Austria’s Council of Ministers (Ministerrat) has authorised the Foreign Ministry to open negotiations with Uzbekistan on a reciprocal visa-waiver regime for holders of biometric diplomatic passports. According to the minutes of the 47th cabinet meeting held on 8 April 2026, the government endorsed a draft agreement that would exempt diplomats and their immediate families from the current C- and D-visa requirements for short-term postings and official travel. The move reflects Vienna’s broader strategy of deepening ties with fast-growing Central Asian markets while streamlining mobility for officials engaged in economic diplomacy, cultural cooperation and multilateral work. Uzbekistan opened its economy after 2017 and has become an increasingly important interlocutor for the European Union on energy, raw materials and regional security.
![Austria Green-Lights Visa-Free Travel for Holders of Biometric Diplomatic Passports From Uzbekistan]()
For practical guidance on Austrian entry rules—whether for diplomatic, business or tourist purposes—VisaHQ offers an easy-to-use platform with real-time requirements, digital application forms and expert support; see https://www.visahq.com/austria/ for details on how the service can simplify visa logistics for individuals and corporate mobility teams alike.
Austria already hosts the Vienna-based OSCE and several UN agencies—institutions that rely heavily on the efficient circulation of accredited diplomats. Practically, the agreement will allow accredited Uzbek diplomats (and conversely Austrian diplomats posted to Tashkent) to enter, transit and stay in the partner country for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without needing to apply for a Schengen short-stay or Austrian national visa. Because the waiver is limited to biometric diplomatic passports, it will not affect ordinary passport holders or business travellers, but it will remove a layer of red tape for official delegations, reducing processing times by an estimated three to four weeks. Employers that second staff to embassies or multilateral organisations in Austria should note that family members of diplomatic passport holders will enjoy the same visa exemption but will still need separate residence permits if they take up gainful employment. The Foreign Ministry is expected to finalise the text with its Uzbek counterpart within three months, after which it will require parliamentary ratification and publication in the Federal Law Gazette before entering into force—most likely in the fourth quarter of 2026. For global-mobility managers, the development is another sign that Austria is willing to use targeted visa facilitation to strengthen bilateral relationships. Companies that work on EU-funded projects in Central Asia or host Uzbek officials for training programmes in Vienna can anticipate smoother logistics once the agreement is implemented.
For practical guidance on Austrian entry rules—whether for diplomatic, business or tourist purposes—VisaHQ offers an easy-to-use platform with real-time requirements, digital application forms and expert support; see https://www.visahq.com/austria/ for details on how the service can simplify visa logistics for individuals and corporate mobility teams alike.
Austria already hosts the Vienna-based OSCE and several UN agencies—institutions that rely heavily on the efficient circulation of accredited diplomats. Practically, the agreement will allow accredited Uzbek diplomats (and conversely Austrian diplomats posted to Tashkent) to enter, transit and stay in the partner country for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without needing to apply for a Schengen short-stay or Austrian national visa. Because the waiver is limited to biometric diplomatic passports, it will not affect ordinary passport holders or business travellers, but it will remove a layer of red tape for official delegations, reducing processing times by an estimated three to four weeks. Employers that second staff to embassies or multilateral organisations in Austria should note that family members of diplomatic passport holders will enjoy the same visa exemption but will still need separate residence permits if they take up gainful employment. The Foreign Ministry is expected to finalise the text with its Uzbek counterpart within three months, after which it will require parliamentary ratification and publication in the Federal Law Gazette before entering into force—most likely in the fourth quarter of 2026. For global-mobility managers, the development is another sign that Austria is willing to use targeted visa facilitation to strengthen bilateral relationships. Companies that work on EU-funded projects in Central Asia or host Uzbek officials for training programmes in Vienna can anticipate smoother logistics once the agreement is implemented.
