Visa for Austria on its own: the most complete instructions
Hi! Today we will tell you how to get a visa for Austria yourself through the embassy, without resorting to paid services of visa centers. Once our first trip to Europe started in Austria, and we approached the issue of getting the first Schengen very responsibly. We had a choice: prepare the whole package of documents and hand it in to the consulate or overpay 25 euros for each and contact the EC. As 50 euros does not lie on the road to this day, we decided to take a risk and go through the whole process of obtaining an Austrian visa step by step, filling in our gaps. As it turned out, nothing particularly complicated was waiting for us, we just had to consider a number of nuances. In addition, now that we have traveled Europe and already have experience in obtaining visas from other countries, we can say that the employees of the visa department of the Austrian Consulate in Moscow are one of the most correct and friendly towards the applicants. There even the guards are smiling and there are usually no queues ???? Know more about Kotor.
Step-by-step instructions for obtaining an Austrian visa (short)
- Preparation of necessary documents;
- Schedule an appointment at the visa department of the Austrian Embassy in Moscow via the official website: https://appointment.bmeia.gv.at/?Office=Moskau
- Visit to the visa department at the agreed time to submit documents at the address: Moscow, Chisty pereulok, 11
- Same day: payment of visa fee to Raiffeisenbank (nearest office, address will be stated on the issued certificate)
- Obtaining a passport with a visa on a day determined by an expert
Now the details ????
A photo of an Austrian visa that I got myself at the consulate
Primary preparation
Before applying for a visa, you should already know clearly the dates of your upcoming trip, the mode of transport that will take you to your Habsburg homeland and back, and also decide where you will live. Austrians are very meticulous and are conscientious about such things. Also, be prepared to prove your financial viability with a bank statement or sponsorship letter. The most important thing to remember is that you must not cheat or cheat by submitting already canceled accommodation reservations or unpaid / return airline tickets to the consulate. Most likely they will not check, but if they do, in the worst case you will no longer get an Austrian visa. In the best case, you will have to resubmit the documents and pay the consular fee again (35 euros). If you only need a Schengen visa with a minimum package of documents, then you should definitely not ask the Austrians for it. There are much simpler and legal options. For example, this:
Collecting documents for an Austrian visa
Since we are tourists, and independent, we were mostly interested in a tourist visa. Here is a complete list of documents to obtain:
There are usually a lot of questions on this list, so we decided to dwell on each item in more detail.
Visa application for Austria
For all Schengen countries, the visa application form is unique and differs only in the set of languages in which it is presented. Accordingly, to obtain a visa for Austria, Russians are offered in Russian and German. This questionnaire is a questionnaire and also serves as a visa application. It does not matter whether you apply for a visa yourself or through a visa center, in both cases the application form is the same. It is not difficult to fulfill, but there are a few points that always cause difficulties.
You must fill in the questionnaire only in German or English, or in Russian, but in Latin letters!
We remind you that you can download the Austrian visa application form from us, this is the official form:
Visa application for Austria in PDF format:
The PDF can be downloaded and completed manually or created on a computer using Adobe Acrobat. Both options are legally identical. We filled it in by hand with an ordinary black pencil, everything was accepted without discussion.
Now for the problem points:
- Item 2: Last name at birth (previous surname (s)) / Familienname bei der Geburt (frühere (r) Familienname (n))
The item needs to be filled in for women and men, if the last name has not changed, enter the one you have now.
Important! Both last name and first name must be entered on the visa application form in full accordance with your passport.
- Item 6: Country of birth / Geburtsland
If you were born before 1991 in the USSR, write “USSR” here, if you were already born in Russia – “Russian Federation”.
- Item 11. ggf. nationale Identitätsnummer / Identification number, if any
This item may be left blank, we do not have such an identification number in Russia.
Passport and its copy
The most important thing is that your stranger is valid for at least 3 months after the end of the trip. It must also contain at least two blank pages (for the visa itself and the stamps for the border crossing). If previously issued Schengen visas are already affixed to your passport, you need to make a photocopy of these pages and submit them together with your passport. The same goes for already revoked old passports: if they had visas in them, copy and submit along with the rest of the documents. Don’t forget to make a photocopy of the foreigner’s photo page: if you hand in the documents at the consulate yourself, you won’t have access to the photocopier.
The Austrian embassy has the same visa requirements as other Schengen countries. Size: 35×45 mm. The face should take up most of the photo, 70-80%. That is, if it is human, the distance in the photo from the chin to the top of the head should be 32 to 36 mm. The distance from the crown to the upper edge is at least 2 mm. From the chin to the eye line at least 13 mm. The upper part of the shoulder is visible in the frame.
