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Ausweis für Vertriebene

Status for people from Ukraine: Ausweis für Vertriebene

Temporary protection gives you the right to live and work in Austria. It is confirmed by the blue Ausweis für Vertriebene card. Here is how to get it, how long it is valid and how to switch to a long-term status.

Valid until
4 March 2028 (extended by EU decision)
Card renewal
Automatic: the BFA posts a new card to your registered address
Work
No work permit (Beschäftigungsbewilligung) needed — since April 2023
Long-term status
Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus, in Vienna via MA 35, fee €218

Step by step

  1. Complete the first registration with the police (at designated stations or registration centres): they record your passport data, take a photo and, from age 14, fingerprints.
  2. Separately register your address — Meldezettel — within 3 days of moving in. The card is sent to this address, so report any move straight away.
  3. Receive the Ausweis für Vertriebene by post. If it has not arrived within 10 working days, email the BFA (bfa-info@bmi.gv.at): name, date of birth, IFA number, current address.
  4. You can work right away. To get help finding a job, register with the AMS with your blue card. If you have no means or housing, you can apply for Grundversorgung — in Vienna via Fonds Soziales Wien (FSW).
  5. Arrange health insurance: since 1 June 2025 people from Ukraine are no longer insured automatically. Insurance (and the e-card) comes through work, Grundversorgung, as a family member of an insured person, or voluntary self-insurance.
  6. For a long-term status, apply in person for the Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus at MA 35 (book online or call +43 1 4000-3535). Conditions: 12 months of fully insured employment within the last 24 months, German A1 (or Module 1 of the integration agreement), secure income, housing and insurance.

What to bring

  • Passport and other documents if available: birth certificate, marriage certificate, driving licence
  • Confirmation of address registration (Meldezettel)
  • For the Karte plus: blue card, valid passport, biometric photo (max. 6 months old), application form
  • For the Karte plus: proof of income, rental contract, proof of insurance, A1 certificate (max. 1 year old)
  • For the Karte plus: criminal record certificate from your home country (from age 14, max. 3 months old); documents not in German/English need a certified translation

Common mistakes

Not reporting a move to the Meldeamt — the new card goes to the old address and the BFA cannot reach you.

Thinking your right of residence ended with the date on the card. The right is valid until 4 March 2028, regardless of the date printed on the card.

Assuming you are insured by default. Since 1 June 2025 you need to arrange cover yourself — through work, Grundversorgung or self-insurance.

Applying too late to renew the Karte plus. The application must be filed before the card expires (no earlier than 3 months before).

Words you will meet

der Ausweis für Vertriebenedisplaced person's card (blue card)
das vorübergehende Aufenthaltsrechttemporary right of residence
die Beschäftigungsbewilligungemployment permit
die Grundversorgungbasic care (housing, food, insurance)
die Krankenversicherunghealth insurance

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.