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Working Holiday · Working Holiday Programm (Austria-Argentina Working Holiday Programme)

Working Holiday Austria

Annual quota
200
Age
Ages 18 to 30
Duration
12 months
Visa cost
EUR 195
Annual quota
200 permits per year
Age
18 to 30
Duration
12 months
Visa cost
EUR 195
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🛂 You are viewing the requirements for citizenship 🇦🇷 Argentina🇨🇱 Chile. If you have another one, change it here:
Jump to what you need

Austria's Working Holiday Programm is the working holiday visa for Argentines, created from the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Argentina and Austria in 2019. It lets you live in Austria for up to 12 months, work occasionally to fund your trip and use the country as a base for exploring Europe. It is one of the lesser-known Working Holiday programmes and has less competition: there are only 200 places a year, but in practice they don't run out.

Unlike Australia or New Zealand, the Austrian application is NOT online: it is done 100% in person at the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires, with an appointment booked in advance through the appointment.bmeia.gv.at system. You apply for a type D visa (long stay) and you have to submit all the documents in person, including the form, health insurance, funds and criminal record check.

It is a very accessible visa compared with others: it does not require a language certificate (German or English), does not ask for a university degree and the fee is EUR 195. What it does require is proof of funds of at least EUR 1,500, health insurance with minimum cover of EUR 30,000 (including repatriation) and not having taken part in the programme before. Ideal if you want a way into central Europe without the language requirements of Germany.

🧳 See the Austria travel guide (what to see, transport, prices) →

📌 At a glance

This program has agreements with several countries and the data changes depending on your citizenship. Choose your citizenship: the whole page adjusts, and your choice is saved.

Data for 🇦🇷 Argentina.
Programme
Working Holiday Programm (type D visa)
Age
18 to 30 years old inclusive at the time of applying
Annual quota (Argentina)
Up to 200 visas per year (they rarely run out)
Duration
12 months, non-extendable
Required funds
Sufficient funds to cover the costs of the first period of stay (the official Austrian source does not publish an exact amount; EUR 1,500 is a common reference, not an official minimum)
Visa cost
EUR 195, paid in pesos (cash) at the exchange rate of the day (verified July 2026)
Where to apply
In person, at the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires, with an appointment booked in advance
Language
No language certificate required (neither German nor English)
Health insurance
Mandatory, minimum cover EUR 30,000 with repatriation, for the whole stay
Work
Allowed, occasional; maximum 6 months with the same employer
👥 Annual quota
200
🎂 Age
Ages 18 to 30
Data for 🇨🇱 Chile.
Programme
Working Holiday Programm (type D visa)
Age
18 to 30 years old inclusive at the time of applying
Annual quota (Argentina)
Up to 200 visas per year (they rarely run out)
Duration
12 months, non-extendable
Required funds
Sufficient funds to cover the costs of the first period of stay (the official Austrian source does not publish an exact amount; EUR 1,500 is a common reference, not an official minimum)
Visa cost
EUR 195, paid in pesos (cash) at the exchange rate of the day (verified July 2026)
Where to apply
In person, at the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires, with an appointment booked in advance
Language
No language certificate required (neither German nor English)
Health insurance
Mandatory, minimum cover EUR 30,000 with repatriation, for the whole stay
Work
Allowed, occasional; maximum 6 months with the same employer
👥 Annual quota
200 permits per year
🎂 Age
18 to 30 inclusive on the date of application
💰 Funds required
Sufficient funds to support yourself during the initial period, plus a return ticket or money to buy one
🗣️ Language
No language certificate required
🎓 Education
No degree required
🧭 Where the application is made
In-person application at the Austrian Embassy in Santiago de Chile, by appointment. Stay of up to 12 months.

✅ Requirements, quotas and dates — choose your citizenship

The requirements, the quota and the opening date change depending on your citizenship. Choose your country and this whole page adjusts to you:

👥 Annual quota
200
🎂 Age
Ages 18 to 30

📅 Quotas and opening dates

The annual quota for Argentina is up to 200 visas, under the 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. Unlike destinations such as Australia, demand is low and the quota has not run out in recent years (there has always been availability since 2022). There is no fixed opening date or lottery: places are allocated in order of application and availability of appointments at the Embassy. If the quota were ever filled, availability usually returns around August or September. What matters is not 'reaching the quota first', but getting an appointment in the appointment.bmeia.gv.at system, which the Embassy releases gradually.

✅ Requirements

Argentine citizenship and passport
Be an Argentine citizen and hold a valid ordinary Argentine passport, valid for at least 3 months after the planned return date and with at least 2 blank pages.
Age
Be between 18 and 30 years old inclusive at the time of submitting the application. You must not have turned 31 on the day you apply.
Not previously taken part
Not have previously benefited from this Austria-Argentina Working Holiday programme. It is a one-time-only opportunity.
Sufficient funds
Show sufficient funds to cover the costs of the first period of stay, with recent bank statements (the last few months) or a card statement in your name. The official Austrian source (BMEIA) does not publish an exact minimum amount; the figure of EUR 1,500 that is often mentioned is indicative, not an official minimum.
Return ticket or funds to buy one
Present a return flight ticket (or reservation) or, failing that, show sufficient funds to buy the return ticket.
Health insurance
Take out health, accident and travel insurance valid for the whole stay, with minimum cover of EUR 30,000 that includes hospitalisation and repatriation in case of illness or death.
Criminal record check
Submit an Argentine criminal record check showing that you have no convictions. It must be valid at the time of the application.
Main purpose: a holiday
The main purpose of the trip must be a holiday/tourism; work is only an occasional supplement to fund your stay. A motivation letter to that effect is usually requested.
Do not travel with dependants
You cannot include dependent children under this visa; each person applies for their own separately, if applicable.

📄 Documentation

  • Completed and signed type D visa application form (Antrag auf Erteilung eines Visums D / type D visa application).
  • Valid Argentine passport (valid for at least 3 months after your return and 2 blank pages).
  • Recent biometric photo meeting ICAO standards (light background, passport size).
  • Argentine criminal record check (no convictions), valid.
  • Proof of funds: recent bank statements or a card statement in your name for at least EUR 1,500.
  • Return ticket (or reservation) or proof of sufficient funds to buy the return ticket.
  • Travel health insurance policy with minimum cover of EUR 30,000, hospitalisation and repatriation, for the whole stay.
  • Motivation letter stating that the main purpose is a holiday and that work is secondary.
  • Possible proof of accommodation for the first few weeks (some applicants submit one).
  • Cash (pesos) to pay the EUR 195 fee on the day of the appointment.

🏥 Health insurance: You must take out health, accident and travel insurance valid for the ENTIRE stay, with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000 that includes hospitalization costs and repatriation in case of illness or death. Without this insurance, the visa is not granted. Present the valid policy on the day of your appointment.

🔗 Official source for Argentines →

We verify the official sources of each country and, as of today, this program has no Working Holiday agreement in force for: 🇪🇸 Spain · 🇮🇹 Italy · 🇺🇾 Uruguay · 🇵🇪 Peru · 🇲🇽 Mexico · 🇧🇷 Brazil · 🇨🇴 Colombia · 🇪🇨 Ecuador · 🇨🇷 Costa Rica · 🇧🇴 Bolivia · 🇵🇾 Paraguay · 🇻🇪 Venezuela · 🇬🇾 Guyana · 🇸🇷 Suriname. If you hold dual citizenship, check which one is best to apply with.

See why, country by country
🇪🇸 España
As a citizen of the European Union you have free movement in Austria: you can live and work without needing a Working Holiday or any other permit. If you stay more than 3 months, EU rules allow you to be asked to register with the relevant authority (you get a registration certificate confirming your right to reside); failing to do so can lead to a fine, but you cannot be expelled for that alone. Source: europa.eu, 'Registering your residence abroad' (Your Europe), verified 17/09/2026.
🇮🇹 Italia
You don't need a Working Holiday: as a citizen of the European Union you have free movement in Austria, with the right to live and work without a visa. If you stay more than 3 months, you must obtain the registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) from the local authorities.
🇺🇾 Uruguay
Uruguay has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026, according to the official list of Uruguay's foreign ministry).
🇵🇪 Perú
Peru has no Working Holiday / Work and Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026).
🇲🇽 México
No agreement has been signed. BMEIA: «Österreich hat bislang mit Argentinien, Australien, Chile, Hongkong, Indien, Israel, Japan, Kanada, Neuseeland, Südkorea, Taiwan und den USA Vereinbarungen für WHP getroffen». Mexico is not listed.
🇧🇷 Brasil
Brazil has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria. Austria is not among the five férias-trabalho visa partners published by Itamaraty (gov.br/mre), and the official list of Working Holiday Programme partners from the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States, but NOT Brazil. (Checked July 2026.)
🇨🇴 Colombia
Colombia has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria. The Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) publishes the list of its Working Holiday Programmes and it only includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States: Colombia is not on it. Source: bmeia.gv.at (verified July 2026).
🇪🇨 Ecuador
Ecuador does NOT have a Working Holiday agreement with Austria. Austria has Working Holiday programmes with Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Taiwan, but not with Ecuador. Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility recognises only three Working Holiday agreements in force for Ecuadorians: Australia, France and Hungary. (Verified July 2026.)
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Costa Rica has NO Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026). Austria has Holiday and Work programmes with a limited group of countries and Costa Rica is not among them.
🇧🇴 Bolivia
Bolivia has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria. The Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) publishes the list of partner countries: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and the United States. Bolivia does not appear. Source: bmeia.gv.at. (Verified July 2026.)
🇵🇾 Paraguay
Paraguay does NOT have a Working Holiday Programm agreement with Austria. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) lists Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States as partner countries. Paraguay is not listed. Source: bmeia.gv.at, Working Holiday section. (Verified July 2026.)
🇻🇪 Venezuela
Venezuela has no Working Holiday Programme (WHP) agreement with Austria. The official page of Austria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (bmeia.gv.at, 'Working Holiday Application') details the programmes country by country: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, India, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and the United States. Venezuela does not appear. (Verified July 2026.)
🇬🇾 Guyana
Guyana has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026). Austria has bilateral Working Holiday Programm agreements with a limited group of countries (Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and a few more in South America), and Guyana is not among them. Source: BMEIA (bmeia.gv.at).
🇸🇷 Suriname
Suriname has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026). Austria has a Working Holiday Programm with a limited group of countries (Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and a few more) and Suriname is not one of them. With a Dutch passport you do not need one: EU free movement lets you work in Austria without a permit. Source: BMEIA (bmeia.gv.at).

🌎 Quotas by citizenship (summary)

Austria has Working Holiday agreements with several countries, but in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world only two are real and verified: Argentina and Chile. Both are independent bilateral agreements. In both cases the application is 100% in person at the Austrian Embassy in your home country (Buenos Aires for Argentines, Santiago for Chileans); you cannot apply from abroad or send someone else with the documents. The quota runs out quickly each year. Data verified July 2026.

