Austria has moved quickly to plug a long-criticised gap in its immigration system by launching a dedicated Frontier Worker Permit that took effect on 1 December 2025. Until now, non-EU nationals who lived just across the border in Bratislava, Brno, Sopron or Maribor had to juggle short-term work approvals and Schengen visitor allowances if their employer needed them on site in an Austrian plant or office. The new permit, anchored in the amended Settlement and Residence Act (NAG) and Foreign Employment Act (AuslBG), creates a clear legal basis for regular cross-border commuting while keeping families and tax residence in the worker’s home country.
Holders must prove permanent residence and full labour-market access in a neighbouring state, present an Austrian employment contract for a job located in one of Austria’s border districts, and show evidence of genuine daily or weekly commuting. A positive labour-market opinion from the Public Employment Service (AMS) is still required but is now limited to the local district, cutting processing times from several months to a few weeks. The initial validity is two years and the permit is renewable provided frontier-worker conditions continue to be met. Family reunion is not included, reinforcing the commuter character of the route.
![Austria unveils Frontier Worker Permit for third-country commuters]()
For multinationals with twin-plant operations—such as automotive suppliers straddling the Slovak and Austrian sides of the Danube valley—the move is a game-changer. HR teams can rotate non-EU engineers stationed in Bratislava to a production surge in Parndorf without triggering a full Red-White-Red Card process or paying relocation allowances. Vienna-based tech start-ups gain easier physical access to Budapest-based developers for agile sprints, while payroll teams must watch the 183-day rule that could shift income-tax liability back to Austria if a commuter’s on-site days mount up.
Practically, employers should update assignment policies to include proof of accommodation outside Austria, sworn translations of the employment contract and a commuting-time map—officials have reportedly rejected applications where Google Maps showed less than 45 minutes’ one-way travel. Workers must maintain health insurance in their home country and avoid uninterrupted stays of more than ten days in Austria, or they risk breaching the permit terms. Legal advisers note that the permit aligns Austria with EU labour-mobility standards already in place in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, reducing compliance friction for pan-European HR operations.
Holders must prove permanent residence and full labour-market access in a neighbouring state, present an Austrian employment contract for a job located in one of Austria’s border districts, and show evidence of genuine daily or weekly commuting. A positive labour-market opinion from the Public Employment Service (AMS) is still required but is now limited to the local district, cutting processing times from several months to a few weeks. The initial validity is two years and the permit is renewable provided frontier-worker conditions continue to be met. Family reunion is not included, reinforcing the commuter character of the route.
For multinationals with twin-plant operations—such as automotive suppliers straddling the Slovak and Austrian sides of the Danube valley—the move is a game-changer. HR teams can rotate non-EU engineers stationed in Bratislava to a production surge in Parndorf without triggering a full Red-White-Red Card process or paying relocation allowances. Vienna-based tech start-ups gain easier physical access to Budapest-based developers for agile sprints, while payroll teams must watch the 183-day rule that could shift income-tax liability back to Austria if a commuter’s on-site days mount up.
Practically, employers should update assignment policies to include proof of accommodation outside Austria, sworn translations of the employment contract and a commuting-time map—officials have reportedly rejected applications where Google Maps showed less than 45 minutes’ one-way travel. Workers must maintain health insurance in their home country and avoid uninterrupted stays of more than ten days in Austria, or they risk breaching the permit terms. Legal advisers note that the permit aligns Austria with EU labour-mobility standards already in place in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, reducing compliance friction for pan-European HR operations.
