How the 90/180 rule applies here
If you are visa-exempt, you can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The limit applies to the Schengen Area as a whole, not to Austria: days spent in Germany or Italy count towards the same 90-day limit.
- The 180 days are a moving window, not a calendar period. For any given date, count back 180 days, including that date, add up the days you spent in the area, and the total must never exceed 90.
- The day you arrive and the day you leave both count as full days, even if you are only there for a few hours.
- All eight of Austria’s neighbours — Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein — are in the Schengen Area. A day trip to Bratislava or Munich still counts as a Schengen day.
- Only the passage of time restores your allowance. The European Commission states it plainly: an uninterrupted absence of 90 days gives you a fresh 90 days.
Staying longer than 90 days
For stays beyond 90 days you need an Austrian residence permit. The first application is normally made at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for you; visa-exempt nationals may also apply in Austria during their visa-free stay. The two routes people ask about most differ in whether you plan to work at all.
Settlement permit – gainful employment excepted
For living in Austria on money you already have — pensions, income from assets, savings — without working. Only a limited number are granted each year under a quota, you need German at A1 level for the first application, and the permit is normally issued for one year at a time.
Money: a regular monthly income of at least €2,616.78 for a single person, €4,128.24 for a married couple or registered partners, plus €403.76 for each child (2026 figures). Pensions, income from assets, savings or company shares can count.
Red-White-Red Card for self-employed key workers
For self-employed people whose business brings a benefit to Austria beyond their own income. The card is issued for 24 months and covers the self-employed activity described in the application, after which you can move on to a settlement permit if you still meet the requirements. There is no points system for this route.
Money: the business must transfer at least €100,000 of investment capital to Austria, or create or secure jobs, bring in know-how or new technology, or matter to the whole region.
The mistake worth avoiding
Assuming you can carry on remote working on the settlement permit without employment. Austria has no digital nomad visa, and that permit is explicitly for living there without gainful employment. If your plan includes working while in Austria, check with the authority which permit covers it before you apply.
Common questions
Does a day trip to a neighbouring country pause my count?
No. Every country bordering Austria is in the Schengen Area, including Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are not in the EU. A day in Bratislava, Munich or Zurich counts exactly like a day in Vienna.
Is there anywhere nearby that stops the count?
Not by land. The closest countries outside the Schengen Area are in the Western Balkans, such as Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina. Time there stops you adding days, but it does not reset the count: the rule always looks back 180 days.
Does an Austrian residence permit change how the rule applies to me?
Once you hold one, your stay in Austria is governed by that permit rather than by the 90/180 rule. Stays in other Schengen countries are still limited, so check the terms before planning long trips elsewhere.
Check it at the source
Immigration rules change, and the financial thresholds change most often of all. These are the official pages this guide is based on.
Count your Schengen days
Open the Schengen 90/180 calculatorThis guide is a planning aid, not legal advice. The final decision on entry and length of stay rests with the border officer or the consulate. Confirm the rules with the official sources above before you travel.