🇦🇷ArgentinaSÍ
Quota: 200
Age: Ages 18 to 30
Non-renewable. You can take part in the programme only once in your lifetime.
See my requirements ↑
🇨🇱ChileSÍ
Quota: 200 permits per year
Age: 18 to 30 inclusive on the date of application
Non-renewable. Only one participation per person.
Working Holiday Austria for Chileans →
No agreement with Austria (14)
🇪🇸 España 🇮🇹 Italia 🇺🇾 Uruguay 🇵🇪 Perú 🇲🇽 México 🇧🇷 Brasil 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇧🇴 Bolivia 🇵🇾 Paraguay 🇻🇪 Venezuela 🇬🇾 Guyana 🇸🇷 Suriname
See the reason, country by country
🇪🇸 España
As a citizen of the European Union you have free movement in Austria: you can live and work without needing a Working Holiday or any other permit. If you stay more than 3 months, EU rules allow you to be asked to register with the relevant authority (you get a registration certificate confirming your right to reside); failing to do so can lead to a fine, but you cannot be expelled for that alone. Source: europa.eu, 'Registering your residence abroad' (Your Europe), verified 17/09/2026.
🇮🇹 Italia
You don't need a Working Holiday: as a citizen of the European Union you have free movement in Austria, with the right to live and work without a visa. If you stay more than 3 months, you must obtain the registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) from the local authorities.
🇺🇾 Uruguay
Uruguay has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026, according to the official list of Uruguay's foreign ministry).
🇵🇪 Perú
Peru has no Working Holiday / Work and Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026).
🇲🇽 México
No agreement has been signed. BMEIA: «Österreich hat bislang mit Argentinien, Australien, Chile, Hongkong, Indien, Israel, Japan, Kanada, Neuseeland, Südkorea, Taiwan und den USA Vereinbarungen für WHP getroffen». Mexico is not listed.
🇧🇷 Brasil
Brazil has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria. Austria is not among the five férias-trabalho visa partners published by Itamaraty (gov.br/mre), and the official list of Working Holiday Programme partners from the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States, but NOT Brazil. (Checked July 2026.)
🇨🇴 Colombia
Colombia has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria. The Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) publishes the list of its Working Holiday Programmes and it only includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States: Colombia is not on it. Source: bmeia.gv.at (verified July 2026).
🇪🇨 Ecuador
Ecuador does NOT have a Working Holiday agreement with Austria. Austria has Working Holiday programmes with Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Taiwan, but not with Ecuador. Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility recognises only three Working Holiday agreements in force for Ecuadorians: Australia, France and Hungary. (Verified July 2026.)
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Costa Rica has NO Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026). Austria has Holiday and Work programmes with a limited group of countries and Costa Rica is not among them.
🇧🇴 Bolivia
Bolivia has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria. The Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) publishes the list of partner countries: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and the United States. Bolivia does not appear. Source: bmeia.gv.at. (Verified July 2026.)
🇵🇾 Paraguay
Paraguay does NOT have a Working Holiday Programm agreement with Austria. The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BMEIA) lists Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States as partner countries. Paraguay is not listed. Source: bmeia.gv.at, Working Holiday section. (Verified July 2026.)
🇻🇪 Venezuela
Venezuela has no Working Holiday Programme (WHP) agreement with Austria. The official page of Austria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (bmeia.gv.at, 'Working Holiday Application') details the programmes country by country: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, India, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and the United States. Venezuela does not appear. (Verified July 2026.)
🇬🇾 Guyana
Guyana has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026). Austria has bilateral Working Holiday Programm agreements with a limited group of countries (Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and a few more in South America), and Guyana is not among them. Source: BMEIA (bmeia.gv.at).
🇸🇷 Suriname
Suriname has no Working Holiday agreement with Austria (verified July 2026). Austria has a Working Holiday Programm with a limited group of countries (Australia, Chile, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and a few more) and Suriname is not one of them. With a Dutch passport you do not need one: EU free movement lets you work in Austria without a permit. Source: BMEIA (bmeia.gv.at).

Verified in each country's official sources in July 2026. Quotas and dates change every year: always confirm at the official link for your citizenship.

🪜 Step-by-step procedure

🇦🇷 If your citizenship is Argentina
🔗 Where Argentines apply →
🇨🇱 If your citizenship is Chile

In-person application at the Austrian Embassy in Santiago de Chile, by appointment. Stay of up to 12 months.

🔗 Where Chileans apply →
📄 Full guide for Chileans →

The steps that follow are common to all citizenships; what changes is where you submit and what documentation each consulate asks for.

1
Gather and prepare your documents
Get a passport if you don't have one, apply for the criminal record check, take out health insurance (minimum EUR 30,000 with repatriation) and collect the bank statements that prove the EUR 1,500. Prepare it all weeks in advance.
2
Fill in the type D visa form
Download and fill in the type D visa application form (national/long stay). Enter your personal details, passport details and the reason for travel (Working Holiday). Print it and sign it to bring to the appointment.
3
Book an appointment at appointment.bmeia.gv.at
Go to the Embassy's appointment system (appointment.bmeia.gv.at), choose the 'Buenos Aires' office and the relevant visa category. Appointments are released little by little: check often in case there is availability.
4
Take out insurance and buy/book your ticket
Make sure you have an insurance policy that meets the minimum coverage of EUR 30,000 and a return ticket or the funds for one, because you will present them at the appointment.
5
Go to the Embassy in person
On the day of your appointment, go to the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires (Calle French 3671, C1425) with all your documents in original and copy. The process is in person only: it cannot be done online or through third parties.
6
Hand in your documents and biometric data
An official reviews your papers and may take the biometric data (photo and fingerprints) required for the D visa. Answer the questions about your travel plans naturally.
7
Pay the EUR 195 fee
Pay the EUR 195 fee in cash, in Argentine pesos at the day's exchange rate. Bring the exact amount or a little extra; confirm the peso amount when you book your appointment.
8
Wait for the decision and collect your passport
The Embassy processes the application and lets you know when to collect your passport with the D visa attached. Once the visa is approved, you can travel to Austria within the stated period and start your Working Holiday.

📝 The form / the application

Austrian Embassy appointment system (appointment.bmeia.gv.at) + paper D visa form Form / application: https://appointment.bmeia.gv.at/
📝 How to complete the form step by step →

💳 Costs

ItemAmount (verified)
D visa fee (Working Holiday)EUR 195, paid in pesos (cash) at the exchange rate of the day (verified July 2026)
Travel health insurance (12 months, coverage EUR 30,000+)Varies by coverage, age and insurer
Criminal record checkAccording to the current fee of the issuing body in Argentina
Argentine passport (if you need to get or renew it)According to the fee of the Registro Nacional de las Personas / foreign ministry
ICAO biometric photoVaries, at a photo studio
Translations into German (if the Embassy asks for them)Varies, sworn translator

⏱️ Processing times

The process is in person and the decision depends on the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires. There is no official published processing time, but as a guide it is best to apply early: it is recommended to start the process between about 6 months and, at the very least, 2 weeks before your planned travel date. Once approved, the visa is placed in your passport and you are told when to collect it.

🖐️ Biometrics and interview

The process is 100% in person at the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires (Calle French 3671, C1425 CABA). When you submit your application, they may take biometric data (photo and fingerprints) required for the D visa. There is no formal consular-style interview as in other countries, but there is a personal meeting where they review your documents and may ask you questions about your travel plans. Applications through third parties or by post are not accepted.

🏥 Health insurance

You must take out health, accident and travel insurance valid for the ENTIRE stay, with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000 that includes hospitalization costs and repatriation in case of illness or death. Without this insurance, the visa is not granted. Present the valid policy on the day of your appointment.

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💼 Work and study allowed

The Working Holiday visa lets you work on a casual basis to help fund your trip, with a limit of a maximum of 6 months with the same employer (you can change jobs during the year). The main purpose, however, must be holiday/tourism, not employment. You can also take short courses and study on a complementary basis. You can enter and leave Austria while the visa is valid.

🔁 Extension / second year

The visa lasts 12 months and is NOT extendable or renewable within the Working Holiday programme. If you want to stay in Austria afterwards, you have to switch to another type of permit (for example, a work or study permit) under Austrian immigration rules, applying through the appropriate channel.

💵 Cost of living

Austria is an expensive country by Latin American standards, but it is orderly, with good salaries and a very good quality of life. The currency is the euro (€); today 1 € is around US$ 1.08. Vienna is the most expensive in the country (and at the same time among the European capitals with the best value for money and quality of life), Salzburg and Innsbruck are touristy and also expensive, and Graz is a step more affordable.

Rent (room in a shared flat / WG)
€ 450-650/month in Vienna with utilities included (~US$ 485-700); in outlying districts (Simmering, Favoriten, Floridsdorf) from € 300-400. In Salzburg and Innsbruck, expect € 450-600 because of the tourism (verified July 2026)
Food (supermarket, monthly)
€ 250-350/month cooking at home (~US$ 270-380). Cheap chains: Hofer (the Austrian Aldi), Lidl, Penny and Billa (verified July 2026)
Public transport (monthly)
In Vienna the annual pass is now € 467/year (~€ 39/month, US$ 42); if you are under 26 there is a youth annual pass at € 300/year (verified July 2026)
Mobile phone + internet
€ 5-15/month on prepaid (HoT, spusu, Yesss, Magenta's Klax); fibre internet in the apartment € 25-40/month shared (~US$ 5-43) (verified July 2026)
Eating out / coffee
Coffee/cappuccino € 3.50-4.50; set lunch menu € 10-15; dinner at a restaurant € 15-25; half a pint of beer at a bar € 4-5 (~US$ 4-27) (verified July 2026)

Estimated monthly budget: One person living in a WG and cooking at home spends about € 1,100-1,500/month in Vienna (~US$ 1,190-1,620); in Salzburg or Innsbruck, expect somewhat more because of tourist-area rents. With a full-time job under a collective agreement you get by comfortably, especially if during the ski season you are given accommodation and meals (verified July 2026)

💼 Job market and salaries

Austria has NO general statutory minimum wage: wage floors are set by more than 800 collective agreements (Kollektivverträge) by sector, which cover about 98% of workers. In 2026 most agreements start between € 1,800 and € 2,000 gross/month for entry-level positions, and something key: you are paid 14 times a year (13th and 14th salaries, a holiday bonus in June and a Christmas bonus), which raises annual income considerably. In WH jobs you are paid by the hour or by the month, with the salary deposited into your Austrian account. Note: most customer-facing jobs require German; without the language you are limited to kitchen work, cleaning, logistics or very international environments (verified July 2026).

Hospitality and restaurants
The WH classic and the sector with the most demand: kitchen, assistant, dishwasher, runner, waiter/waitress, barista and reception in hotels, cafés and restaurants. Strong in Vienna all year round and in the tourist areas of the Alps in season. With basic German or English and a good attitude you get in quickly.
Ski season in the Alps
Austria's main event: from December to April, resorts in Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg (St. Anton, Ischgl, Mayrhofen, Sölden, Kitzbühel) need staff for hotels, chalets, bars, restaurants and the slopes. Many positions include accommodation, meals, a ski pass and sometimes a German course. You can find them through 'Seasonaires' Facebook groups and ski job websites; English is usually enough in the international après-ski scene.
Spanish, retail, cleaning and au pair
Your Spanish is an advantage for private lessons, nanny/au pair work and jobs facing Latin American tourists. There is also constant demand for shelf stockers in supermarkets, cleaning of hotels and offices, warehouses and logistics: these are the jobs where German matters least and there is always work, paid according to the sector's collective agreement.

🏙️ Where to live: recommended cities

Vienna (Wien)
The number one option: the capital, the most international, with the largest Latin American community and where you can get by in English in many settings. Chosen year after year among the cities with the best quality of life in the world, with excellent and cheap public transport, endless culture and plenty of work in hospitality. Ideal if it's your first time and you don't know German.
Salzburg
A Baroque city at the foot of the Alps, Mozart's birthplace and very touristy. Strong in hospitality and tourism all year round, and a gateway to the ski season. Smaller and more expensive than Vienna, but beautiful and well connected to Munich and the mountain villages. A good base if you're looking for hospitality work and nature.
Innsbruck
The capital of Tyrol, surrounded by mountains and the epicentre of Austrian skiing. A young university city, with plenty of seasonal work in hotels, bars and nearby resorts. Perfect if you want to combine hospitality work with snowboarding, skiing and mountaineering just metres from home.
Graz
The country's second city, in the south (Styria), cheaper and more relaxed than Vienna. A strong student scene, a good food and bar scene, and a somewhat milder climate. An affordable alternative for living without the capital's prices or the tourist saturation of the Alps.
🏙️ Complete city guide: choose where to land or move to →
🌡️ See ALL the cities of Austria: climate, cost of living and what work there is in each one →

💸 How much money you need (real budget)

Austria is expensive, but expensive in a predictable way: salaries are set by collective agreement, you are paid 14 times a year and rent, at least in Vienna, is among the most restrained in Western Europe. The big picture: if you work full time under a hospitality agreement you will earn around € 2,026 gross per month (the floor of the hotel and hospitality agreement in force since 1/5/2025, still in force in July 2026 because the 2026 negotiations ended without agreement), which leaves roughly € 1,550-1,650 take-home. Living in a WG in Vienna and cooking at home costs between € 1,100 and € 1,500 per month. In other words: you can save, but not heaps, unless you do a winter season in the Alps with accommodation and meals included, which is where you really build up money. What almost nobody calculates properly is the start. Between the rental Kaution (two or three months' rent that gets tied up), the first month in advance and two or three weeks in a hostel while you find a room, your first month costs you almost double a normal month. The € 1,500 the Embassy requires is enough for the application, not for setting yourself up: think about arriving with double or triple that if you want to be able to choose where to live and not accept the first job that comes along (verified July 2026).

