Settlement Permit – Dependant

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-12[2][10]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)„Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger“ as of 2026-08-12[10][11]
NAG § 8 Abs. 1 Z 6 and § 47 Abs. 3 name the title.
Official name (English)Settlement Permit – Dependant as of 2026-08-12[2]
Translation of the official German designation as the administering portal uses it. Marked as a translation.
Legal basisNAG § 47 Abs. 1 und 3, with § 47 Abs. 4 und 5 for the change of purpose to a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ as of 2026-08-12[2][10]
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-08-12[11]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-12[2][3]
Minimum ageNot established from a qualifying source
Criminal-record conditionNo as of 2026-08-12[4][5]
Austrian residence law imposes no clean-criminal-record condition as such. NAG § 11 Abs. 1 lists the mandatory grounds of refusal and none of them is a conviction in general: the only conviction-based ground is Z 6, a final penalty in the last twelve months for circumventing border control or unlawful entry. A criminal record can still defeat an application through the public-interest test in NAG § 11 Abs. 2 Z 1, which is why migration.gv.at records that many authorities ask for a police-record extract not older than three months with a first application. So the answer here is "no" in a narrow sense: a clean record is not a condition of this permit, but a conviction can still cost an applicant the permit.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration12 months as of 2026-08-12[7]
NAG § 20 Abs. 1: twelve months. NAG § 20 Abs. 1a's three-year issuance reaches § 8 Abs. 1 Z 6, which is this title, on Module 1 plus two years' continuous lawful settlement.
How the initial term is setfixed
RenewableNot established from a qualifying source
Work rightsnone as of 2026-08-12[2]
migration.gv.at: the „Niederlassungsbewilligung – ausgenommen Erwerbstätigkeit“ and the „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger“ entitle the holder to fixed-term settlement without the pursuit of gainful activity. Access to the labour market requires the change of purpose under § 47 Abs. 4.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceYes as of 2026-08-12[8][11]
Settlement title; NAG § 45 Abs. 1.
How this time counts toward citizenship1 as of 2026-08-12[13]
StbG § 10 Abs. 1 Z 1; settlement title.

Requirements

Requirements
Who can sponsorcitizen as of 2026-08-12[2][10]
NAG § 47 Abs. 1: an Austrian, EEA or Swiss citizen permanently resident in Austria who has not exercised their free-movement right of residence for more than three months. Same vocabulary limitation as on at-familienangehoeriger.
Eligible relationsparent, grandparent, unmarried partner, other dependent as of 2026-08-12[2][10]
NAG § 47 Abs. 3: relatives of the sponsor, or of the sponsor's spouse or registered partner, in the direct ascending line who are actually maintained by them — the portal names parents, parents-in-law and grandparents, which is why both parent and grandparent are recorded; life partners who show a durable relationship in the country of origin and are actually maintained; and other relatives who were already maintained by the sponsor in the country of origin, or already lived with them in a household there, or for whom serious health grounds make personal care by the sponsor imperative. The last group is recorded as other_dependent.
Sponsor income requirement1 × equalisation supplement reference rate per month as of 2026-08-12[2][5]
Sponsor accommodation requirementYes as of 2026-08-12[2][5]
NAG § 11 Abs. 2 Z 2.
Pre-entry language testYes as of 2026-08-12[2]
migration.gv.at: on a first application for a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“, „Familienangehöriger“, „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger“, „Niederlassungsbewilligung“ or „Niederlassungsbewilligung – ausgenommen Erwerbstätigkeit“, family members must evidence German at CEFR A1 before entry („Deutsch vor Zuzug“), by a diploma no older than one year at the time it is produced. Persons who have not completed their 14th year at the time of application are exempt, as are persons for whom the evidence cannot reasonably be required on physical or mental health grounds, certified by a public medical officer.

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2026-08-12[2]
First applications abroad as a rule, with the same in-country exceptions as the other family titles.
Statutory processing timeRecorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-12[2]
Six months for a decision on an application, stated generally by migration.gv.at; no clock specific to this title was found.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: EUR 218 as of 2026-08-12[2][12]
      EUR 218.
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
Quota
  • Quota exists: No as of 2026-08-12[6][10]

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-08-12[7][10]

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-08-12[2][9]
NAG § 46 Abs. 4: family members of a holder of a „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger“ are to be granted a „Niederlassungsbewilligung“ where the general conditions are met and a quota place is available.
Eligible relationsspouse, registered partner, minor child as of 2026-08-12[2][9]
migration.gv.at's definition of family member under the NAG: spouses, registered partners and minor unmarried children including adopted and step-children. Spouses and registered partners must have completed their 21st year at the time of application.
Family may apply at the same timeNot established from a qualifying source
Family members' work rightsself-employment only as of 2026-08-12[2]
migration.gv.at: the „Niederlassungsbewilligung“ permits only self-employed activity.

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited13
of which official (tier 1)13
Oldest as-of date2026-08-12
Newest as-of date2026-08-12
Reviewed on2026-08-17
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] AuslBG § 20e — Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus (the 21-of-24-months employment condition and the six-week AMS deadline) (version in force from 7 August 2026)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  2. [2] Familienzusammenführung — family reunification: definition of family member, which title each sponsor category yields, the quota rule, 'Deutsch vor Zuzug' A1 requirement, 2026 equalisation supplement reference rates, fees
    migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 · Archived copy
  3. [3] Permanent immigration — Red-White-Red Card groups and general requirements for issuing residence permits (incl. the equalisation supplement reference rate from 1 January 2026)
    migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  4. [4] Temporärer Aufenthalt — the Aufenthaltsbewilligung (temporary residence permission) catalogue: general conditions, 2026 equalisation supplement reference rates including the reduced rates for pupils and students, labour-market access for pupils and students
    migration.gv.at — joint portal of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12 · Archived copy
  5. [5] NAG § 11 — Allgemeine Voraussetzungen für einen Aufenthaltstitel (incl. Abs. 5: subsistence measured against the § 293 ASVG reference rates)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  6. [6] NAG § 13 — Niederlassungsverordnung (the annual quota ordinance and the exhaustive list of quota-bound residence titles)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  7. [7] NAG § 20 — Gültigkeitsdauer von Aufenthaltstiteln (12-month default, three-year issue after Module 1, five-year long-term-resident document, EEA absence rule)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  8. [8] NAG § 45 — Aufenthaltstitel „Daueraufenthalt – EU“
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  9. [9] NAG § 46 — Bestimmungen über die Familienzusammenführung (version in force from 7 August 2026)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  10. [10] NAG § 47 — Aufenthaltstitel „Familienangehöriger“ und „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Angehöriger“ (version in force from 7 August 2026)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  11. [11] Niederlassungs- und Aufenthaltsgesetz (NAG) § 8 — Arten und Form der Aufenthaltstitel (consolidated federal law, version in force on the access date)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  12. [12] „Blaue Karte EU“ – Antrag — EU Blue Card application: conditions, validity, employer change, eight-week statutory decision period, EUR 218 application fee
    oesterreich.gv.at — Austrian federal digital-services portal (content responsibility: Federal Ministry of the Interior) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-07 · Accessed 2026-08-12
  13. [13] Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985 (StbG) § 10 — Verleihung (ten years' lawful residence, five of them settled; renunciation rule; constitutional discretionary limb in Abs. 6)
    Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Bundeskanzleramt · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-12

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