Profile

Red-White-Red Card plus (family reunification)

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-12[1][9]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Aufenthaltstitel „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ (Familienzusammenführung) as of 2026-08-12[9][10]
NAG § 8 Abs. 1 Z 2 names the title; § 46 is the family-reunification provision. The same card is issued on employment grounds under § 41a and is recorded separately as at-rwr-card-plus.
Official name (English)Red-White-Red Card plus (family reunification) as of 2026-08-12[1][3]
Official English name of the card; the family-reunification qualifier is descriptive.
Legal basisNAG § 46 Abs. 1, 1a, 2, 3 und 6 as of 2026-08-12[1][9]
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-08-12[10]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-12[1][2]
Minimum age21 as of 2026-08-12[1][9]
Applies to spouses and registered partners only, who must have completed their 21st year at the time of application; no minimum age applies to minor children, for whom minority is itself the condition. The field holds one number and cannot state which relation it binds.
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 duration2 years as of 2026-08-12[9]
NAG § 46 Abs. 1a second sentence and Abs. 6 second sentence: two years where the sponsor holds a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ under § 41a Abs. 1 or 7a, or is a former EU Blue Card holder now on a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ or „Daueraufenthalt – EU“. Where the sponsor holds a § 41 Red-White-Red Card, an EU Blue Card or a „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Forscher“, the card's validity instead follows the sponsor's (§ 46 Abs. 1a first sentence, Abs. 6 third sentence), which is why initial_duration_basis is matches_sponsor.
How the initial term is setmatches the sponsor's permit
RenewableNot established from a qualifying source
Work rightsfull as of 2026-08-12[1][10]
NAG § 8 Abs. 1 Z 2 and migration.gv.at: fixed-term settlement with unrestricted labour-market access.

Permanent residence and citizenship

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

Requirements

Requirements
Who can sponsortemporary permit holder, permanent resident, specific permits as of 2026-08-12[1][9]
The union of the sponsor categories in § 46 Abs. 1 Z 1, Z 1a, Z 2 and Abs. 3. 'citizen' is deliberately absent: family members of Austrians take the „Familienangehöriger“ title under § 47 Abs. 2, recorded as at-familienangehoeriger. The matrix below states which sponsor yields what.
Eligible relationsspouse, registered partner, minor child as of 2026-08-12[1][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.
Sponsor income requirement1 × equalisation supplement reference rate per month as of 2026-08-12[1][5]
Sponsor accommodation requirementYes as of 2026-08-12[1][2][5]
NAG § 11 Abs. 2 Z 2 requires a legal entitlement to accommodation regarded as locally customary for a comparably sized family. The administering portal's list of titles exempt from that condition — Red-White-Red Card, Blue Card, Settlement permit Researcher and Researcher-Mobility, the settlement permit for extended family members of EEA or Swiss nationals, Student, ICT and mobile ICT, Volunteers — does not include the family-reunification titles.
Pre-entry language testYes as of 2026-08-12[1]
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.
Sponsor and relation matrix
    • Sponsor status: temporary permit holder
    • Relation: spouse
    • Resulting condition: NAG § 46 Abs. 1 Z 1: sponsor holds a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte“ (§ 41), a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ under § 41a Abs. 1, 4, 7a or 7b, a „Niederlassungsbewilligung“ under § 43 Abs. 1, a „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Sonderfälle unselbständiger Erwerbstätigkeit“ resting on an activity under AuslBG § 1 Abs. 2 lit. f or i, or a „Niederlassungsbewilligung – Forscher“ (§ 43c) — „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ as of right, no quota place required.
    • Sponsor status: temporary permit holder
    • Relation: spouse
    • Resulting condition: NAG § 46 Abs. 3: sponsor holds an EU Blue Card, or now holds another title having originally held one — „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ may be issued, no quota place required, decision within eight weeks (Abs. 6 Z 1).
    • Sponsor status: permanent resident
    • Relation: spouse
    • Resulting condition: NAG § 46 Abs. 1 Z 1a: sponsor now holds a „Daueraufenthalt – EU“ but originally held a Z 1 title — „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ as of right, no quota place. NAG § 46 Abs. 1 Z 2 lit. a: sponsor holds a „Daueraufenthalt – EU“ without that history — a quota place is required.
    • Sponsor status: temporary permit holder
    • Relation: minor child
    • Resulting condition: NAG § 46 Abs. 1 Z 2 lit. b: sponsor holds a „Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus“ that is not one under § 41a Abs. 1, 4, 7a or 7b — a quota place is required.
    • Sponsor status: specific permits
    • Relation: spouse
    • Resulting condition: NAG § 46 Abs. 1 Z 2 lit. c to e: sponsor is a recognised refugee (and the applicant is not a family member under § 46a Abs. 5), or an EU-law-resident third-country national holding a residence card under § 54 or a permanent residence card under § 54a, or holds an „Artikel 50 EUV“ title — a quota place is required. In the refugee case the authority must obtain an opinion from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (Abs. 7).

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2026-08-12[1]
First applications are filed at the competent Austrian representation abroad, which checks completeness and forwards them; migration.gv.at lists categories of family member who may file in Austria instead. Where departure is demonstrably impossible or unreasonable, the authority may allow an in-country application to protect the best interests of an unaccompanied minor or private and family life.
Statutory processing timeRecorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-12[1][9]
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: EUR 218 as of 2026-08-12[1][11]
      EUR 218.
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
Quota
  • Quota exists: Yes as of 2026-08-12[1][6][9]
  • Annual cap: Not established from a qualifying source
    No number is published for 2026; see the note on quota.exists.
  • Cap exists but is not published as a single figure: Yes

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-08-12[7][9]

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedNot established from a qualifying source

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 cited12
of which official (tier 1)12
Oldest as-of date2026-08-12
Newest as-of date2026-08-12
Reviewed on2026-08-17
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] 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
  2. [2] 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
  3. [3] Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus — qualifying cases, one-year validity, three-year validity on Module 1 plus two years' settlement, 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
  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] 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
  11. [11] „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
  12. [12] 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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