Before you travel

D 'WHP' visa fee
How much€ 195
Details
Paid in cash, in pesos, at the exchange rate on the day of your appointment at the Embassy in Buenos Aires. It is not refunded if you are rejected (verified July 2026).
12-month health insurance (min. € 30,000 + repatriation)
How muchUSD 300 – USD 700
Details
A mandatory requirement for the visa and for your stay. It must cover hospitalisation and repatriation for the full 12 months, not 6.
Funds you must show
How much€ 1.500
Details
They are not paid: they are proved with bank statements or a card statement in your name. It is the Embassy's minimum, not a realistic budget.
Flight Buenos Aires – Vienna (one way)
How muchUSD 900 – USD 1,600
Details
There is almost never a direct flight: you fly via Madrid, São Paulo, Rome or Istanbul. December-January and July are the most expensive months.
Criminal record check + apostille
How muchAccording to the fee in force in Argentina
Details
Reincidencia or Registro Nacional depending on the case, plus the Hague apostille at the foreign ministry or the Colegio de Escribanos.
New passport or renewal
How muchAccording to the RENAPER fee
Details
It must be valid for at least 3 months after your planned return and have 2 free pages.
Translations into German (if requested)
How muchVaries, sworn translator
Details
They are not always required, but it's worth budgeting for the item just in case.
Cushion for settling in
How much€ 2.500 – € 4.000
Details
This is THE number that matters: Kaution + first rent + hostel + food until your first salary. See the block below.

The first month

Hostel or Airbnb while you look for a WG
How much€ 500 – € 900
Details
Allow 2 to 4 weeks of searching. A hostel bed in Vienna: € 25-40 a night; a cheap private room, € 55-80.
Kaution (rental deposit)
How much€ 900 – € 1.800
Details
The usual is 2 or 3 months of gross rent. By law it must be placed in a separate account in your name and returned with interest when you leave.
First month's rent in advance
How much€ 450 – € 650
Details
A room in a WG in Vienna, generally with Betriebskosten (utilities) included. In Salzburg and Innsbruck, a step higher.
Agency fee
How much€ 0
Details
Good news: since 1 July 2023 the Bestellerprinzip applies and the tenant NO longer pays an agency fee on rentals. If they try to charge you, it is illegal.
Transport pass
How much€ 300 – € 467 per year
Details
In Vienna the Jahreskarte costs € 467 (€ 461 in the digital version) and since 2026 there is a Jahreskarte Jugend at € 300 for everyone under 26, regardless of whether they study or work.
Prepaid SIM and data
How much€ 10 – € 20
Details
HoT (bought at the Hofer supermarket), spusu, Yesss or Klax. They are activated with a passport and come with EU-wide roaming.
Food and setting up your home
How much€ 350 – € 500
Details
First month's groceries plus the basics: sheets, towels, a type F plug adapter, some warm clothing if you arrive in winter.
Winter clothing (if you arrive between November and March)
How much€ 150 – € 400
Details
Thermal jacket, waterproof boots, gloves and a hat. Buying them there in sales or second-hand (Willhaben, Carla by Caritas) costs much less than bringing them.

Monthly spending

Room in a WG (Vienna)
How much€ 450 – € 650
Details
In the outlying districts (10th Favoriten, 11th Simmering, 21st and 22nd) you can find them from € 350-400. In the 1st to 9th, it is hard to go below € 550 (verified July 2026).
Room in a WG (Salzburg, Innsbruck)
How much€ 450 – € 700
Details
These are small, touristy cities with a lot of student demand: proportionally more expensive than Vienna. Graz is the most affordable in the country.
Supermarket, cooking at home
How much€ 250 – € 350
Details
Hofer (the Austrian Aldi), Lidl and Penny are the cheap ones; Billa and Spar are a step up. Note: everything closes on Sundays, supermarkets included.
Public transport
How much€ 25 – € 39
Details
Pro-rated share of the Vienna annual pass. If you travel around the whole country, the youth KlimaTicket Ö (under 26) costs € 1,050 a year from January 2026.
Mobile phone
How much€ 5 – € 15
Details
Prepaid with plenty of data. You don't need a contract or an Austrian bank account to get started.
Going out, coffee and beer
How much€ 100 – € 250
Details
Coffee in a Kaffeehaus € 3.50-4.50; set lunch menu (Mittagsmenü) € 10-15; half a litre of beer € 4.50-5.50; standing-room ticket to the Staatsoper, € 13-18.
Private health insurance (if you're NOT working)
How much€ 60 – € 120
Details
As long as you have no job, you depend on the travel insurance you took out for the visa. As soon as you are hired, the public ÖGK coverage is paid through employment.
Gym, sport, skiing
How much€ 25 – € 60
Details
Chain gym (McFit, Fitinn) from € 20-25. A day's ski pass at a large Tyrol resort is around € 70-80 in high season: if you work in the mountains, it usually comes included.
💰 How much to arrive with
To arrive in Vienna comfortably and hold out until your first salary you need between € 3,500 and € 4,500 (about USD 3,800 – 4,900 as of July 2026), not counting the flight. With € 2,000 it is possible, but it means accepting the first job and the first room that turn up. If the plan is to go straight into the winter season with accommodation and meals included, the number drops quite a bit: then € 1,800 – € 2,500 plus the flight is enough.

All amounts are verified as of July 2026 and expressed in euros. The reference exchange rate is around 1 € = US$ 1.08 – 1.15, but it moves; rents in Vienna have been rising by around 5% a year and collective agreements are renegotiated once or twice a year, so confirm the current figures before finalising your budget.

🏠 Where you will live and how much it costs

Year after year, Vienna is one of the Western European capitals where rent weighs least on salary, and that is no coincidence or luck: it is housing policy. More than one in four homes in the city is Gemeindebau (municipal housing) and around half of Vienna's 1.9 million residents live in some kind of subsidised housing. That huge stock works as a price anchor for the whole market, including the private one. The flip side for you: you won't be able to get into Gemeindebau —it requires years of registered residence in the city and there is a waiting list— so you will rent on the private market, which is still cheaper than Berlin, Amsterdam or Dublin. The way people live on a Working Holiday is the WG (Wohngemeinschaft): a shared apartment where you rent a room. You search on WG-Gesucht and willhaben, and it works the Austrian way: serious listings ask for a short introduction, there is often a 'WG-Casting' (a kind of interview with the flatmates) and the decision is made by the people who already live there. Two words you need to understand before signing anything: Hauptmiete is when the contract is in your name with the owner (more legal protection, more paperwork, they almost always ask for proof of income) and Untermiete is when you rent from the main tenant (much easier to get when newly arrived, but you depend on their contract staying in force and on the owner authorising it). Most newcomers enter through Untermiete, and that's fine: just make sure it is in writing and that the Unterkunftgeber signs your Meldezettel, because without that signature you cannot register your address and without registration you can't do almost any paperwork. Some concrete good news: since 1 July 2023 Austria has had the Bestellerprinzip. If the person who hires the agency is the owner —which is the normal case in a rental— they pay the fee, not you. Anyone who asks you for 'two months of commission' for a room is charging you something the law no longer allows to be passed on to you (verified July 2026).

Room in a WG, Vienna (central districts, 1st to 9th)
Price€ 550 – € 750/month
Details
Betriebskosten (service charges) are almost always included. You pay for the location: you can walk everywhere, and the building is usually an Altbau with 3.50 m ceilings (verified July 2026).
Room in a WG, Vienna (outer districts: 10th, 11th, 20th, 21st, 22nd)
Price€ 350 – € 500/month
Details
Favoriten, Simmering, Brigittenau, Floridsdorf and Donaustadt. With the U-Bahn you are in the centre in 20 minutes: this is where most newcomers live and where you get the best value for money in the city.
Studio apartment (Garconniere) in Vienna
Price€ 650 – € 950/month
Details
Unrealistic for your first month: they ask for an employment contract, three payslips and a Kaution of three months. It only makes sense if you stay and find stable employment.
Room in a WG, Graz
Price€ 300 – € 450/month
Details
The cheapest of the big cities, with a huge student scene. If your priority is saving money and you don't mind a smaller job market, Graz is the smart choice.
Room in a WG, Salzburg / Innsbruck
Price€ 450 – € 700/month
Details
Small markets, under pressure from tourism and students. Finding a room in October (start of the semester) or in December (start of the season) is difficult: start looking early.
Employer-provided accommodation in the ski season (Personalzimmer)
Price€ 0 – € 250/month
Details
The big Austrian shortcut: in the resorts of Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg, a great many jobs include a room and meals, with a token deduction on the payslip (the so-called Sachbezug). This is what turns a season into real savings.
Hostel bed, Vienna
Price€ 25 – € 40/night
Details
For the first few weeks. Wombat's, Hostel Ruthensteiner and MEININGER are the classics; there is usually a discount for stays of 7 nights or more.
Kaution (deposit)
Price2 to 3 gross monthly rents
Details
There is no fixed legal cap, but 3 months at most is the usual and accepted amount. By law the landlord must deposit it separately and with interest, and return it at the end if there is no damage.

Where to look

WG-Gesucht ↗
The number one platform for WG rooms in the German-speaking world, with more than 40,000 active listings in Vienna. Filter by 'nur befristet' if you're looking for something temporary and by 'Zwischenmiete' (short sublet) for the first few weeks. Write in German, even with a translator: German-language ads get more replies.
willhaben ↗
The Austrian classifieds site par excellence, the local equivalent of MercadoLibre. It works for apartments and rooms, and also for furnishing your home with very cheap used furniture. Many listings are from private individuals, so replies are faster and less formal.
ImmoScout24 Austria ↗
A classic property portal, more oriented towards whole apartments with a Hauptmiete contract. Useful if you already have a stable job and want a place of your own, but for your first month it is unrealistic: they will ask for an employment contract and proof of income.
Der Standard Immobilien / derStandard 'Wohnen' ↗
Listings from the reference newspaper. Less volume than willhaben, but it often has listings from private individuals and from more 'student' or alternative profiles, with less competition from bots and agencies.
OeAD Housing (residences for students and researchers) ↗
Residences in Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg. In theory they are for students and researchers, but if you sign up for a German course with enough weekly hours you may qualify. Prices of € 350-600, all-inclusive and without a high Kaution. An excellent bridge for the first three months.
Facebook groups ('WG Zimmer Wien', 'Argentinos en Austria', 'Wohnungen Wien') ↗
This is where the Zwischenmieten (1-to-3-month sublets) that never reach the property portals circulate. It is the fastest channel for landing, and also where most scams happen: never transfer money without seeing the place.
⚠️ Rental scams: how not to fall for them
  • The universal classic: the 'landlord' is abroad, can't show you the place and asks you to transfer the Kaution to 'reserve' it. Never transfer money for a home you haven't seen in person or, at the very least, on a live video call from inside the place.
  • Listings with beautiful photos and a price far below the market (an entire apartment in the 1st district for € 500). The ridiculous price is the bait: if it looks too good to be true, it is fake.
  • Being asked to pay by Western Union, cryptocurrency, gift cards or transfers outside the EU. A legitimate Austrian rental is paid by SEPA transfer to an Austrian account in the name of the person you sign with.
  • Abusive 'Ablöse': it is legal to charge a handover fee for furniture and improvements that stay in the apartment, but it is often used to ask for € 3,000-8,000 for an old kitchen. The Ablöse must match the real value of what you receive; if it is disproportionate, you can challenge it and get the money back.
  • Agency commission charged to the tenant: since July 2023 the Bestellerprinzip prohibits it when the person who commissioned the agent is the landlord. If they ask you for it, don't pay it and get free advice from the Arbeiterkammer or the Mietervereinigung.
  • A room 'without a contract and without Anmeldung' at a bargain price, off the books. It leaves you without a Meldezettel, without protection if you are thrown out overnight and without your Kaution back.
  • A verbal-only contract for an Untermiete. In Austria a verbal rental legally exists, but without paperwork you can't prove anything: always ask for a written Untermietvertrag, even if it is one page, with the amount, dates and Kaution.

