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e-card

Health insurance card: e-card

The e-card is a plastic card proving that you have health insurance. You show it at the doctor's and pay nothing on the spot for covered services.

How you get it
Arrives by post once you are registered with social insurance (employer, AMS, etc.)
Photo
From age 14 the card carries a photo
Fee
Service fee €26.85 for 2027, deducted on 15 Nov 2026
Family
Co-insured family members do not pay the fee

Step by step

  1. First you need a registered address (Meldezettel) — many later steps depend on it.
  2. When you start working, your employer registers you with social insurance (usually ÖGK). If you register with AMS, AMS does it.
  3. If you do not yet have an Austrian social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer), one is assigned at registration; the e-card is posted to your address.
  4. If no photo of you exists in Austrian records (passport, ID, driving licence), you will be asked to bring one to a registration office. Without a photo, people aged 14+ do not get the card.
  5. Until the card arrives, you can give the doctor your social security number — they can check your insurance with it.

What to bring

  • Registered address (Meldezettel)
  • Passport or ID
  • A photo, if none is on record in Austria

Common mistakes

Waiting for the card without checking that your employer registered you. If nothing arrives within a few weeks, call ÖGK.

Not adding a child or spouse: family members without their own insurance can often be co-insured (Mitversicherung).

Words you will meet

die Sozialversicherungsnummersocial security number
die Krankenkasse / die ÖGKhealth insurance fund / Austrian Health Insurance Fund
mitversichertco-insured
der Hausarztfamily doctor (GP)
die Überweisungreferral to a specialist

Official sources

Checked: 2026-10-05. This is a plain-language summary of official information, not legal advice. Deadlines and amounts change — check the linked official sources before you go.