Protection
Health insurance in Austria for expats
Austria has one of Europe's most comprehensive health systems, and for most arrivals cover is automatic rather than something you shop for. The decisions that remain are about supplementary private cover, dependants, the gap between leaving one system and joining another, and which of your existing policies quietly stop working the day you change residency.
Key points at a glance
- Employment or self-employment triggers mandatory statutory health insurance, usually with the ÖGK.
- Contributions are a share of the roughly 18% employee social insurance deduction — not a separate premium.
- Non-working spouses and children are generally co-insured at no additional cost.
- Private supplementary cover typically buys private hospital rooms and faster specialist access.
- Home-country private medical and critical-illness policies frequently lapse on change of residence.
How statutory cover starts
Registration by your employer with the Austrian social insurance system creates your cover, usually from the first day of employment. You receive an e-card, which is the access key to GPs, specialists and hospitals contracted to the system. There is no deductible for most treatment, and prescription charges are a modest flat fee per item.
Self-employed people are insured through the SVS instead, with contributions based on income and a small percentage deductible on treatment. Students, pensioners and people without employment income have their own routes into the system.
Cover for family members is a genuine differentiator: a non-earning spouse and children are typically co-insured without an additional premium, which changes the maths considerably against private-only systems.
The gap between systems
The risk period is between leaving your old cover and your Austrian insurance starting. EU and EEA citizens can bridge with an EHIC or, for a planned move with continuing home-country insurance, an S1 form. Third-country nationals often need private travel or expat medical insurance for the bridging period — and a residence title application will usually require proof of cover anyway.
Do not cancel home-country cover before your Austrian e-card is confirmed. Cancellation for a pre-existing condition is difficult to reverse if the new arrangement is delayed.
If you are moving with a chronic condition or ongoing treatment, plan continuity of prescriptions and specialist referrals explicitly — the systems do not talk to each other.
Private supplementary insurance: what it actually buys
Roughly a third of Austrians hold supplementary private cover (Zusatzversicherung). It does not replace statutory cover; it upgrades the experience — a private or semi-private hospital room, treatment by the head physician, and materially shorter waiting times for elective procedures and some specialist appointments.
Premiums depend heavily on age at entry and typically range from around €50 to €200 per month. Because pricing is age-banded at entry, taking cover earlier in your stay is usually cheaper over the long run, and pre-existing conditions may be excluded.
Dental treatment is the most commonly underestimated gap: statutory cover is limited for anything beyond basic care, and standalone dental cover is often better value than a broad supplementary policy.
The policies that quietly stop working
Life insurance written abroad usually continues, but critical-illness, income protection and private medical policies frequently carry territorial limits that exclude residents of other countries. Insurers are not obliged to notify you when a change of residence affects a claim.
Income protection deserves specific attention. Austrian statutory sick pay and invalidity provision exist but are capped, and higher earners with a mortgage typically have a real gap that neither the state system nor a lapsed foreign policy covers.
Reviewing every policy's territorial scope before you move — and replacing rather than simply cancelling what will lapse — is the single most valuable insurance step in a relocation.
Frequently asked questions
Is health insurance mandatory in Austria?
Yes. Health insurance is compulsory for residents and is normally provided automatically through statutory social insurance once you are employed or self-employed. Those without an employment-based route must arrange cover another way, and residence title applications generally require proof of insurance.
How much does health insurance cost in Austria?
For employees it is part of the roughly 18% social insurance deduction from gross salary rather than a separate premium, and it covers dependants at no extra cost. Optional private supplementary insurance typically costs €50–€200 per month depending on age and scope.
Can I keep my private health insurance from home?
Usually not in a useful way. Most private medical and critical-illness policies restrict or exclude cover for residents of other countries. Check the territorial scope of each policy before cancelling anything, and confirm your Austrian cover is active first.
Are family members covered by my Austrian insurance?
Generally yes. A non-earning spouse or registered partner and children are typically co-insured under your statutory health insurance without an additional premium, subject to the usual conditions.
See what applies to your move in 3 minutes
The free Austria Financial Relocation Check asks a few questions about your pensions, investments and family situation, then shows which areas to deal with before you arrive.