Red-White-Red Card for the self-employed and start-ups: the category without an employer
Two Red-White-Red Card categories are for people who bring a business, not a job offer: the self-employed key worker, judged on the benefit to Austria, and the start-up founder, judged on points and innovation.
Both sit in § 41 of the Settlement and Residence Act (Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz, NAG) and are assessed not by a labour-market test but by an expert opinion of the provincial office of the Public Employment Service (Arbeitsmarktservice, AMS) on the business itself. Neither needs an employer; a start-up founder must personally control the management, and a self-employed key worker must actually carry on the activity — a passive investment is not a business the AMS assesses.
| Official name | Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte for Selbständige Schlüsselkräfte and for Start-up-GründerInnen (Red-White-Red Card — Self-employed Key Workers, and Start-up Founders) |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | Third-country nationals who will run a business in Austria — a self-employed key worker or a start-up founder |
| Main requirement | The business: macroeconomic benefit or at least significance for a region (§ 24(1) AuslBG) — or, for a start-up, 50 of 85 points, an innovative product and €30,000 in capital, at least half of it equity |
| Right to work | Self-employment in the business the AMS assessed; no employer and no employer’s declaration |
| Validity | 24 months; then a settlement permit (self-employed key workers) or, if the company meets the conditions of § 24(4) AuslBG, the Red-White-Red Card plus (start-ups) |
The legal basis
Summary of § 41(2)(4) and (5) NAG, with § 24 and Annex D AuslBG — not the statutory wording
Under § 41(2)(4) NAG, with § 24(1) of the Act Governing the Employment of Foreign Nationals (Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz, AuslBG), a Red-White-Red Card may be issued to a third-country national who meets the general requirements of the Act, except proof of accommodation and means, and for whom the AMS provincial office has given an expert opinion that
- the intended self-employed activity is of macroeconomic benefit, in particular through a transfer of investment capital of at least €100,000 or the creation or securing of jobs, or at least of significance for a region.
Under § 41(2)(5) NAG, with § 24(2) AuslBG, the card may be issued to a start-up founder who, in the same office’s opinion,
- reaches at least 50 of the 85 points in Annex D;
- will develop and bring to market innovative products, services, processes or technologies in a newly founded company;
- presents a coherent business plan;
- will personally exercise a controlling influence on its management; and
- proves capital of at least €30,000 for it, at least half of it equity.
The opinion is given within 3 weeks (§ 24(3) AuslBG); the card runs for 24 months (§ 41(5) NAG).
The conditions above are set out in § 41(2)(4) and (5) NAG, with § 24 and Annex D AuslBG: § 41 NAG, § 43 NAG, § 41a NAG, § 24 AuslBG, Annex D to the AuslBG. The consolidated German text is published in the Austrian legal information system (RIS); the English on this page is a summary, and where the two differ the German text governs.
What each requirement means
For a self-employed key worker: macroeconomic benefit
There are no points. The AMS provincial office for the intended seat judges whether the activity is of macroeconomic benefit. The statute names two examples, investment capital of at least €100,000 brought in or jobs created or secured, and adds that significance for a region can be enough. The Act says “in particular”, so the €100,000 is an illustration, not a ticket, and the statute also admits an activity that is “at least of significance for a region” — the AMS opinion decides whether a smaller business creating jobs in such a region qualifies. The business plan and the proof of the capital or the jobs are the file (§ 9(4) NAG-DV).
For a start-up founder: 50 points, an innovative product, a plan, control and €30,000
Five conditions, all in § 24(2) AuslBG. The first is the points: 50 of 85, from the table below. The company must be newly founded and must develop and bring to market something innovative, which the file has to document (§ 9(5) NAG-DV). The business plan has to be coherent enough for the AMS to assess it. You must personally hold a controlling influence over the management, shown by the company agreement unless it is a one-person company. And you must prove capital of at least €30,000, at least half of it equity.
The AMS opinion within 3 weeks, and the general requirements minus two
The AMS provincial office has 3 weeks for its opinion; the whole decision is due within 8 weeks of filing (§ 41(3) NAG). You do not prove accommodation or means; you do prove all-risk health insurance valid in Austria, and German is not required. The application is filed abroad or, after lawful entry, in Austria, where since 7 August 2026 it no longer ends the right to stay when the visa-free period expires: the official migration portal (migration.gv.at) says the applicant may remain while it is decided. The fee is €218 in 2026; the procedure is on its own page.
After two years: two different doors
A self-employed key worker who has carried on the activity for two years and will continue it may move to a settlement permit (§ 43(1) NAG), which carries self-employment, not to the Red-White-Red Card plus. A start-up founder may move to the plus card if the company employs at least 2 full-time staff, he/she still controls it, it has reached €200,000 in annual turnover or secured €100,000 of further financing, and the innovative product is actually on offer (§ 24(4) AuslBG). A founder who falls short may receive the settlement permit (§ 43(4) NAG) or switch, in a change of purpose, to an employed category.
