Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte (Red-White-Red Card, Austria)

It is a combined residence and work permit for third-country nationals. The version most health professionals use is the card for skilled workers in shortage occupations (Fachkräfte in Mangelberufen). migration.gv.at says it is generally issued for 24 months and lets you live in Austria and work for the employer named in your application. The application fee is €218.

The Austria-wide shortage list for 2026 includes graduate nurses (Diplomierte Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege), nursing assistants at both levels (Pflegefachassistenz and Pflegeassistenz), physicians including general practitioners, Turnusärzte and a long list of specialties, and medical technology specialists such as physiotherapists, radiology technologists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and biomedical analysts.

You need completed training in the shortage occupation, a binding job offer paid at least the legal or collective agreement minimum, and at least 55 of 90 points:

• Qualification: 30 points for completed training in the occupation.
• Work experience: up to 20 points, 1 per half-year of relevant experience and 2 per half-year in Austria.
• Language: up to 25 points, for example 15 for German at B1 or 10 for English at B1. Certificates should be no older than five years.
• Age: 15 points under 30, 10 under 40, 5 under 50.

1. Start recognition of your qualification early, because all health professions are regulated in Austria. See nostrification.
2. Get a signed job offer and the employer's declaration (Arbeitgebererklärung).
3. Apply in person at the Austrian embassy or consulate, or let your employer apply at the residence authority in Austria (in Vienna, MA 35). Bring your passport, a recent photo, proof of health insurance and evidence for each points criterion. Many authorities also ask for a recent criminal record extract.
4. The authority sends the file to the AMS, which checks the points, the training and the pay. If you need a visa, you then enter on a D visa to collect the card.

migration.gv.at states that formal recognition is required for regulated professions and that this applies to all health professions. For doctors, Austria's recognition contact point (AST) says a Red-White-Red Card can only be issued once the professional licence has been granted after nostrification. For nurses, the AST notes that all three nursing professions qualify as shortage occupations. If you cannot yet move on the card, it describes a student residence permit after admission to a nostrification course, which allows other work of up to 20 hours a week if the employer holds an AMS permit.

If you change employer, you apply to change the purpose of your permit and may provisionally start the new job after a 45-day waiting period, which only starts once your documents are complete. After at least 21 months of qualifying work in the previous 24, you can apply for the Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus, which gives unlimited labour market access. Apply for renewals before your card expires, and no earlier than three months before. Once insured through your job you also receive an e-card. For the full licensing route see Austria; highly paid graduates can compare the EU Blue Card.