Austria is once again rationing its coveted “Residence Permit – Without Gainful Employment”, a document that lets financially-self-sufficient foreigners live anywhere in the republic for up to one year (renewable) without taking local jobs. On November 26 the Foreign Ministry quietly posted a notice confirming that the 2026 quota will be released in two distinct stages. Only applicants who secured an electronic pre-registration code in early November may log on to the consular booking calendar between 1 and 8 December 2025; every accompanying family member needs an individual slot, and reservations made under the wrong permit category will be cancelled.
The scramble is intense because demand vastly outstrips supply. The entire 2025 allotment of 5,470 places disappeared within hours, fuelled by retirees from German-speaking Switzerland, digital nomads from North America and high-net-worth parents accompanying Red-White-Red Card transferees. To qualify, applicants must prove monthly passive income of at least €2,178 (twice Austria’s „Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz“), hold comprehensive health insurance and show a lease or property deed for suitable housing. The permit does not authorise any local employment or freelance work; violations lead to revocation and a multi-year re-entry ban.
![Austrian embassies open one-week booking window for 2026 quota-based non-work residence permits]()
For corporate mobility teams the window matters because many senior assignees move with non-working spouses, dependent parents or adult children who rely on this quota. HR should organise an early-morning “booking party” on 1 December, double-checking that passport spellings match the pre-registration code—one typo blocks access to the system. Companies with transfers scheduled for mid-2026 face a painful dilemma: either obtain the permit now or juggle short-stay visas and repeated Schengen exits until the 2027 quota opens.
Any unclaimed appointments will be released to the general public after 15 December, but those interview dates fall well into late-2026, rendering a summer relocation virtually impossible. Applicants who miss out must wait another year or consider alternative—but more restrictive—statuses such as the six-month visitor-in-waiting stay, which prohibits local registration and therefore complicates schooling, health insurance and tenancy contracts.
Practically, expats already in Austria should track the permit’s expiry carefully. Holders must renew inside the country at least eight weeks before lapse; failure to do so means starting from scratch at an embassy and competing for the 2027 quota. Because the permit counts towards the ten-year clock for permanent residence, timely renewals are essential for those eyeing long-term settlement.
The scramble is intense because demand vastly outstrips supply. The entire 2025 allotment of 5,470 places disappeared within hours, fuelled by retirees from German-speaking Switzerland, digital nomads from North America and high-net-worth parents accompanying Red-White-Red Card transferees. To qualify, applicants must prove monthly passive income of at least €2,178 (twice Austria’s „Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz“), hold comprehensive health insurance and show a lease or property deed for suitable housing. The permit does not authorise any local employment or freelance work; violations lead to revocation and a multi-year re-entry ban.
For corporate mobility teams the window matters because many senior assignees move with non-working spouses, dependent parents or adult children who rely on this quota. HR should organise an early-morning “booking party” on 1 December, double-checking that passport spellings match the pre-registration code—one typo blocks access to the system. Companies with transfers scheduled for mid-2026 face a painful dilemma: either obtain the permit now or juggle short-stay visas and repeated Schengen exits until the 2027 quota opens.
Any unclaimed appointments will be released to the general public after 15 December, but those interview dates fall well into late-2026, rendering a summer relocation virtually impossible. Applicants who miss out must wait another year or consider alternative—but more restrictive—statuses such as the six-month visitor-in-waiting stay, which prohibits local registration and therefore complicates schooling, health insurance and tenancy contracts.
Practically, expats already in Austria should track the permit’s expiry carefully. Holders must renew inside the country at least eight weeks before lapse; failure to do so means starting from scratch at an embassy and competing for the 2027 quota. Because the permit counts towards the ten-year clock for permanent residence, timely renewals are essential for those eyeing long-term settlement.
