Responding to chronic labour shortages in border regions, Austria has created the “Residence Permit – Cross-Border Commuter” (Aufenthaltstitel Grenzgänger). From 1 December 2025 the permit lets third-country nationals who live just outside Austria but work in districts like Tirol, Salzburg, Carinthia or Burgenland reside and work legally without navigating the full Red-White-Red Card bureaucracy.
Eligibility rests on three pillars: (1) an unrestricted long-term residence title in a neighbouring country; (2) a primary home outside Austria; and (3) a binding employment contract with an Austrian company located in a designated frontier district or statutory city such as Innsbruck or Villach. The Public Employment Service will still issue a labour-market opinion, but only for the local district, slashing processing times from months to weeks.
![Austria unveils new frontier-worker residence permit for third-country commuters]()
Initial validity is up to two years with five-year renewals. Holders may not transfer their main residence into Austria without switching permit type, and students, posted workers and seasonal staff remain excluded. Employers must also navigate cross-border payroll rules: salaries are taxed in Austria, while social-security contributions generally continue in the home country under EU Regulation 883/2004, requiring an A1 certificate.
Western Austrian businesses—especially ski resorts, construction firms and hospitals—have lobbied for a commuter permit after losing workers to Switzerland and Germany. By simplifying paperwork and avoiding family-reunification complications, Vienna hopes to attract specialised technicians and health-care staff from Italy, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Mobility advisers recommend that HR audit existing commuter arrangements to determine whether staff currently on short-term assignments or service-provider visas could switch to the new category, reducing compliance risk and commute-related overtime expenses.
Eligibility rests on three pillars: (1) an unrestricted long-term residence title in a neighbouring country; (2) a primary home outside Austria; and (3) a binding employment contract with an Austrian company located in a designated frontier district or statutory city such as Innsbruck or Villach. The Public Employment Service will still issue a labour-market opinion, but only for the local district, slashing processing times from months to weeks.
Initial validity is up to two years with five-year renewals. Holders may not transfer their main residence into Austria without switching permit type, and students, posted workers and seasonal staff remain excluded. Employers must also navigate cross-border payroll rules: salaries are taxed in Austria, while social-security contributions generally continue in the home country under EU Regulation 883/2004, requiring an A1 certificate.
Western Austrian businesses—especially ski resorts, construction firms and hospitals—have lobbied for a commuter permit after losing workers to Switzerland and Germany. By simplifying paperwork and avoiding family-reunification complications, Vienna hopes to attract specialised technicians and health-care staff from Italy, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Mobility advisers recommend that HR audit existing commuter arrangements to determine whether staff currently on short-term assignments or service-provider visas could switch to the new category, reducing compliance risk and commute-related overtime expenses.