The start-up points table (Annex D to the AuslBG)
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Qualification — at most 30 | |
| Vocational training, or special skills in the intended activity | 20 |
| Degree from a programme of at least 3 years | 20 |
| Degree or vocational training completed in Austria | 30 |
| Work experience — at most 10 | |
| Per half-year | 1 |
| Languages — at most 15 | |
| German A2 | 5 |
| German B1 or B2 | 10 |
| German C1 | 15 |
| English B2 | 10 |
| French, Spanish or Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian at B1 | 5 each |
| Bonus points — at most 30 | |
| Additional capital of at least €50,000 | 10 |
| Incubator place, or Austrian start-up funding | 10 |
| Age up to 35 | 10 |
| Minimum required, of 85 | 50 |
Does Austria have a golden visa or investor visa?
No. § 8 NAG lists every residence title Austria issues, and none is granted for an investment. The two categories on this page are the only routes in which an investment plays a part, and in both the money is a means to a business you run yourself and the AMS assesses; a shareholding without a role, or capital parked in a fund, is not such a business. Citizenship for extraordinary merit exists in § 10(6) of the Citizenship Act (Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz), but it is a discretionary act of the Federal Government, not a programme with a price, and the sums and yearly quotas quoted on commercial websites have no counterpart in the NAG, the AuslBG, the Citizenship Act or on migration.gv.at. Someone who will hold assets but not work at all is a case for the settlement permit without work. The golden visa and remote work for a foreign employer, on the FAQ.
What the application turns on
The business plan, and the opinion the AMS provincial office forms on it. For a self-employed key worker the statute’s “in particular” gives the office room to be persuaded or not, so the plan has to show where the capital comes from, when it arrives in Austria and what it employs; a bank confirmation of €100,000 on its own decides nothing. For a start-up founder the opinion turns on the evidence of innovation and on the equity, at least half of the €30,000; the points are counted from certificates, and a language certificate older than 5 years on the day of filing earns nothing (§ 20d(6) AuslBG).
Who you are
- A valid passport (§ 7(1)(1) NAG-DV). It is shown in the original before any title is issued, whoever files the application and however it is filed.
- A colour passport-format photograph, 45 × 35 mm, meeting the EU residence-permit photo standard (§ 2a NAG-DV, referring to Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002), not older than six months at the time of the decision.
- Where the application turns on them: your birth certificate, marriage or registered-partnership certificate, divorce decree, adoption order, or the certificate of a child’s birth (§ 7(1)(3) NAG-DV). A certificate issued abroad needs an apostille or consular legalisation, and a German translation, where the authority asks for them (§ 6(3)–(4) NAG-DV) — for civil-status certificates it usually does, though documents in English are often accepted without translation.
What business you will run
- A business plan that lets the AMS assess the market, the competition and the location — its objectives, its financing, and what it will do in Austria.
- Proof of the capital and where it comes from: bank confirmations, the shareholder agreement, the financing commitments. For a self-employed key worker, evidence of the macroeconomic benefit the AMS assesses — typically a sustained transfer of at least €100,000 of investment capital or the jobs created or secured, but the Act names those only as examples and also accepts significance for a region (§ 24(1) AuslBG); for a start-up founder, €30,000, at least half of it equity.
- For a start-up: evidence that the product or service is innovative — a description, a prototype, a patent application — and, for the bonus points, an incubator’s admission or a funding decision from an Austrian start-up support body.
- Proof that you will personally run the business: the company agreement, your appointment as managing director, your shareholding.
What you are qualified as
- The degree certificate, and proof of the status of the institution that issued it (§ 9(1)(1) and § 9(2)(4) NAG-DV for the Red-White-Red Card; § 9(6)(2) NAG-DV for the EU Blue Card) — a diploma supplement or transcript usually does the second part. For the very highly qualified, a four-year programme; for other key workers and the EU Blue Card, three; for the Blue Card’s IT-experience route, a work reference and a confirmation of employment showing three years of degree-level experience in the last seven (§ 9(6)(4) NAG-DV).
- For the graduate category: the certificate of the Austrian degree, and for a diploma programme also the record of study and the examination certificates for the second stage (§ 9(3) NAG-DV).
- For a vocational qualification: the certificate or diploma of the completed training. For a shortage occupation, the training has to be in that occupation.
- For “special skills” without a formal qualification — a designer, a musician, an athlete, an IT specialist who learned on the job: employment and training references and an employer’s confirmation (§ 9(2)(2) NAG-DV).
- A degree from outside Austria does not need formal recognition (Nostrifizierung) for the Red-White-Red Card or the EU Blue Card except in a regulated profession — the health professions, for example — but the AMS has to be satisfied it is what it says it is. The official migration portal points to the anabin database: a university listed there with status H+ is recognised, and otherwise a confirmation of the institution’s status from the competent authority of that country is filed with the application. Where the degree itself is in doubt, an evaluation by ENIC NARIC Austria, the national recognition information centre, can be obtained in addition; allow time for it before filing.
