether to treat you and may ask for a deposit.
- Photo obligation. If you are told a photo is missing, you have five months from that notice to register one.
- Gaps before your first job. Without insured employment there is no compulsory cover, so arrange insurance for any period before your contract starts. Residence permits require proof of health insurance anyway.
Questions
Usually not. When your employer registers you with social insurance, you receive a social insurance number and the card is sent to you. You only act if you are asked for a photo.
No. It is proof that you are insured with Austrian social insurance and a key to the e-card system. Your cover comes from your insured employment or co-insurance.
The back of the e-card is your European Health Insurance Card, which you show for treatment during temporary stays in other EU countries. Check with your insurer what it covers before you travel.
The e-card service fee is collected from insured employees by the employer. For 2026 it is €25, collected in November 2025.
No. oesterreich.gv.at says no medical data is stored on the card. It gives authorised providers access to systems such as ELGA.
Contact your social insurance carrier, which can confirm your status. Doctors can check your social insurance number manually, and may ask for a deposit until the problem is fixed.