The photo must be in color, transparent, without color filters, on matte photo paper. Also, there should be no foreign objects or accessories within the frame. You should not frown or distort normal facial features in the photo. Also, the face should not cover the hair. We recommend that you strictly adhere to these requirements, as Austrians are not among the most loyal bureaucrats. Still, we are sure that every photo studio knows what photos should be for Schengen ????
Visa fees
When you apply for a visa at the Austrian consulate, you will receive a confirmation of payment of the visa fee. Size: 35 euros. Payment is required in cash at the nearest Raiffeisen bank branch. The bank address is on the account. Upon receipt of the passport you must present a payment invoice, without it the documents will not be given.
Health insurance
To visit Austria, as well as any country in the Schengen area, you need insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros. The official website of the Austrian Embassy contains a list of insurers whose policies are suitable for obtaining a visa. This list includes all major Russian companies.
Proof of residence
If you are a tourist, then you will most likely book a hotel, hostel or apartment in reservation systems such as Booking.com, AirBNB or any other. Just print the confirmation via the page. It is important that the printed version is in English or German, otherwise you will have to translate the reservation. To the best of our knowledge, most booking systems allow you to print your booking at least in English. If for some reason you do not need to book accommodation (you will be living with friends, for example), it is enough to write a free information letter in English or German.
Route confirmation
Airline or train tickets, or bus tickets, are usually attached as confirmation of the travel plan. If you plan to travel by car, you must enclose a copy of the vehicle registration certificate and a description of the route in free form in English or German. You can do it in Russian and then give it to a translation agency. It is not necessary to certify the translation with a notary, the seal of the bureau is enough. If, in addition to Austria, you are planning to travel within the Schengen area, you must also inform the consulate: attach maps or a description of the route.
In that case, it is important that you spend more days in Austria than in any other country. Otherwise, the Austrians will refuse the visa and recommend contacting the consulate of the main host country. There is a nuance here: for example, you go first for 3 days to Austria and then immediately for 3 days to Germany. In this case,
Proof of income
The Austrian embassy is not strict on this issue. The easiest option, if you are an employee, is to bring a certificate from work that you are actually employed by Company X and receive an average salary of N. If this is not possible, you can provide a bank statement. There are disputes over the minimum amount available: some are quietly given an Austrian visa with a minimum amount of money: 50 euros per person for each day of stay, while others are denied. Our tip: show from 70 euros per person for each day of your stay in Austria. More is better, but 70 is enough.
By the way, the Austrian embassy accepts not only bank statements with a bank stamp. When we handed in the documents ourselves, we saw that the young girl in front of us was handing over a copy of the card issued at the ATM, and enclosing a photocopy of this bank card on both sides. This kit was also accepted without any problems.
Important! A bank statement or any other proof of income and financial standing is best provided in English or German. You can translate it yourself, it is not necessary to notarize it. For those who will be translating themselves, we enclose examples of translations of standard certificates suitable for the visa department of the Austrian Embassy (available for download):
Appointments in the Visa Section
Once everything is collected, the next stage is a visit to the Visa Section at the Austrian Embassy. You can schedule an appointment on the official website: https://appointment.bmeia.gv.at/?Office=Moskau If you do not have internet access (anything happens), you can make an appointment in person at the Visa Section on Wednesdays from 13:30 to 14 : 30 hours.
It is best to check in early in the morning, in which case the queue for submitting documents and the bank for paying the fee is the smallest.
Submission of documents
Arrive at the visa department 20 minutes before the agreed time. We remind you of the address: Moscow, Chisty per., 11 If you come by car, then in the morning there are usually plenty of parking spaces next to the Visa Office. Parking is paid, price: 40 rubles per hour. About 10 minutes later, a security guard turns you on and asks you not to use your cell phone. By the way, it is better to turn off the phone completely. You wait for the call and hand over the documents, along the way you give biometrics / fingerprints (fingerprints) in the same window. Along with the confirmation of acceptance of documents, you will receive a confirmation of payment of the visa fee in the amount of 35 euros (payment in rubles at the exchange rate of the Central Bank). Pay the same day at the nearest Raijfeisen bank branch, they will tell you which one.
Obtaining a passport with a visa
On the day determined by the visa expert, come for the visa! Otherwise, you can pick up a visa for your spouse without a power of attorney upon presentation of a passport (the one who will pick it up) and a marriage certificate. To pick up your passport, you do not have to arrive on time, it is enough to fill in the time for issuing a visa: Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 15:00. The main thing is to arrive no earlier than the agreed day, otherwise the visa may not be ready. Later, you can.