✅ Your first days: the checklist

Register your address: the Meldezettel (within 3 days)
Whenfirst 3 days from when you move in
How
This is Austria's foundational process and the one most people underestimate. The Meldegesetz requires you to register your address within 3 working days of moving into it, and this also applies to foreigners. The form is called the Meldezettel; you download it from the city's website or pick it up at the office, and it has one key particularity: it must be signed by the Unterkunftgeber, that is, the landlord or main tenant of the place where you live. Without that signature there is no registration. In Vienna you submit it at any Meldeservice of a Magistratisches Bezirksamt (it doesn't have to be the one for your district), and in the rest of the country at the Gemeindeamt or the Magistrat. You bring the completed Meldezettel, your passport and, if they ask for it, the rental contract. It is FREE and they stamp it on the spot: you get a Meldebestätigung (registration confirmation) that you will photocopy a thousand times, because it is required to open a bank account, for the annual transport pass, for the gym and for almost any other process. Since 2024 it can also be done digitally in Vienna, although for that you need ID-Austria, which a new arrival normally doesn't have yet. If you live in a hostel for the first few weeks, many hostels sign the Meldezettel: ask before booking. And when you move, you have to file the Ummeldung (change of address), again within 3 days.
Understand what document you hold: a D visa 'WHP', and why you do NOT need an Aufenthaltstitel
Whenbefore you travel and, if you want to stay, 4-6 months before expiry
How
This point saves you pointless trips to offices. The Austrian Working Holiday is granted as a D visa marked 'WHP', valid for up to 12 months from its first day of validity, and the BMEIA itself states that with it you don't need to apply for a separate residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel): the visa itself entitles you to stay and to work, without a prior work permit from the AMS. In other words: you don't have to go to the MA 35 (Vienna's immigration authority) as soon as you arrive. The MA 35 only comes into play if you want to change status before the visa expires — typically moving to a Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte because you found a skilled job — and there it is worth knowing that it has a very well-deserved reputation for being overloaded: you have to book an appointment online well in advance and files take months. Rule of thumb: if you want to stay, start the process 4 to 6 months before expiry, not in the last month. The D visa cannot be extended within the programme.
Get a job and get registered with social security
Whenthe same day you start work
How
In Austria you don't register for social security yourself: your employer does it, and by law must do so BEFORE you start work (Anmeldung vor Arbeitsantritt). From that moment you are covered by the ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) for illness, accident, pension and unemployment. If it is your first job in Austria and you have never had an insurance number, your employer applies for the Versicherungsnummer for you (the Austrian social security number, 10 digits: four digits plus your date of birth). Ask them to give it to you in writing on the first day: with that number alone, even without a physical e-card yet, you can already see a doctor. What you do have to check yourself is that the registration exists: you can verify it by requesting a Versicherungsdatenauszug from the ÖGK or in the app. If your employer 'hasn't registered you yet' after the first week, that is not an administrative oversight: it is undeclared work and it leaves you without medical coverage in case of an accident.
Get your e-card
Whenfirst weeks of work
How
The e-card is the chip card that works as your health card in Austria: you show it at the doctor's office, the doctor runs it through the reader and that's it, with no payment on the spot if the doctor works under the public scheme (Kassenarzt). For some years now the e-card has carried a photo, so it no longer arrives automatically by post as it used to: you have to go to a Registrierungsstelle (ÖGK offices, and also authorised police and municipal offices) with a passport-style photo, your travel document — your passport, in your case — and your insurance number. There is an annual Serviceentgelt (service fee) that your employer withholds from your pay every 15 November and that is around € 25 for the following period; if you are not employed on that date, you don't pay it. While you wait for the card, your insurance number is enough for you to be treated. Important: the e-card covers public healthcare; it does not replace the private travel insurance you submitted for the visa, which you must keep valid anyway because it is a condition of your stay.
Open an Austrian bank account
Whenfirst two weeks
How
You will need an Austrian or European IBAN to have your salary paid in, to pay rent and to set up direct debit for your mobile phone. With a Meldezettel, passport and employment contract, any traditional bank (Erste/George, Bank Austria, Raiffeisen, BAWAG) will open an account for you; many have a free youth account until age 26 or 27 and charge between € 4 and € 12 per month if you are past that age. The quick alternative, and what almost everyone does as soon as they arrive, is to open a digital bank: N26 (Austro-German, with a German IBAN), Revolut or bunq can be opened from your phone in a short time and work for receiving your salary, because within the SEPA zone no employer can refuse your account because of the IBAN's country. The practical recommendation is to start with the digital one so you don't hold up your start and, if you stay and want something more 'official' (for example for a rental contract in your name), open a traditional one later.
Austrian SIM and a local number
Whenfirst days
How
Without a local number, no employer will call you. The three networks are A1, Magenta and Drei, and all the cheap brands run on one of them: HoT (bought literally at the checkout of the Hofer supermarket and the most popular for its price-to-data ratio), spusu, Yesss and Klax. They are activated with your passport, cost between € 5 and € 15 per month, require no contract or Austrian bank account and include roaming throughout the European Union, which is key if you will use Austria as a base to travel around Europe. Buy it on the first or second day, before you start sending out CVs.
Register with FinanzOnline (and know what your Steuernummer is)
Whenfirst or second month
How
As an employee you don't have to get a separate tax number: your employer withholds income tax (Lohnsteuer) month by month, and your identification with the tax office starts from your personal details and your social security number. What is worth doing is signing up for FinanzOnline (finanzonline.bmf.gv.at), the Ministry of Finance portal: you apply online or in person at any Finanzamt with your passport, and they send you the access codes by post to your registered address (one more reason to have the Meldezettel done). With FinanzOnline you will file the Arbeitnehmerveranlagung, the annual return used to recover tax paid in excess; for someone who works a few months a year, that normally means a refund.
Know that you are a member of the Arbeiterkammer (and use it)
Whenas soon as you start work
How
This is probably the most useful and least known fact about working in Austria. As soon as you are hired as an employee, you automatically become a member of the Arbeiterkammer (AK, the Chamber of Labour): a small fee is deducted from your pay (around 0.5%) and in return you are entitled to FREE employment advice, in many cases in English, and to representation if your employer pays you less than the collective agreement requires, doesn't pay your overtime or doesn't register you. If something looks wrong on your payslip, the AK will check it for free. The head office is arbeiterkammer.at and there is an office in each province. Make a note of it now, before you need it.
Get a transport pass
Whenfirst month
How
If you stay in Vienna, the annual Jahreskarte from Wiener Linien costs € 467 (€ 461 for the digital version), and since January 2026 there is a Jahreskarte Jugend at € 300 a year for anyone under 26, regardless of whether they study or work: it is one of the best value-for-coverage deals in Europe and pays for itself in a few months. You get it with your Meldezettel and ID at any Wiener Linien service centre or online. If you will be moving around the whole country (typical if you combine Vienna with a season in the Alps), look at the KlimaTicket Ö, which since 1 January 2026 costs € 1,050 a year in its youth version for under-26s and covers practically all public transport in Austria. Travelling without a ticket is expensive: the fine for travelling without a ticket is around € 105 and inspections are frequent and by plain-clothes staff.
Sign up for a German course
Whenfirst two months
How
It is not a visa requirement, but it is the best-return investment of your whole year. The VHS (Volkshochschulen, Vienna's municipal adult education schools) offer German courses from around € 150-250 per level, with discounts based on income; the Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch (ÖSD) is the local official exam if you want a certificate. With German at A2-B1 you move from kitchen and cleaning jobs to customer-facing ones, which pay better in hospitality and where tips also come into play. And watch out for one detail: what you will hear on the street is Austrian German, with its own vocabulary (Erdäpfel for potatoes, Paradeiser for tomatoes, Sackerl for a small bag, Jause for a snack), so complement the course by listening to Austrian radio and TV (ORF), not German.
Register with the Argentine consulate (or your own country's)
Whenfirst month, no rush
How
It is voluntary and free, and it lets your diplomatic mission know you are in the country if something happens (an emergency, a disaster, the loss of your passport). The Argentine Consulate in Vienna also handles procedures such as powers of attorney, certificates and passport renewal, and you have to book an appointment online. Take the chance to find out how to renew your passport from Austria before it expires in the middle of the year.

💼 How to find work (and how much it pays)

In Austria, the job market for someone on a Working Holiday has a very clear centre of gravity: winter tourism in the Alps. From December to April, the valleys of Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg (St. Anton, Ischgl, Sölden, Mayrhofen, Kitzbühel, Saalbach, Obertauern, Lech) need tens of thousands of people for hotels, restaurants, bars, ski rental and the slopes, and a huge share of those jobs include a Personalzimmer (staff room) and meals. That combination — a collective-agreement wage plus accommodation and food — is what turns a season into real savings, and it is the reason many people organise their whole year around that calendar: winter season to save money, spring and summer to travel around Europe. Hiring starts in September and October for the season that begins in December, so if you want in, you need to look early, not in November. The other hub is Vienna, with stable year-round work in hospitality, hotels, cleaning, retail and logistics. Here the decisive factor is German: without German you stay in kitchens, dishwashing, cleaning, warehouses and delivery, which are paid according to the collective agreement but rarely bring in tips; with A2-B1 German you move into table service, bar work and reception, which pay better and where tips really exist. English alone is enough only in international settings (hostels, large chains, ski resorts with British and Dutch clientele) and in some kitchens. An important note about your visa: the Austrian Working Holiday lets you work without a prior AMS permit, but with two limits. The first is formal: the stated purpose of the programme is to holiday, and work is the means to finance it. The second is concrete: you can't spend more than 6 months with the same employer. That means two seasons in a row at the same hotel don't fit, but a winter season in Tyrol plus a summer season at a lake in Carinthia with a different employer does (verified July 2026).

Winter season in the Alps (Wintersaison)
What you pay€ 2,026 – € 2,400 gross/month + accommodation and meals
Details
THE sector in Austria. Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg hire from December to April: table service, kitchen, housekeeping, bar, ski rental, laundry. Hiring happens in September-October. Many jobs include a Personalzimmer, full board and sometimes the ski pass, so your monthly spending drops sharply. You work a lot and rest little, but this is where you save.
Hospitality in Vienna (kitchen, dishwashing, runner)
What you pay€ 2,026 gross/month for 40 h (about € 11.70/h gross)
Details
Floor of the hospitality collective agreement in force since 1/5/2025 for the unskilled entry group, which still applies in July 2026 because this year's negotiations ended without an agreement. Remember that it is paid 14 times a year: the real annual salary is 16.7% higher than 12 monthly salaries. Without German, this is your entry point.
Service and bar work with German (Kellner/in)
What you pay€2,100 – €3,000 gross/month + tips
Details
This is where language skills make the difference. Since 1/1/2026 a new tipping rule applies across Austria: tips are still exempt from income tax, but a uniform Trinkgeldpauschala per sector is calculated, on which social security contributions are paid, and there is no longer any need to keep individual records. In practice, tipping in Austria is more modest than in the United States: you round up or leave 5-10%.
Cleaning and housekeeping in hotels
What you pay€2,026 – €2,200 gross/month
Details
Constant demand in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck, and the job where you need the least German. It is physically hard and is often measured in rooms per hour. Check your contract to see whether you are paid for actual hours worked or 'per room', because the latter, when the hotel is full, hides unpaid hours.
Retail, shelf-stocking and logistics
What you pay€2,000 – €2,300 gross/month
Details
Hofer, Lidl, Billa, Spar, dm and the warehouses of Amazon and Österreichische Post hire people all year round, with huge peaks before Christmas. Night-time shelf-stocking pays extra allowances. You need German for the checkout; for warehouse work and shelf-stocking, you need almost none.
Au pair
What you payFrom €551.10/month of Taschengeld + room and board
Details
A regime of its own and highly regulated: the family has to notify the AMS of the relationship two weeks before the start and obtain an Anzeigebestätigung, valid for 6 months and extendable for another 6. The legal maximum is 17 hours a week including on-call time, the age range is 18 to 28, and you cannot have been an au pair in Austria for more than one year in the last five. If the Taschengeld is below the Geringfügigkeitsgrenze (€551.10 in 2026), the family only registers you for accident insurance: you have no public health coverage and you absolutely need your own private insurance.
Private Spanish lessons and jobs that use your language
What you pay€ 15 – € 30/h
Details
Spanish is in demand in Vienna because it hosts international organisations (UN, OPEC, OSCE) and because of the weight of Latin American tourism. You find work through Nachhilfe (school tutoring), private academies and platforms. Watch out: it is almost always self-employed work, and there you do need to sort out your tax and insurance situation; check first with the Arbeiterkammer or the WKO.
Harvest and seasonal farm work (Erntehelfer)
What you pay€1,900 – €2,200 gross/month or by quantity
Details
Asparagus and strawberries in Lower Austria and Burgenland between April and June, and grape harvest in Styria, Burgenland and Lower Austria in September and October. Often with accommodation included and no language requirement. It is not the big Austrian industry that it is in Australia, but it covers the shoulder-season months well.
Temporary work agencies (Leiharbeit / Zeitarbeit)
What you pay
According to the collective agreement of the sector where you are placed
Details
Manpower, Trenkwalder, Adecco and others hire you and 'lend' you to companies. They are the fastest route to a first formal contract and have their own collective agreement, which guarantees minimum pay and allowances. They are good for getting started and for filling gaps between seasons; not for stability.

