Applicants for a residence permit in Austria for financially independent persons must meet several requirements: have no criminal record, earn income at a certain level outside Austria, know the basics of German, and get a residential address and insurance in the country.
Proving knowledge of German. Applicants are required to have at least the A1 German language proficiency level. Manuella spent a month revising her school knowledge of German with the tutor and then took an exam at the Goethe Institute branch in Rio de Janeiro. She received the Goethe-Zertifikat A1.
Converted from Brazilian reals, the exam price was about €100.
Renting an apartment. Applicants must conclude a lease agreement for at least a year. Our real estate expert helped Manuella find a three-bedroom apartment within a 15-minute walk from Sophia’s school. Manuella came to Austria to inspect the property with her daughter and make sure they both liked it.
The cost of renting amounted to €1,800 per month. The first payment consisted of prepaid rent for 6 months, a security deposit in the amount of rent for 3 months, and an Austrian realtor service in the amount of 2-month rent payment. In total, €19,800.
Getting insurance. Applicants are obliged to take out medical insurance with full coverage valid for at least 3 years. For Manuella’s family, insurance policies cost €800 per month.
Collecting evidence of financial solvency and source of income. Applicants must prove they have enough money for a yearlong stay in Austria. The required amount is calculated based on the family composition and the minimum cost of living validated for the year before application.
€85,000
The minimum amount Manuella had to show the presence of
Manuella needed to have €2,061 per month for herself and €318 for Sophia. Rental and insurance costs as well as Sophia’s tuition fee must be added to the amount. Sophia’s education cost about €25,000 per annum. Thus, for a year, Manuella was supposed to prove a minimum of €85,000 in assets, which she did.
Preparing a final package of documents. With Manuella, we collected the following set of papers:
A passport.
A birth certificate.
Two passport-sized photos.
A German proficiency certificate.
A certificate of no criminal records from Brazil.
A bank account statement.
Manuella’s company charter and constituent treaty as proof of income source.
Sophia’s passport, birth certificate and photos.
An application form for a residence permit for financially independent persons.
An application form for change of purpose for Sophia’s residence permit.
The documents were apostilled, translated into German and notarised.
