Salzburg-based law firm Harlander & Partner published updated guidance on 24 November 2025 explaining where and how employers—or applicants themselves—should file for an EU Blue Card in Austria. The article answers a practical question that has dogged HR departments since the 2024 revisions to Austria’s Settlement and Residence Act: whether initial filings must be made abroad or can be submitted in-country.
According to the firm, applications may be lodged either at an Austrian embassy/consulate in the applicant’s home country or directly with the competent provincial authorities (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat) once the candidate has entered Austria legally. The guidance walks through the documents most likely to trip up companies, including the employer’s declaration on salary and job duties, proof that the employee meets the prevailing minimum-salary threshold (€47,855 gross for 2024) and university-degree equivalency evidence.
![New Guidance Clarifies EU Blue Card Application Process in Austria]()
The publication is timely because many firms are already preparing Blue Card filings for early 2026 contracts, and because minimum-salary thresholds for both the Red-White-Red Card and the Blue Card will rise again on 1 January 2026. By clarifying that in-country filing is permissible after legal entry, the note could shave two to four weeks off onboarding schedules—particularly for intra-company transfers that are already inside the EU on business-visitor status.
Harlander & Partner also flag two traps: first, the labour-market test conducted by Austria’s Public Employment Service (AMS) remains mandatory even for ‘shortage-occupation’ roles unless the candidate’s pay exceeds 150 % of the average salary. Second, candidates planning limited self-employment alongside their main job must document that the side activity is strictly secondary. Employers are advised to update their mobility handbooks and to budget at least €160 in administrative fees per application.
According to the firm, applications may be lodged either at an Austrian embassy/consulate in the applicant’s home country or directly with the competent provincial authorities (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat) once the candidate has entered Austria legally. The guidance walks through the documents most likely to trip up companies, including the employer’s declaration on salary and job duties, proof that the employee meets the prevailing minimum-salary threshold (€47,855 gross for 2024) and university-degree equivalency evidence.
The publication is timely because many firms are already preparing Blue Card filings for early 2026 contracts, and because minimum-salary thresholds for both the Red-White-Red Card and the Blue Card will rise again on 1 January 2026. By clarifying that in-country filing is permissible after legal entry, the note could shave two to four weeks off onboarding schedules—particularly for intra-company transfers that are already inside the EU on business-visitor status.
Harlander & Partner also flag two traps: first, the labour-market test conducted by Austria’s Public Employment Service (AMS) remains mandatory even for ‘shortage-occupation’ roles unless the candidate’s pay exceeds 150 % of the average salary. Second, candidates planning limited self-employment alongside their main job must document that the side activity is strictly secondary. Employers are advised to update their mobility handbooks and to budget at least €160 in administrative fees per application.
