Relocating to Austria
Moving to Austria: the financial side, country by country
Visas and apartments are the easy part. The decisions that shape your finances for years — what happens to your pension, how your portfolio is taxed once you become Austrian tax resident, and which insurance cover stops at the border — are best made before you arrive. Pick the country you're moving from.
Guides by country of origin
- Moving to Austria from the UKPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for British expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from the USPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for American expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from GermanyPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for German expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from SwitzerlandPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Swiss expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from the NetherlandsPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Dutch expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from IrelandPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Irish expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from FrancePensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for French expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from ItalyPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Italian expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from SpainPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Spanish expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from CanadaPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Canadian expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from BrazilPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Brazilian expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from ArgentinaPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for Argentine expats.Read the guide
- Moving to Austria from South AfricaPensions, investments, tax residency and family protection for South African expats.Read the guide
Guides by topic
The questions that come up for everyone moving to Austria, whatever passport you hold — what it costs, when you become tax resident, how health cover starts, what happens to your pension, and how to tell independent advice from a product sale.
- Life in AustriaLiving in Austria as an expat: the financial side explainedWhat living in Austria actually costs, how you get insured, how salaries and taxes work, and which financial decisions to make before you arrive.Read the guide
- BudgetingCost of living in Austria: what expats actually spendRealistic monthly budgets for Vienna, Innsbruck, Graz and Salzburg — rent, insurance, transport, childcare and what a comfortable expat salary looks like.Read the guide
- TaxAustrian tax residency for expats: when it starts and what changesWhen you become Austrian tax resident, what worldwide taxation means for your investments and pensions, and how double taxation treaties decide who taxes what.Read the guide
- RetirementPensions in Austria for expats: what happens to what you've builtHow Austrian state pensions work, what happens to pensions built up abroad, EU aggregation and totalization agreements, and when a transfer makes sense.Read the guide
- ProtectionHealth insurance in Austria for expatsHow Austria's statutory health insurance works, who is covered, what private supplementary cover adds, and what to do about home-country policies.Read the guide
- AdviceChoosing an expat financial advisor in AustriaHow independent, English-speaking financial advice works in Austria, how advisors are paid, what to ask before signing, and how to spot tied product sales.Read the guide
What every move to Austria has in common
Once you establish your main residence in Austria you generally become Austrian tax resident, and Austria taxes worldwide income and capital gains. Most investment income falls under Austrian capital gains tax (KESt) at 27.5%, and how a fund is treated depends on its Austrian reporting status — which is why two identical-looking portfolios can produce very different net results.
Pension entitlements built up abroad are generally preserved. Within the EU/EEA and Switzerland, contribution periods are coordinated; with countries such as the US, Canada, Brazil and others, bilateral social security agreements do similar work. What changes is payout taxation, reporting and currency exposure.
Health cover is the item most often overlooked: home-country public and private health insurance usually ends with residency, while Austrian statutory cover starts once you are registered and insured. Life, critical-illness and income-protection policies frequently carry territorial limits worth checking before you cancel or rely on them.
Invest Expat is an independent advisory firm with offices in Vienna and Innsbruck, working in English with expats and internationally mobile professionals. The information here is general and not individual tax or investment advice.