Where to look for work

AMS eJob-Room (official state job board) ↗
The portal of the Arbeitsmarktservice, the public employment service. It is the largest and most reliable database of vacancies in the country, free and without intermediaries. Everything is in German, but it filters well by region and sector. A job being listed here is usually a sign of a formal employer.
hogastjob ↗
THE specific portal for hotels and hospitality in Austria, and the one mountain hotels actually use. Filter by 'mit Unterkunft' (with accommodation) for the ski season. It also publishes salary guides by role, useful for knowing whether what you are offered is in line with the collective agreement.
willhaben Jobs ↗
The jobs section of Austria's most-used classifieds site. Lots of listings from small businesses, neighbourhood hospitality and hourly jobs that don't reach the big portals. Replies come quickly and informally.
karriere.at ↗
The leading general portal for skilled and office jobs. Less useful for a first hospitality job, very useful if you have a career and want to aim for a contract that can later qualify you for the Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte.
Indeed Austria and StepStone ↗
International aggregators with good Austrian coverage. They are mainly useful for spotting who is hiring in bulk (retail chains, logistics, call centres) and for applying quickly from your phone.
Facebook groups for seasonaires and Latin Americans ↗
Search for 'Seasonal Work Austria', 'Ski Season Jobs Austria', 'Argentinos en Austria' and 'Latinos en Viena'. Last-minute replacements circulate there, which are often the fastest way in and where English is enough. Always check that the employer exists and that the contract includes registration with the ÖGK.
Door to door with your CV in hand ↗
Still works in Viennese hospitality: drop by mid-morning (10 to 11:30) or mid-afternoon (15 to 17), outside service hours, ask for the Chef or the Geschäftsführer and leave a printed CV. In a country where in-person contact is still valued, it is a competitive advantage over the hundreds who send an email.

What a CV looks like there

⚖️ Your rights
Austria has NO general legal minimum wage: wage floors are set by more than 800 collective agreements (Kollektivverträge) by sector and by province, which cover around 95-98% of workers. The Ministry of Labour notes that most agreements already provide floors of at least €1,700 gross paid 14 times a year, with an average of around €1,983 a month; in hospitality the entry-group floor stood at €2,026 gross from 1/5/2025 and is still in force in July 2026 because this year's negotiation ended without an agreement. The other basic rights: a normal working week of 40 hours (many agreements reduce it to 38.5), a legal maximum of 12 hours a day and 60 a week in exceptional cases, a minimum 50% premium for overtime, 25 working days of paid holiday per year (5 weeks), Sonderzahlungen —the holiday and Christmas bonuses, which are the 13th and 14th salaries—, and continued payment of salary during illness. If something does not add up, there are two free and very effective bodies: the Arbeiterkammer (arbeiterkammer.at), of which you automatically become a member as soon as you are hired, which checks your payslip and represents you for free, and the ÖGB trade union (oegb.at), with its vida+ section for hospitality and tourism. For safety conditions and working hours, the supervisory body is the Arbeitsinspektorat (arbeitsinspektion.gv.at). Reporting an employer does not put your visa at risk: the Working Holiday does not depend on the employer.

💼 What work there is: industry by industry

Austria works like Germany before 2015 and like Denmark: there is no statutory minimum wage, but collective agreements by sector, the Kollektivverträge, which set the floors. The difference with Denmark is important and works in your favour: here, company membership of the economic chamber is compulsory, so practically every worker is covered by some agreement. The useful question, then, is not what the minimum is but which agreement and which category apply to you, because your wage comes from that. And there is something almost nobody works out when comparing offers: in Austria you are paid 14 salaries a year, and the extra payments are taxed at a much lower rate, so the real annual income is quite a bit higher than the monthly wage suggests.

🧮 Meldezettel, insurance and social security number
The Meldezettel, the address registration, is compulsory within three days of moving and is the basis for everything else. After that you need the social security number, which is generated when you are registered in your first job, and with it the e-card, which is your health card. Health insurance in Austria is tied to employment and is compulsory: if you work above the minimum income threshold, your employer registers you and you are covered. Below that threshold (the so-called geringfügige Beschäftigung) cover is not automatic and has to be sorted out separately, something to bear very much in mind if you are going to work few hours.
Open the official calculator ↗

⛷️ Ski season

It is the king of sectors in Austria and probably the best reason to choose this destination. The country lives off winter tourism: Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg have hundreds of resorts that every season hire thousands of saisonniers for hotels, mountain restaurants, lifts, equipment rental and ski schools.

💰 What it pays
According to the hospitality agreement or whichever applies, with the 14 payments included. What makes these positions attractive is the full package: staff accommodation, meals and often the season pass, which lets you save practically your whole wage.
🎫 What certificate they ask for
For hotel and restaurant positions, none. To be a ski instructor you need a recognised qualification, which in Austria is demanding. German is a big plus in Tyrol, although in the international resorts English works.
📅 When there is work
From December to April, with hiring done between September and November. There are seasonal job fairs in autumn and hotels post their searches months in advance: applying in December is too late. There is also a summer season in the same areas, smaller, from June to September.
🔎 How to get it
Mountain hotels and resorts post directly, and there are Austrian portals specialising in seasonal work. Many hire remotely with a video interview.
⚠️ Watch out for this
Confirm in writing what the package includes: accommodation, meals, pass, and how much is deducted for each, because those deductions are legal but have to be agreed. In mountain hotels the days are long and split-shift, so it is worth knowing what you are getting into. And check that you are registered from the first day.

🍽️ Hospitality in the city

Waiter, kitchen, bar and hotel staff in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Vienna receives tourism all year round and has a café culture with a huge number of venues, which creates constant demand.

💰 What it pays
Hospitality agreement, with 14 payments. The loadings for night work and public holidays are in the agreement.
🎫 What certificate they ask for
None compulsory to serve alcohol; basic hygiene training to handle food.
📅 When there is work
All year round in the cities, with peaks in summer and during the Christmas market season in November and December, which in Vienna is enormous and hires a lot of temporary staff.
🔎 How to get it
A CV in hand works, and Austrian job portals concentrate a good part of the offers. In Vienna there is a Spanish-speaking community that passes on work by recommendation.
⚠️ Watch out for this
German largely sets your ceiling: without the language you get in through the kitchen or cleaning; with German you move up to front-of-house and reception, which pay better. Check the Dienstzettel, the document that summarises your employment conditions and which the employer is obliged to give you: your agreement and your category are stated there.

🍇 Harvest and vineyards

Austria produces very good quality white wine in Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria, and the grape harvest employs seasonal workers every autumn. Before that comes the harvest of asparagus, strawberries and apples.

💰 What it pays
The agricultural agreement as the floor. Some farms offer accommodation, which can be deducted with prior agreement.
🎫 What certificate they ask for
None.
📅 When there is work
Asparagus in April and May, strawberries in summer, and the grape harvest between September and October, which is the most sought-after campaign because it coincides with the best weather of the year.
🔎 How to get it
Family wineries and farms post every year, and word of mouth carries a lot of weight in the wine regions: whoever comes back for a second year usually has their place reserved.
⚠️ Watch out for this
Check that you are registered with social security from the first day and that they give you the Dienstzettel. If accommodation is part of the deal, make sure the deduction is in writing.

🏗️ Construction and trades

A sector with sustained demand, above all for skilled trades. The Austrian construction agreement is one of those that pay best among the accessible sectors, and it also has its own compensation system for winter periods.

💰 What it pays
The sector agreement, clearly above average, with 14 payments and allowances. With a provable trade, the jump is significant.
🎫 What certificate they ask for
Safety training given by the employer and specific machinery licences. If you bring a technical qualification, the recognition procedure can change the category you are placed in, and that translates directly into wages.
📅 When there is work
All year round, with less activity on outdoor sites during the Alpine winter.
🔎 How to get it
Temporary work companies, which are the fastest route, and direct applications to construction firms.
⚠️ Watch out for this
Do not accept being listed as an independent worker (neue Selbständige) if in reality you have set hours and a boss: that leaves you without accident cover, which in this sector is the most important thing. And check your placement in the agreement, because placing someone in a lower category than the one they are entitled to is the most common irregularity in the sector.

👶 Au pair

Austria has a regulated au pair arrangement, with a contract, a weekly hours limit and an obligation on the family to register you with social security and contribute to a German course.

💰 What it pays
Room and board plus a monthly amount, with a defined weekly hours cap. The family must register you and cover insurance, which is not optional.
🎫 What certificate they ask for
Verifiable childcare references; a first aid certificate sets you apart. Basic German helps a lot in finding a family.
📅 When there is work
All year round, with more demand before the start of the school year in September.
🔎 How to get it
Recognised agencies and platforms in the sector, always with a video call with the family beforehand.
⚠️ Watch out for this
The family registering you with social security is their obligation, not a favour: confirm it before travelling and ask to see the standard contract. Put in writing the hours, the tasks included, the days off and the notice period for both sides.

💬 Customer service and offices

Vienna is home to numerous international organisations and to companies with regional operations, which creates some positions where Spanish is the credential. It is a smaller market than Ireland's or Portugal's, but it exists.

💰 What it pays
Above average, with a contract, 14 payments and office hours.
🎫 What certificate they ask for
None, but here very solid English is essential and German multiplies the opportunities much more than in other destinations.
📅 When there is work
All year round, with limited supply.
🔎 How to get it
Austrian job portals, LinkedIn and international recruitment agencies. The international organisations based in Vienna have their own processes, which are long and competitive.
⚠️ Watch out for this
Be realistic: Austria is not a Spanish-language customer service hub, so if your plan depends on that it is worth having a plan B in hospitality or in the ski season, which is where the real volume of work for foreigners is.

🧾 Taxes: what is deducted and what you get back

Austria has no special tax regime for Working Holiday: you are taxed under the general rules, like any employee. The good news for you is that those general rules are quite friendly to low incomes. In 2026 the first income tax bracket is 0% up to €13,539 of annual income, and only above that do you pay 20%. In other words: if you work half a year in hospitality earning the collective agreement floor, you will very likely end up paying little or no Lohnsteuer, and what was withheld month by month will be refunded to you afterwards. What you do pay from the first euro are social security contributions, which are around 18% of gross pay and come off your payslip automatically: health, pension, unemployment, plus the contribution to the Arbeiterkammer (around 0.5%) and to the Wohnbauförderung. That is why the difference between gross and net is noticeable: from €2,026 gross you take home roughly €1,550-1,650 in a normal month. Income tax (Lohnsteuer) is also withheld by your employer, so you do not have to do anything during the year. The process that is worth doing —and that many people do not do— is the Arbeitnehmerveranlagung: the annual return with which you ask the tax office to recalculate everything. Because the system withholds month by month assuming you will earn the same all twelve months, if you only worked part of the year you were almost always over-withheld. And even if you did not pay any income tax, there is the Negativsteuer or SV-Rückerstattung: they refund part of the social contributions you paid. It is done for free through FinanzOnline, it can be filed up to five years back, and you do not need to still be living in Austria to receive it, although it is a good idea to keep a European bank account open and a contact address (verified July 2026).