How long you have worked, and where
- A work reference (Dienstzeugnis) and a confirmation of employment (Arbeitsbestätigung) from each employer (§ 9 NAG-DV) — one describing the work, the other confirming the dates. Both are needed; a CV proves nothing on its own.
- For the very highly qualified: last year’s tax assessment or salary confirmation together with the employer’s confirmation of a senior position, where the salary points are claimed, and proof that the company is listed on a stock exchange or a positive statement on its business from the competent Austrian foreign-trade office (§ 9(1)(3) NAG-DV) — the salary points exist only for a senior position at such a company; publications, an institution’s confirmation or a patent-register extract for research points; the award certificate for an award.
- Experience counts by the half-year, and experience gained in Austria counts double in the shortage-occupation and other-key-worker tables. The dates on the confirmations are what the AMS adds up.
Which languages you speak, for the points
- An internationally recognised diploma or course certificate for German or English (§ 9 NAG-DV) — and for French, Spanish or Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian at B1, which each earn five points. Certificates may not be older than 5 years on the day of application (§ 20d(6) AuslBG).
- A certificate that is one day too old earns nothing. If yours is near the limit, sit the test again before filing rather than after a refusal.
That you are insured against all risks in Austria
- For an employee: the employment contract usually does it — compulsory insurance with the ÖGK starts with the job, and the ordinance asks for a policy only where no compulsory insurance will exist (§ 7(1)(5) NAG-DV). The official migration portal (migration.gv.at) nonetheless lists evidence of health insurance among the documents for every application, so a confirmation from the employer or the insurer is worth including.
- For everyone else: a private policy that matches statutory cover — all risks, no waiting period for treatment, valid in Austria. Travel insurance does not qualify. Vienna publishes a list of accepted insurers and a clause the policy has to carry.
- Voluntary self-insurance with the ÖGK is an alternative for someone already registered at an address in Austria: €565.25 a month in 2026 at the full rate (reducible on application), and €78.84 a month for students. At the full rate it pays for treatment as a rule only after a waiting period — three months under § 124(1) ASVG, extendable to six by the insurer’s statutes; oesterreich.gv.at gives six months — and the authority accepts it only once it pays: until then a private policy has to bridge the gap.
Who your family are
- Your marriage certificate or registered-partnership certificate, and the birth certificates of the children who are applying, with an apostille or consular legalisation, and a German translation, where the authority asks for them (§ 7(1)(3), § 6(3)–(4) NAG-DV) — for civil-status certificates it usually does.
- Your partner’s passport and, for a third-country sponsor, his/her residence title; for an Austrian sponsor, the proof of citizenship; for an EU citizen, the registration certificate. For the NAG family titles — “Family Member”, the Red-White-Red Card plus and the § 69 permit — both spouses have to be at least 21 on the day of application, and a child under 18 (§ 2(1)(9) NAG); the family of an EU citizen follows the wider free-movement definition instead.
- For the settlement permit “Dependant” (§ 47(3) NAG) — parents, a durable partner, other dependent relatives of an Austrian — the sponsor’s declaration of liability in every case, even where the dependant has means of his/her own, certified by an Austrian notary or court and valid for at least five years. For “Family Member” and the Red-White-Red Card plus no declaration of liability is admissible: the family shows its own or household income.
Whether anything in your record stands in the way
- The general list of documents in § 7 NAG-DV does not include a certificate of good conduct. The authority assesses the public-order ground on what it holds and can ask for what it needs, and in practice the representations abroad and many authorities — Vienna for every first application — ask for a police clearance certificate from your country of nationality, and from any country you lived in for more than six months before coming to Austria, not older than three months; whether it has to be legalised is for the authority to say. Obtaining one before you file, and keeping it current, avoids a delay at the point where the file is otherwise complete.
- A conviction is not in itself a bar — with the exceptions in § 11(1) NAG: a conviction in the last twelve months for unlawful entry or evading border control, an entry ban or residence ban, and a recent return decision are absolute bars. Otherwise what the authority weighs is whether your stay would endanger public order or security (§ 11(4) NAG). That is a question for a lawyer before it is a question for a form.
How this route differs from the ones next to it
Other key workers
If an Austrian company will employ you rather than you founding one, the employed categories are the route: other key workers at 55 of 90 points and at least €3,465 gross a month in 2026, with an employer’s declaration in place of a business plan.
Red-White-Red Card plus
The two categories part company after two years: a start-up founder whose company meets the conditions of § 24(4) AuslBG — 2 full-time employees and €200,000 in turnover or €100,000 in financing — reaches the plus card and the whole labour market (§ 41a(7a) NAG); a self-employed key worker who has carried on the activity for two years may be granted a plain settlement permit for self-employment instead (§ 43(1) NAG).