Austrian citizenship by naturalisation

Austria grants citizenship through several routes, including by naturalisation (Verleihung). For citizenship by application, the key points are the general naturalisation requirements plus a required period of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Austria. 123

Who needs this

• This procedure is for people who want to receive Austrian citizenship by application (Verleihung). 123
• In general, you need to meet the general naturalisation requirements and submit an application. 123
• There are different residence periods depending on the case: six years, ten years, 15 years, or 30 years. 234
• For a six-year application, you must also meet one of the special conditions listed in the official sources, such as marriage or registered partnership with an Austrian citizen for five years, EEA citizenship, birth in Austria, B2 German, or proof of sustainable personal and professional integration. 24
• For a ten-year application, one path is ten years of lawful and uninterrupted residence, including five years as settled (niedergelassen), or ten years as an asylum beneficiary. 34
• If you live in Vienna, MA 35 is the responsible authority. If your main residence is in another Austrian province, the provincial government office (Amt der Landesregierung) is responsible. 234

Step by step

1. Check which residence period and additional conditions apply in your case. 234
2. Gather the documents you need for your personal situation. 14
3. If you live in Vienna, prepare for the first information session (Erstinformationsveranstaltung) and discuss your case there. 4
4. Submit the application. The application can be informal or made with the form “Verleihung bzw. Erstreckung der Verleihung der österreichischen Staatsbürgerschaft”. 1
5. After the documents are checked, the authority starts the investigation procedure and may request more documents and invite you to the citizenship test (Staatsbürgerschaftstest). 4

Documents

• The exact documents depend on your personal situation. 1
• Foreign-language documents must be submitted in the original together with a certified translation (beglaubigte Übersetzung) certified in Austria. 1
• In general, such translations should be made by sworn and court-certified interpreters (beeidete und gerichtlich zertifizierte DolmetscherInnen). 1
• The authority may also require an apostille to recognise documents. 1
• For Vienna, the city says you should obtain all documents early and, if possible, prepare electronic versions as PDF or JPEG. 4

Cost and time

• Vienna states that costs may arise for translations, certifications, and apostilles. 4
• The processing time depends on the scope of the authority’s investigations and on whether all documents are complete. 4

Deadlines

• For the standard route, the residence period is generally ten years of lawful and uninterrupted residence, with at least five years settled in Austria. 13
• For the six-year route, the sources require six years of lawful and uninterrupted residence plus one of the listed special conditions. 24
• For the 15-year route, you must have 15 years of lawful and uninterrupted residence and show sustainable personal and professional integration. 4
• For the 30-year route, you must have had an uninterrupted main residence in Austria for 30 years. 4

City by city

• Vienna: MA 35, Fachbereich Staatsbürgerschaft, is the responsible office for people with a main residence in Vienna. Contact details given by the city are E-mail kanzlei@ma35.wien.gv.at, phone +43 1 4000-3535, and address Dresdner Straße 89-93, 1200 Wien. 4
• Vienna also offers an initial information session and says you can contact them by phone or contact form for information during the procedure. 4
• Outside Vienna: if your main residence is in another Austrian province, contact the responsible provincial government office (Amt der Landesregierung). 234