Tax residence
You are a tax resident in Austria if you have a home in the country (Wohnsitz) or if your habitual stay exceeds 6 months. With a year of Working Holiday and an active Meldezettel, in practice you will be a tax resident in at least one of the two calendar years that your stay spans.
2026 income tax brackets (Einkommensteuer / Lohnsteuer)
0% up to €13,539 a year; 20% up to €21,992; 30% up to €36,458; 40% up to €70,365; 48% up to €104,859; 50% up to €1,000,000 and 55% above that. The brackets are adjusted every year for inflation (verified July 2026).
Employee social security contributions
Around 18% of gross salary, withheld on the payslip: health insurance (~3.87%), pension (~10.25%), unemployment (~2.95%, with reduced rates for low incomes), Arbeiterkammerumlage (0.5%) and housing contribution (0.5%). For low incomes the unemployment part is reduced or disappears.
13th and 14th salaries (Sonderzahlungen)
The holiday bonus (Urlaubsgeld, generally in June) and the Christmas bonus (Weihnachtsgeld, in November or December) are taxed under a much more favourable regime: the first €620 a year are tax-free and the rest is taxed at 6% up to a certain cap. That is why those two months arrive almost in full and why you need to look at ANNUAL income, not monthly, to compare an Austrian salary with one from another country.
Geringfügige Beschäftigung (low-income employment)
If you earn up to €551.10 a month in 2026 (the Geringfügigkeitsgrenze, which was not updated from 2025), the job is considered 'geringfügig': no health, pension or unemployment contributions are paid, and no income tax either. It sounds good, but it has a big downside: it does NOT give you public health coverage, only accident insurance. Watch out too when combining several geringfügig jobs: if the total of all of them exceeds the limit, you become compulsorily insured and have to pay the contributions retroactively.
Self-insuring while geringfügig
If your only source of income is a job below €551.10, you can take out voluntary Selbstversicherung with the ÖGK and pay €83.49 a month (2026 value) to have health coverage and to accrue pension months. You start the process yourself, not your employer, and it is paid in advance.
Arbeitnehmerveranlagung (the annual tax return)
It is filed for free through FinanzOnline (finanzonline.bmf.gv.at). The voluntary one —which is yours in most cases— can be filed up to 5 years after the tax year. The mandatory one (for example if you had two jobs at the same time) is due on 30 April on paper and on 30 June of the following year online.
Negativsteuer / SV-Rückerstattung
If your income was below the taxable minimum and you did not pay Lohnsteuer, the state still refunds part of the social contributions you paid, plus the supplement to the Verkehrsabsetzbetrag for low incomes. It is money you only receive if you file the return: if you do not, it is lost.
What you can deduct (Werbungskosten)
Work expenses: training courses related to your activity, tools, specific work clothing, moves for work reasons and, in certain cases, your public transport pass. Keep your receipts: every deduction lowers the taxable base and therefore raises the refund.
VAT (Umsatzsteuer / MwSt)
20% standard and 10% reduced for food, housing rent, books, passenger transport and museum tickets. It is already included in shop-window prices: what you see on the label is what you pay.
Pension contributions when you leave
The pension contributions you made are not refunded when you leave the country: they stay on record as contribution months in the Austrian system. Recovering them someday depends on there being a social security agreement between Austria and your country that allows periods to be totalled. Austria does not currently appear on the list of bilateral agreements in force published by the Argentine state, so if this matters to you, confirm it directly with ANSES (argentina.gob.ar/trabajo/seguridadsocial/internacionalesvigentes) and with the Austrian PV (pv.at) before taking anything for granted.
↩️ Tax refund when you leave
Yes, and it is often real money. The mechanism is called Arbeitnehmerveranlagung (form L1) and is filed for free through FinanzOnline, the portal of the Bundesministerium für Finanzen (https://finanzonline.bmf.gv.at). You can file it from the year after the one you worked and you have up to 5 years to do so, even if you have already left Austria. To receive the refund you need a valid IBAN —one from any country in the SEPA area works, so do not close your account when you leave— and you need to keep a contact address. If you worked only a few months of the year, the typical refund ranges from a few hundred euros to over a thousand, and if you did not end up paying tax you are still entitled to the Negativsteuer on social contributions. The process is simple, but everything is in German: the Arbeiterkammer (arbeiterkammer.at) helps you complete it for free, and there are private services that do it for a 10-15% commission, something you do not need to pay if you have patience and a translator.

🏥 Health: how you get care

Your coverage during the Austrian Working Holiday has two stages, and it is worth understanding them separately. The first is the private international insurance the Embassy required: minimum coverage of €30,000 with hospitalisation and repatriation, valid for the 12 months. That insurance is what responds from the moment you step off the plane until you have a job, and it is also what covers you when you travel in the rest of Schengen. Keep the policy and the assistance phone number on your phone and on paper: in Austria they will ask for a policy number or a card before treating you for scheduled care. The second stage starts the day you begin working under a contract. In Austria the employer is required to register you with social security BEFORE your first minute of work (Anmeldung vor Arbeitsantritt), and with that registration you automatically join the ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse), the public health fund, which covers consultations, specialists, hospital stays, surgery and maternity. There is no waiting period, and your registered partner and children, if they are in Austria, are also covered at no extra cost. The key to all of this is the e-card, the chip card you present at the doctor's office. While you wait for the physical card, your Versicherungsnummer (the 10-digit insurance number) is enough. Three things that surprise newcomers. One: if you work only geringfügig (below €551.10 a month in 2026) you do NOT have public health coverage, only work accident insurance; to have it you need to take out the voluntary Selbstversicherung of €83.49 a month with the ÖGK. Two: there are two types of doctor, the Kassenarzt (treats you through the fund, you pay nothing) and the Wahlarzt (private, you pay on the spot and then submit the invoice to be reimbursed around 80% of what it would have cost through the fund); Wahlärzte give appointments much faster, so many people use them when the waiting list for the public specialist is long. Three: the system does not work with hospital emergency rooms for everything. For real emergencies the number is 144 (ambulance); for out-of-hours consultations there is the Ärztefunkdienst on 141, and 112 works for any emergency across the European Union. Verified July 2026.

Compulsory private insurance for the visa
Minimum coverage of €30,000 including hospitalisation, medical expenses and medical and remains repatriation, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the full 12 months of the programme. It is a mandatory requirement for the D 'WHP' visa to be granted, and it is worth keeping it active even after you join the ÖGK, because private insurance covers you when you leave Austria to travel around Europe and usually includes cancellations and luggage.
ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse)
The public health fund you automatically join when an employer registers you. The health contribution taken from your payslip is around 3.87% of gross pay (the employer pays the rest). It covers general practitioner, specialists, hospital stays, surgery, pregnancy and childbirth. Official website: oegk.at, with a provider search by specialty and district.
e-card and Serviceentgelt
The physical card of the system. You get it at an ÖGK Registrierungsstelle with your passport and a passport-style photo (e-cards have carried a photo since 2020). The annual service fee (Serviceentgelt) for 2026 is €25.00 and is withheld by the employer from your salary on 15 November of the previous year; for 2027 it is already set at €26.85. If you start working in the middle of the year, you are generally not charged until the following November (verified July 2026 at chipkarte.at).
Kassenarzt vs. Wahlarzt
The Kassenarzt has a contract with the ÖGK: you show your e-card and pay nothing. The Wahlarzt has no contract: you pay for the consultation (between €80 and €150 depending on the specialty) and then upload the invoice through the ÖGK app or portal to be reimbursed around 80% of the fund rate, which in practice ends up being quite a bit less than 80% of what you paid. The advantage is the appointment: where a fund specialist gives you a date in two months, the Wahlarzt sees you within a week.
Rezeptgebühr (prescription fee)
Prescription medicines within the system have a fixed co-payment of €7.55 per pack, frozen for 2026 (it did not increase from 2025). There is a cap (Obergrenze): once you have paid 2% of your annual net income on prescriptions in a year, you are exempt for the rest of the year, and since 1/1/2026 medicines that cost less than the prescription fee also count towards that cap (source: ÖGK).
Geringfügige Beschäftigung: the coverage gap
Working below €551.10 a month (2026 value) leaves you outside public health insurance: you only have work accident coverage. It is the classic mistake of people who string together small temporary jobs. The solution is the Selbstversicherung bei geringfügiger Beschäftigung: €83.49 a month in 2026, which you request yourself from the ÖGK and which gives you health coverage and pension months. In the meantime, do not let your private insurance lapse.
Emergencies and useful numbers
144 ambulance, 133 police, 122 fire brigade, 112 European emergency (works from any mobile phone, even with no credit). For out-of-hours ailments in Vienna, the Ärztefunkdienst is available on 141 and sends a doctor to your home or advises you by phone. Emergency care is provided to everyone regardless of insurance status, but you will receive the bill afterwards if you were not covered: more than enough reason not to travel without a valid policy.
Pharmacies (Apotheke) and on-call duty
Austrian pharmacies open Monday to Friday until 6 pm and Saturdays until midday, and close on Sundays. There is always one on duty (Nachtdienst / Bereitschaftsdienst): the list is at apotheker.or.at and on the door of any pharmacy. Many medicines that you buy over the counter in Argentina require a prescription here, including antibiotics. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are sold without a prescription but only in pharmacies, not in the supermarket.
Social security agreements
Austria has bilateral social security agreements with several countries, including Chile and Uruguay, but not with all of Latin America; we could not confirm an agreement in force with Argentina. Do not assume that your Argentine obra social or prepaga covers you in Austria: almost none do outside a travel assistance network. Check your specific case at sozialversicherung.at before you travel.
Mental health and sexual health
Psychotherapy is partly covered by the ÖGK through places contracted with professional associations (there is a waiting list) and with partial reimbursement if you see a private professional. In Vienna there are Spanish-speaking therapists; look for them in the listing of the Österreichischer Bundesverband für Psychotherapie. Contraceptives are NOT covered in Austria and are paid out of pocket (a pack of pills costs around €10-20 a month); free, anonymous STI tests are available in Vienna at Aids Hilfe Wien.

🚆 Transport and driver's license

Austria is one of the countries where you least need a car. Vienna has five U-Bahn lines, 28 tram lines, more than a hundred bus lines and S-Bahn trains, all integrated into Wiener Linien and the WienMobil app, and it runs with a punctuality that is almost startling: the metro comes every 2 to 5 minutes and runs all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Since 1 January 2026 a new fare structure has applied (the first big increase since 2012): the Jahreskarte rose to € 467 on paper and € 461 in the digital version, and the Jahreskarte Jugend appeared at € 300 a year for anyone under 26, student or not. If you are under 26, that card is probably the best deal of your year in Austria: it works out to € 25 a month for unlimited travel. For the rest of the country the system is ÖBB (federal railways), with Westbahn competing on the Vienna-Salzburg corridor and regional buses (Postbus) that reach even the smallest Alpine valleys. Train tickets are bought in advance like plane tickets: the Sparschiene fare starts at € 9.90 for long journeys if you book weeks ahead, while the same trip bought on the day can cost four times as much. If you are going to travel a lot around the country (typical if you work a season in the Alps and travel on your days off), the KlimaTicket Österreich covers practically all public transport in the country for € 1,400 a year, or € 1,050 if you are under 26. If you work a ski season, the logistics change: the valleys are covered by free Skibusse included in the guest card or the lift pass, and many mountain hotels are in villages where the last bus leaves at 7 pm. In that case a car shared with co-workers does make sense, especially for grocery shopping and for getting out of the valley on your days off. Watch out for one Austrian particularity: winter tyres are mandatory between 1 November and 15 April, and on motorways you must carry the Vignette (a toll sticker or digital). Prices verified as of July 2026 at wienerlinien.at and oebb.at.

Wiener Linien Jahreskarte
€ 467 for the physical version and € 461 for the digital one, with unlimited travel on the metro, tram, bus and S-Bahn within Vienna. It can be paid in 12 monthly instalments. It is the default option for any resident of the city: it works out to € 1.26 per day (prices in force since 1/1/2026).
Jahreskarte Jugend (under 26)
€ 300 a year for everyone under 26, with no need to be a student. Since 1/2/2026 it replaces the old Semesterkarte and the Ferien-Monatskarte. Since the Austrian Working Holiday is for people aged 18 to 30, you will probably qualify for at least part of the year: get it as soon as you are registered and you save € 167.
Single tickets and short passes in Vienna
Single ticket € 3.20; 24 hours € 10.20; 7 days € 28.90; 31 days € 75.00. With those numbers, the monthly pass pays off if you travel more than 24 times a month. Digital tickets cost about 5 % less than paper ones (2026 fares).
Travelling without a ticket: the fine
€ 135 if you pay on the spot and € 145 if you ask for a payment plan (2026 amounts). The system is open access (there are no turnstiles), but inspections are frequent and they do not go easy on tourists: the fine equals almost six months of the Jahreskarte Jugend. If you have a digital pass, remember to keep your phone charged.
KlimaTicket Österreich
The national pass: € 1,400 a year at the standard rate and € 1,050 at the reduced rate (under 26, over 65 and people with disabilities). It covers practically all public transport in the country, including ÖBB long-distance trains. There are cheaper regional versions if you will only travel within Tyrol, Salzburg or Vienna-Lower Austria. It pays off if you travel every weekend; otherwise, single tickets bought in advance are cheaper.
ÖBB trains and Sparschiene
Long-distance tickets get much cheaper when bought in advance: the Sparschiene fare starts at € 9.90 within Austria and € 19.90 to cities such as Munich, Prague or Zurich, while at the ticket window on the same day you can pay € 60. They are bought in the ÖBB app. Vienna-Salzburg takes 2 h 22, Vienna-Innsbruck 4 h 15, Vienna-Graz about 2 h 40.
Vorteilscard Jugend
ÖBB's discount card for under-26s costs about € 19 a year and gives up to 45 % off flexible fares and special prices on Sparschiene. If you don't buy the KlimaTicket, this is the must-buy of your first week. Confirm the current price at oebb.at, which is updated every January.
Argentine driving licence
A licence from outside the European Economic Area is valid in Austria for 6 months from when you establish residence (that is, from your Meldezettel). After those 6 months you cannot drive with it. Argentina is NOT on the list of countries whose licences are exchanged without an exam (that list includes Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Serbia and, for class B, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, among others), so exchanging an Argentine licence requires a medical certificate and taking the paid practical driving test. In practice: if you are going to drive, do it in the first 6 months; for longer, budget for the exam. Also bring an international driving permit for the first few months (source: ÖAMTC, verified July 2026).
Car: Vignette, winter tyres and carsharing
To drive on motorways and expressways you need the Vignette (digital or sticker): the annual one costs around € 105, and there are 10-day and 2-month versions. Between 1 November and 15 April the Winterreifenpflicht applies: with snow, ice or frozen slush the car must have winter tyres, and this is not a recommendation but the law. If you only need a car now and then, Vienna has ShareNow, ELOOP (electric) and the WienMobil carsharing cars, which you can use from the same public transport app.
Bicycles and micromobility
Vienna has more than 1,700 km of bike lanes and the public WienMobil Rad system (the first 30 minutes of each trip are very cheap with a pass). In summer it is the fastest way to get around the centre. There are also rental e-scooters, but watch out for the no-go zones and for parking them badly: they will still fine you.
Vienna Airport (VIE) and cheap flights
From Wien Mitte, the CAT takes 16 minutes but costs around € 15; the S7 S-Bahn does the same trip in 25 minutes for a little over € 4.20 with the outer-zone supplement, and it is what locals use. Vienna, Bratislava (1 hour away by bus, with Ryanair flights) and Budapest work as a single low-cost flight market: comparing the three airports can save you half the fare.
Getting around Europe with the Austrian visa
The D visa 'WHP' allows you to travel in the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days within each 180-day period, in addition to your stay in Austria. Vienna is 1 hour from Bratislava, 2 h 30 from Budapest and 4 hours from Prague by train or bus (Flixbus and RegioJet usually cost between € 10 and € 25). It is one of the destination's big advantages: its location.

