VISA requirements

As of 26.04.2024

Who does not need a Visa

Citizens of all European Union countries, Switzerland, Croatia, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in North and South America, members of the Schengen Agreement, and several other countries do not need a visa to enter Austria. Only a valid passport is required. In case of any doubts, please contact the Austrian Consulate or Embassy well in advance of your departure. Current Schengen Agreement member countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria**, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland*, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein*, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway*, Poland, Portugal, Romania**, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland*.

• Non-EU members. ** Schengen Air & Sea agreement.

Who needs a Visa?

Travelers from other regions are kindly advised to consult the respective Austrian or Schengen partner representations regarding the current visa status. Travelers possessing a valid visa can travel freely within the Schengen zone for up to three months, enabled by a Schengen visa issued by any Schengen-treaty member country.

For further information about visa regulations and Schengen visas, please visit the website of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. As a general rule, the processing time for an admissible Schengen visa application should not exceed fifteen calendar days. However, if further checks are necessary, the processing time may increase to forty-five calendar days.

Applications should be submitted as early as possible - up to 6 months prior to arrival, and at least 4 months before the congress or conference. Visa applications received after this timeframe may not be processed in time by the respective Austrian or Schengen partner representations. If available and appropriate, you can submit the names of participants who need a visa up to 6 months prior to arrival, and at least 4 months before the congress or conference to the ministry to potentially facilitate their application process.

Please find more detailed information at Visa – BMEIA - Außenministerium Österreich.

Letter of Invitation

The Federal Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs has been informed about your congress taking place in Vienna. Please note that support letters / invitation letters from the destination Vienna or the Vienna Convention Bureau cannot be provided. A letter of invitation can only be provided by the organizer of the congress, and only to registered participants (paid conference registration or invited participants or speakers). Letters for other persons, e.g., family members, cannot be issued. An invitation letter must be signed by an inviting Austrian company on company paper in the original (or company fax/mail to the Consulate), stating the purpose of the trip, dates of travel, name, and date of birth as well as the passport number of the person invited:  

• Proof of employment (if required)
• For self-employed people: Excerpt from the company register or similar document
  Source: Visa – BMEIA - Außenministerium Österreich

Exception applies: For non-Austrian meeting organizers (no company outlet in Austria), the issue of an invitation letter is permitted also.

Participants who need to receive an official letter of invitation to obtain a visa, raise travel funds, or for administrative purposes should apply for this document ideally 6-4 months prior to event at the very latest. Any invitation letter request must be addressed ideally during the conference registration process. This invitation letter is not a commitment on the part of the organizers to provide financial support but may serve as proof of the travel purpose for the visa applicant.

Further recommendation for congress organizers:

• Invitation letters should be written with a formal letterhead of the association/organizer.
• The template of the invitation letter should be transmitted to the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs e-mail: abtiv2@bmeia.gv.at.
• Participants who do not pay registration fees (i.e., speakers, invited guests, etc.) do not have to provide a proof of payment, but must provide proof that they have been invited by the association/congress organizer. In these cases, an indication in the invitation letter is needed.

To request an invitation letter, please complete the registration process.

For more information, visit: Registration