Austria Citizenship by Investment Program

Austria Citizenship by Extraordinary Achievements

An excellent place to establish residence within the EU, Austria is the only Western European country that offers the possibility to obtain citizenship by investment and an EU passport without prior residence requirements.

• Investment
  Substantial contribution to the Austrian economy or extraordinary achievements in the interest of Austria
• Key benefit
  Visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to approximately 190 destinations including Canada, Hong Kong, the rest of the EU, and Europe’s Schengen Area

Overview of Austria Citizenship by Investment

As a citizen of Austria, you can live and work in the country and anywhere else in the EU at any time. The Austrian passport has an excellent reputation and offers very comprehensive visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel, including to Hong Kong (SAR China), Japan, Singapore, and the USA. When you acquire citizenship under the Austrian Citizenship Act, you and your family enjoy full citizenship for life, which can be passed on to future generations by descent.

Benefits of Austria Citizenship by Investment

• Visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to approximately 190 destinations
• The right to reside anywhere else in the EU and Switzerland
• High quality of life
• Excellent transport and communications

Requirements of Austria Citizenship by Investment

Under the citizenship by investment provisions, an applicant is required to invest actively in the Austrian economy, for example, in the form of a joint venture or direct investment in a business that creates jobs or generates new export sales. Significant direct investment is generally required. Passive investments in government bonds or real estate, for example, do not qualify. Alternatively, citizenship may be granted for extraordinary achievements that serve Austria’s national interest, such as outstanding contributions in sports, science, philanthropy, or the arts.

In addition to standard documentary requirements (such as passports, birth, and marriage certificates), a completely clean personal record (certificate of no criminal record), a comprehensive CV, and business background information, as well as impeccable references must be provided by all applicants.

The Austrian Citizenship Act generally requires the applicant to abandon their current citizenship as a precondition for being granted Austrian citizenship. However, in case of a grant of citizenship under the provisions of Article 10 (6) of the Citizenship Act, the former citizenship can be legally maintained, that is, the applicant may not be required to give up their present citizenship.

Austria Citizenship by Investment Procedures

The grant of citizenship on the basis of a capital contribution involves various procedures and requires government approval at several levels. It is therefore essential that the applicant is properly advised from the beginning, that each individual case is carefully prepared, and that informal approvals from the key ministries are obtained before the investment is made and the formal application process is started.

Successful applicants receive full citizenship of the Republic of Austria by decision of the Government of Austria and can apply for a passport immediately afterwards. Passports are issued within a few days.

The grant of citizenship is not published and not reported to any other country, as it falls within the government provisions relating to privacy or official secrets.

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