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Residence & Employment

Residence permits for self-employed individuals

Are you planning to immigrate to Austria as a self-employed person and would like to live and work in Austria permanently? Here you can find additional information.

Generally speaking, two residence permits are available to you i.e., the Red-White-Red – Card for Self-Employed Key Workers or the Red-White-Red – Card for Startup Founders. Would you like to work in Austria as a self-employed person for longer than six months but do not want to remain in Austria permanently? In this case, you can receive a residence permit for self-employed persons. As a rule, being self-employed means having a substantial stake in the company and making strategic corporate decisions.

If you first work as a salaried employee and are considering self-employment in the future, this can also be an attractive option. If you have a Red-White-Red – Card, you can usually obtain a Red-White-Red – Card Plus after 2 years. The Red-White-Red – Card Plus enables you to pursue self-employment, among others.

By the way, in addition to their salaried employment, holders of a Red-White-Red Card or an EU Blue Card valid in Austria are entitled to pursue self-employed activities but only to a minor extent.  

Red-White-Red – Card for
Self-Employed Key Workers

The Red-White-Red – Card for Self-Employed Key Workers targets third-country nationals who want to establish a company, which will offer high added value to the Austrian economy, or will provide added impetus, or which will have an outstanding positive effect on Austria’s economic development (“macroeconomic benefits”).

More information about the Red-White-Red – Card for Self-Employed Key Workers.

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