🚧 Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

❌ Letting the 3-day Meldezettel deadline pass
It sounds like a minor formality and nobody is in a hurry about it in the first week, between jet lag and house hunting. But the Meldegesetz gives a deadline of 3 working days from when you move into an address, and registration is the basis for everything else: without a Meldebestätigung you cannot open a bank account, get the annual transport pass, and many employers will not register you.
Do this: Before booking a hostel, ask whether they sign the Meldezettel (several do). As soon as you have a room, ask the Unterkunftgeber for a signature on the day you move in and go to any Meldeservice: it is free, takes ten minutes and they stamp it on the spot. And remember to repeat the process (Ummeldung) every time you move.
❌ Going to the MA 35 as soon as you arrive thinking you need to apply for a residence permit
In almost all European destinations the visa is entry-only and has to be exchanged. In Austria it isn't: the BMEIA states that the D visa with the 'WHP' annotation already allows you to stay and work for the full 12 months, with no additional Aufenthaltstitel or AMS permit. People lose weeks booking appointments that aren't needed at an office famous for being overloaded.
Do this: Don't go to the MA 35 unless you want to change status (for example, to move to a Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte). If that is the plan, start the process 4 to 6 months before your visa expires, because appointments and case files take months.
❌ Accepting a salary without checking which Kollektivvertrag applies to you
Austria has no national statutory minimum wage: minimums are set by collective agreements by sector and by category, and they cover more than 95 % of workers. Because newcomers don't know they exist, they accept what they are offered and often get paid below the minimum for their category, or without overtime at 50 %.
Do this: Before signing, ask literally 'Welcher Kollektivvertrag gilt und in welcher Verwendungsgruppe bin ich?'. Check the sector minimum at kollektivvertrag.at or with the Arbeiterkammer (arbeiterkammer.at), to which you contribute 0.5 % of your salary and which advises you for free on employment disputes. Always keep the Dienstzettel, the paper that must state your salary, hours and agreement.
❌ Chaining geringfügig jobs and ending up without health coverage
Jobs below € 551.10 a month (2026) pay no contributions, so they seem convenient: nothing is deducted from you. What you don't see is that they also don't give you public health insurance, only accident insurance. And if you add up several small jobs and together they exceed the limit, you become compulsorily insured and they claim the contributions retroactively.
Do this: If your only source of income is geringfügig, take out the Selbstversicherung with the ÖGK (€ 83.49 a month in 2026) and keep the private insurance from your visa valid. And keep track of what you earn across all your jobs: the limit is measured on the total, not on each job.
❌ Looking for ski-season work in November
The Alpine season opens in late November or early December, so it seems logical to look in autumn. But hotels in Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg close their staffing in September and October, and the jobs that include a Personalzimmer and meals, the ones that really let you save, are the first to go.
Do this: Apply between August and October through hogastjob.com, filtering for 'mit Unterkunft', and send direct emails to hotels in the valleys (St. Anton, Ischgl, Sölden, Mayrhofen, Saalbach, Obertauern). If you arrive late, aim for the January replacements, which do exist and are posted in seasonaires' groups.
❌ Comparing the Austrian salary month by month with another country's
In Austria you get paid 14 salaries a year: the Urlaubsgeld (holiday bonus) and the Weihnachtsgeld (Christmas bonus) are part of the collective agreement, and they are also taxed under a much more favourable special regime. If you look only at the monthly net, you conclude that Austria pays little compared with Germany or the Netherlands, when the annual income tells a different story.
Do this: Do the annual calculation: monthly gross × 14, and remember that the 13th and 14th salaries arrive almost in full. And add what you don't see: 5 weeks of paid holiday by law, cheap public transport and, if you work a season, accommodation and meals included.
❌ Paying an estate agent's commission on a rental
For decades Austrian tenants paid up to two months of commission, and there are still ads and 'agents' who demand it, taking advantage of newcomers not knowing the law. Since 1 July 2023 the Bestellerprinzip applies: whoever hires the estate agent pays the commission, which in a rental is the landlord.
Do this: If they ask for a Provision to rent, say no and cite the Bestellerprinzip. If they insist, it is a sign that something else is wrong with that deal. The Arbeiterkammer and the Mietervereinigung (mietervereinigung.at) advise for free on rental contracts.
❌ Not budgeting for the Kaution and arriving with too little money
In Austria the usual deposit is 2 to 3 months' rent and it is paid together with the first month in advance. For a WG room at € 600, that means paying out between € 1,800 and € 2,400 all at once, at a time when you are also paying for a hostel and haven't received any salary yet.
Do this: Arrive with € 2,500 to € 4,000 set aside separately from the rest of your budget, not with the € 1,500 the Embassy requires, which is a formal minimum. Insist that the Kaution be deposited in a separate account in your name (it is the law) and take photos of everything on the day you move in, so they can't deduct damage that was already there when you leave.
❌ Staying the whole year with the same employer
When the job works and the team is good, staying is the natural thing. But the Austrian Working Holiday has an explicit limit: no more than 6 months with the same employer. Finding out late forces you to quit at the worst moment or, worse, to break the conditions of the programme.
Do this: Plan the year in two blocks: a winter season in the Alps with one employer and a summer season on a lake in Carinthia, in Salzburg or in Vienna with another. It is also the way to get to know two different Austrias, which is exactly the spirit of the programme.
❌ Assuming English is enough in Vienna
Vienna is cosmopolitan and in the centre everyone speaks a bit of English, so it feels like German is optional. In the job market it isn't: without German you are confined to kitchen work, laundry, cleaning, warehouse and delivery jobs, which are paid according to the collective agreement but have no tips and no progression.
Do this: Sign up for a course from your first month: the VHS (Volkshochschule) courses in Vienna are the cheapest and are all over the city, and the ÖSD and the Goethe-Institut have recognised exams. With A2-B1 you move up to waiting tables, bar work and reception, where your real income rises through both salary and tips.

📖 Glossary: the words you will hear

Meldezettel
The registration form. You fill it in, the owner or main tenant of where you live (Unterkunftgeber) signs it, and you submit it at the Meldeservice within 3 working days of moving in. They give you back the Meldebestätigung, the certificate you will be asked for by the bank, your employer and almost everything else. It is free.
Kollektivvertrag (KV)
The collective agreement for the sector. Austria has no statutory minimum wage: each industry sets its minimum by agreement, and these agreements cover more than 95 % of workers. The KV defines your minimum salary, your category (Verwendungsgruppe), hours, supplements and the 13th and 14th salaries. You can look them up at kollektivvertrag.at.
e-card
The chip card of the health system. You show it at the doctor's surgery and pay nothing if the doctor treats you under public insurance. It is issued at an ÖGK Registrierungsstelle with your passport and a photo; the annual fee (Serviceentgelt) is € 25.00 for 2026 and is withheld by your employer.
ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse)
The Austrian public health fund, which you join automatically when an employer registers you. It covers GPs, specialists and hospital stays. It is also where you arrange the e-card and the Selbstversicherung if you work geringfügig.
Geringfügige Beschäftigung
Employment below € 551.10 a month (2026 value, unchanged from 2025). It pays no contributions or tax, but it also gives no public health coverage: only accident insurance. If you take several jobs and together exceed the limit, you become compulsorily insured and they claim the contributions.
Kaution
The rental security deposit, generally 2 to 3 months' rent. By law it must be placed in a separate account in your name and returned with interest at the end of the contract, minus actual damage (not normal wear and tear). It is the expense that most often wrecks newcomers' budgets.
WG (Wohngemeinschaft)
The shared flat, the normal way for young people and newcomers to live. You rent a room and share the kitchen and bathroom. You look on WG-Gesucht and willhaben, and the selection is made by your flatmates at the WG-Casting, a kind of informal interview that is completely normal in Vienna.
Hauptmiete vs. Untermiete
Hauptmiete is a contract in your name directly with the owner: more legal protection and more requirements (they will ask for proof of income). Untermiete means renting from the main tenant: much easier to get as a newcomer, but you depend on their contract remaining in force and on the owner authorising it.
Gemeindebau
Vienna's municipal housing. More than one in four homes in the city belongs to the municipality, and close to half of Viennese live in some form of subsidised housing. That huge stock acts as a price anchor for the whole market and explains why Vienna is the Western European capital where rent weighs least on salaries. You won't be able to get one (it requires years of registered residence), but you benefit anyway.
Bestellerprinzip
The rule in force since 1 July 2023 under which the estate agent's commission is paid by whoever commissions the agent. In a rental, that is the landlord. If someone wants to charge you a Provision for renting a room or a flat, they are charging you something the law no longer allows them to pass on to you.
Betriebskosten
Service charges: building management, lift, cleaning, water, building insurance and property tax. They can add up to € 60 to € 150 a month in a flat and are paid separately from the rent unless the ad says 'inklusive'. Always ask whether the advertised price is 'Kaltmiete' (nothing included) or 'Warmmiete/Bruttomiete' (with service charges and heating).
Altbau
The pre-1945 building, typical of Vienna: three-and-a-half-metre ceilings, mouldings, wooden floors, double windows. They are the most beautiful flats in the city and the most sought after, but also the most expensive to heat in winter. Their opposite is the Neubau, smaller and more functional but with much lower energy costs.
Jause
The Austrian snack-meal: dark bread, cold cuts, cheeses, radish, sometimes a beer. It can be a worker's late breakfast or the mid-afternoon break. The Brettljause at a Buschenschank is the big version, served on a wooden board to share.
Heuriger
The young-wine tavern, a Viennese institution. Producers in the northern and western districts of the city (Grinzing, Neustift, Stammersdorf) open their own premises to sell the wine from their harvest with cold food sold by weight. Cheap, outdoors in summer and one of the best outings Vienna will offer you.
Bim
What Viennese people call the tram, after the sound of its bell. Line D and lines 1 and 2 go around the Ring and work as a free city tour if you have a pass. 'Nehmen wir die Bim' means 'let's take the tram'.
Personalzimmer
The staff room that mountain hotels offer, almost always together with the staff meals. A symbolic amount is usually deducted from the salary. It is what turns a ski season into real savings: if you pay no rent or food, almost all of your salary stays with you.
Sonderzahlungen (13. und 14. Gehalt)
The extra salaries in June (Urlaubsgeld) and in November or December (Weihnachtsgeld) set by the collective agreement. They are taxed under a special regime: the first € 620 a year are exempt and the rest is taxed at 6 %. That is why you have to compare annual rather than monthly income when you look at Austria against other countries.
AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice)
The public employment service. Its job board, the eJob-Room (jobs.ams.at), is the largest and most reliable database of vacancies in the country. With the Working Holiday visa you don't need an AMS work permit, but its portal is still useful for searching and for spotting formal employers.
Arbeiterkammer (AK)
The Chamber of Labour. You contribute compulsorily about 0.5 % of your salary and in return it advises you for free on employment law, contracts, collective-agreement wages and even rentals, with offices in every province. It is who you should call if you suspect you are being underpaid or were not registered: arbeiterkammer.at.
Grüß Gott / Servus / Baba
The greetings you will use all day. 'Grüß Gott' is the formal hello in the whole west and centre of the country (in Vienna 'Grüß Gott' and 'Guten Tag' coexist), 'Servus' is the informal hello and goodbye, and 'Baba' is the affectionate goodbye. Using them when you walk into a shop is what separates the tourist from the person who lives there.
🌡️
Which city in Austria should I move to?
Tell us what city or town you are from and we will tell you which city in Austria you will fit into best: we compare the climate with that of your city, month by month.
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☀️ Climate and best season

Austria is in the northern hemisphere, so the seasons are the opposite of Argentina's. Winter (December-February) is cold and snowy, ideal for the mountains but with few hours of daylight. Spring (March-May) and above all summer (June-August) are the best in the cities: long days with light until 9 pm, busy terraces and pleasant weather (20-30 °C). Autumn (September-November) is lovely but cools down quickly. There are TWO best times to arrive depending on what you're after: April-June to start in the city during the high season for hospitality and tourism, or October-November if you're going for the ski season in the Alps (resorts hire just before the snow opens).

