Austria’s parliament has added a new immigration route to its Settlement and Residence Act that will make life easier for thousands of frontier workers who live in neighbouring EU states but hold third-country passports. Effective 1 December 2025, the new “Residence Permit – Cross-Border Commuter” (Aufenthaltstitel Grenzgänger) will combine the right to reside and work in Austria’s border districts for up to two years at a time. Applicants must already possess permanent residence and full labour-market access in the country where they live, maintain their main home there, and commute regularly to an Austrian workplace located in an eligible district or city such as Innsbruck, Salzburg, Klagenfurt or Villach.
Unlike the Red-White-Red Card—which assumes a full relocation—the new permit is designed for engineers in Bratislava who drive to a chip plant in Lower Austria, IT consultants from Brno supporting clients in Vienna, or Hungarian logistics managers who cross the A4 motorway daily to reach warehouses in Burgenland. Employers must still secure a positive labour-market opinion from the Public Employment Service (AMS) confirming no suitably qualified Austrian or EU candidate is available, but the process is expected to be faster because the applicant’s social-security coverage remains in the home country.
![Austria Creates New Cross-Border Commuter Permit, Launch Set for 1 December 2025]()
Government officials say the measure plugs a gap created by the EU free-movement regime: while EU citizens can commute freely, third-country nationals who have settled long-term in a neighbouring state had to rely on repeated business-visitor trips or lengthy posted-worker notifications. The new permit aligns Austria with similar schemes in Germany and Switzerland and is seen as critical for automotive supply chains clustered along the Slovak and Hungarian borders.
For mobility managers the headline is predictability. HR teams can now offer permanent employment contracts instead of serial short-term postings, reduce duplication of social-security contributions and plan start dates with greater certainty. Employers should update assignment policies, payroll interfaces and posted-worker compliance manuals before the 1 December go-live date. Legal advisers also recommend preparing explanatory letters for border police, as the new permit will be unfamiliar during its first months of rollout.
Unlike the Red-White-Red Card—which assumes a full relocation—the new permit is designed for engineers in Bratislava who drive to a chip plant in Lower Austria, IT consultants from Brno supporting clients in Vienna, or Hungarian logistics managers who cross the A4 motorway daily to reach warehouses in Burgenland. Employers must still secure a positive labour-market opinion from the Public Employment Service (AMS) confirming no suitably qualified Austrian or EU candidate is available, but the process is expected to be faster because the applicant’s social-security coverage remains in the home country.
Government officials say the measure plugs a gap created by the EU free-movement regime: while EU citizens can commute freely, third-country nationals who have settled long-term in a neighbouring state had to rely on repeated business-visitor trips or lengthy posted-worker notifications. The new permit aligns Austria with similar schemes in Germany and Switzerland and is seen as critical for automotive supply chains clustered along the Slovak and Hungarian borders.
For mobility managers the headline is predictability. HR teams can now offer permanent employment contracts instead of serial short-term postings, reduce duplication of social-security contributions and plan start dates with greater certainty. Employers should update assignment policies, payroll interfaces and posted-worker compliance manuals before the 1 December go-live date. Legal advisers also recommend preparing explanatory letters for border police, as the new permit will be unfamiliar during its first months of rollout.