🌎 Latino community

The Argentine and Latin American community in Austria is smaller than in Spain or Germany, but it exists and is active, concentrated mostly in Vienna. You'll find Facebook groups such as 'Argentinos en Austria' and 'Viena Latina', Latin fairs and events, tango milongas (Argentine tango has a lively scene of its own in Vienna, with classes and meet-ups in English) and asados. These groups are gold for finding a room, temporary jobs, information on paperwork and making friends as soon as you arrive. Because the community is less massive, integrating with locals and other foreigners is easier, but it's worth improving your German for everyday life.

🏡 Daily life and culture

Daily life is orderly, calm and very safe: punctuality, rules that are respected, strict recycling and everything works. In Vienna and in young or touristy environments you can get by with English, but for paperwork and many jobs German helps enormously (even if basic); note that in Austria people speak German with its own accent and words (Servus as a greeting, Grüß Gott, etc.). Public transport is excellent and you get around without a car. You pay by card quite often, but carry cash because many small places are still cash-only. On Sundays almost everything closes (supermarkets included), so shop on Saturday. Viennese café culture, the markets (Naschmarkt) and heading to the mountains on weekends are part of the rhythm.

🔮 And then? Paths to stay

The Working Holiday lasts 12 months and is NOT extended or renewed within the programme, but there are routes to stay if you find a skilled job before it expires, by applying for a change of permit through the Austrian immigration system. The main option is the Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte (Red-White-Red Card): a combined residence and work permit for 24 months, tied to an employer, which works on a points system (it adds up education, experience, German language, age and ties to Austria), so being young and with German you can qualify without a postgraduate degree. There are categories for 'skilled workers in shortage occupations' and 'other key workers'. After about 21 months of employment you can move to the RWR Card Plus (free access to the labour market) and, after 5 years of legal residence, to EU permanent residence. There is also the study route if you enrol in a degree. To be honest: staying is possible but requires securing a skilled contract, and learning German is the factor that opens the most doors.

📱 Useful information

📶 SIM and phone: what to get and when

Comparison with data from each carrier's official websites. We have no agreement with any of them: we do not sell or earn commission on these plans.

📱 You need a local number, and you need it now.
Without an Austrian number, flatshares (WG) and employers won't get back to you, and a travel eSIM only gives you data, not a number.
See the details
But here there is a legal point worth knowing BEFORE you land and that nobody mentions: in Austria there is no such thing as an anonymous SIM. Since 1 January 2019 every prepaid card has to be registered in a person's name before it can be used or topped up. A1 publishes it verbatim: «Seit 01.01.2019 gilt die gesetzliche Registrierungspflicht für Wertkarten. Ab 01.01.2019 können nicht registrierte Wertkarten nicht mehr mit Guthaben aufgeladen werden», and cites the rule: § 97 Absatz 1a in conjunction with § 109 Absatz 3 Ziffer 22 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz (TKG) 2003. The good news is that a PASSPORT is more than enough: A1 asks for «einen amtlichen Lichtbildausweis (z.B. Reisepass, Personalausweis, Führerschein)» and HoT says you register «in jeder HOFER Filiale mittels Lichtbildausweis». You do not need a Meldezettel, an Austrian bank account or a tax number: only the photo document.
The eSIM is data only: it does not give you a number.
⏳ What holds you back from the monthly contract plan
🧾
WHAT THEY ASK FOR
In Austria, and this is the surprise of the country: there is NO document that holds up the monthly plan.
See the details
The only mandatory thing, which applies equally to prepaid, is the legal registration of the SIM with an official photo document — a passport works.
🕒
HOW LONG IT TAKES
None. A1 publishes that «Die Freischaltung erfolgt sofort nach der Registrierung» for a new SIM, and HoT registers you at the checkout of any HOFER on the spot.
📄
WHAT PLAN IT IS FOR
To activate any Austrian SIM, prepaid or contract. It is a legal requirement, not an operator's one.
Until then you go with prepaid.
HoT (Hofer Telekom) — the brand of HOFER, which is ALDI in Austria
It is the solution for day one and also for month six, without changing company.
See the details
You buy it at the checkout of any HOFER —there are stores across the country, including the mountain villages where you will be working— and RIGHT THERE they register you with your passport, which is the only legal formality required. The SIM costs 0,00 € when ordered on the website, with free shipping. It has no commitment term, no activation fee and no service fee: its own FAQ says «Bei HoT genießen Sie höchste Flexibilität ohne zusätzliche Kosten oder Gebühren!». It runs on the T-Mobile Austria network (now Magenta), which they publish: «Die von HoT angebotenen Dienste werden über das Netz der T-Mobile Austria GmbH erbracht.» It is a company of the Ventocom group, the largest virtual operator in the country.
📶 Prepaid, from day 1
RateAll packages are charged EVERY 30 DAYS («alle 30 Tage»), not monthly: that is 12,17 charges a year.
See the details
HoT smart MINI 1,90 € (Austria only) · HoT smart 5,90 € · HoT fix 9,90 € · HoT fix 14,90 € · HoT fix MEGA 17,90 €. Separately: HoT smart CONTROL 19,90 € every 365 days (Austria only), and HoT flex, which has no monthly fee: you pay 3,9 cents per minute or SMS and 0,9 cents per MB, in Austria and in EU roaming. In real money per year: the 9,90 € one is 120,45 €, not 118,80 €.
DataHoT smart MINI 550 MB · HoT smart 10 GB LTE (up to 150 Mbit/s), with calls and SMS at 3,9 ct each · HoT fix 9,90 € = 1.000 minutes OR SMS + 70 GB LTE…
See the details
· HoT fix 14,90 € = 1.000 minutes OR SMS + 100 GB with 5G up to 150 Mbit/s · HoT fix MEGA 17,90 € = 1.000 minutes OR SMS + 150 GB with 5G · HoT smart CONTROL = 11 GB per YEAR. Note a particularity: on the HoT fix plans it is «1.000 Minuten ODER SMS», that is, a shared allowance, not two. And if you go over the package they do not cut you off: «Ihr Mehrverbrauch für den Rest des Monats wird einfach supergünstig mit HoT flex abgerechnet», that is, at 3,9 ct per minute and 0,9 ct per MB.
What they ask forA photo document. Verbatim from its FAQ: «Um Ihre SIM-Karte zu aktivieren, können Sie sich ganz einfach in jeder HOFER Filiale mittels…
See the details
Lichtbildausweis registrieren.» If you prefer to do it online or in the app, they publish four routes: with the details of another HoT number you already have, with ID Austria or EU-Login, with the online banking of an Austrian bank, or —the one that works for a new arrival— «Mit Ihrem Lichtbildausweis und Handy oder Laptop mit Kamera». They do not ask for a Meldezettel, a bank account or a history. No commitment term: «Sie können Ihren Tarif mit nur wenigen Klicks alle 30 Tage ganz einfach an Ihre Bedürfnisse anpassen - ohne Bindung!»
Where to buyVerbatim: «Sie erhalten Ihre HoT SIM-Karte in jeder HOFER Filiale oder online.» In the web shop the SIM is listed at EUR 0,00 with «Versandkosten EUR 0,00».
See the details
There is also an eSIM, loaded from the HoT app.
official source ↗ · read on 2026-09-29
📄 Monthly plan, further on
What they ask forNOT APPLICABLE: HoT does not sell a contract plan.
See the details
It is all prepaid with 30-day packages. Ventocom, its owner, describes it like this on its own website: HoT «vereint die Vorteile von Wertkarte und Vertrag - volle Kostenkontrolle, automatische Aufladung, günstigste Pakettarife, keine Vertragsbindung». For monthly invoicing in a company's name there is HoT Business, which brings several numbers together on a single invoice, but it is still the same prepaid product.
official source ↗ · read on 2026-09-29
spusu (Mass Response Service GmbH) — by far the lowest price in Austria
Because it is the cheapest plan we found in any of the countries we have covered, and because —this is the important part— it is a CONTRACT that a new arrival can get.
See the details
9,90 € per month for 100 GB, 2.000 minutes and 1.000 SMS, with no commitment term and cancellable at month end. We read its complete general terms (June 2026) and there is no credit check, no deposit and no requirement for an Austrian address: the only reasons for rejection they publish are previous debts with them, doubts about your identity, being under 18 or having entered false data. And you pay by credit card or transfer, so you do not need to open an account in Austria. It runs on the Drei network: its own coverage page (spusu.at/netzabdeckung) leads straight to the drei.at map.
📶 Prepaid, from day 1
Ratespusu Wertkarte: 20,00 € one-off, and then you pay per use: 4 € per GB, 4 cents per minute and 4 cents per SMS, plus 2 GB as a gift after the first top-up.
See the details
You top up «mit Ladebon» or from Mein spusu with EPS transfer, credit card or Paysafecard.
Data4 € per GB used, on an unthrottled LTE/4G network («ungedrosselt»).
See the details
IT IS NOT A DATA PACKAGE: it is a pay-per-use rate. At 4 € per GB, 10 GB costs you 40 € — six times more expensive than spusu's monthly plan of 100 GB for 9,90 €. This prepaid is for having a number and talking, not for browsing.
What they ask forThe spusu Wertkarte is its prepaid product.
See the details
It applies the Austrian legal registration with a photo document, as with every SIM in the country. No commitment term: the product page says «keine Mindestvertragsdauer». The SIM arrives free as a Triple-SIM or as an eSIM, and you have six months to activate it: «Bei spusu hast du 6 Monate Zeit, um deine SIM-Karte zu aktivieren. Erst ab der Aktivierung wird die Grundgebühr verrechnet.»
Where to buyOnline only, at spusu.at. They have no stores of their own. Free shipping of the SIM (Triple-SIM: standard, micro and nano) or eSIM.
official source ↗ · read on 2026-09-29
📄 Monthly plan, further on
RatePrices per CALENDAR MONTH (12 payments a year, no 28- or 30-day trap): spusu mini 3,90 € · spusu 12.000 7,90 € · spusu legendär 9,90 € · spusu 5G…
See the details
legendär 14,90 € · spusu 5G grüezi 16,90 € · spusu 5G 200 19,90 €. Data only: spusu 1 GB 2,90 € and spusu 10 GB 5,90 €, with calls and SMS at 4 cents. They allow one free plan change per month: «Du kannst bei spusu einmal pro Monat einen kostenlosen Tarifwechsel durchführen.»
Dataspusu mini 1 GB + 100 minutes + 100 SMS · spusu 12.000 10 GB + 1.000 minutes + 1.000 SMS · spusu legendär 100 GB + 2.000 minutes + 1.000 SMS (of…
See the details
which 17 GB usable in EU+UK roaming), unthrottled LTE/4G network · spusu 5G legendär 150 GB · spusu 5G grüezi 150 GB + 30 GB in Switzerland · spusu 5G 200 200 GB. All also add «daten.trans.fair», which doubles the contracted volume in GB that can be carried over. EU roaming is free and, unusually, calling from Austria to another EU country costs nothing extra: «telefonierst du bei spusu von Österreich in ein anderes EU-Land ohne Mehrkosten».
What they ask forOver 18 and correct details. Its June 2026 AGB publish the complete list of reasons for rejection and they do not include credit or address: «Bitte…
See the details
beachten Sie, dass wir zum Beispiel unter folgenden Bedingungen einen Vertrag mit Ihnen ablehnen können: Sie haben fällige Rechnungen von uns wiederholt nicht bezahlt. Wir haben Zweifel an Ihrer Identität. Sie sind noch nicht 18 Jahre alt oder dürfen keine rechtskräftigen Geschäfte abschließen. Sie haben unrichtige oder unvollständige Angaben bei Ihrer Bestellung gemacht.» PAYMENT METHODS, verbatim from the same AGB: «Sie haben vier Möglichkeiten Ihre Rechnung zu begleichen: Online-Überweisung per EPS, SEPA Lastschrift, Selbstüberweisung, Kreditkarte.» In their FAQ they add Apple Pay. That is: by card or transfer, with no Austrian bank. NO ACTIVATION FEE: «Gibt es eine Aktivierungsgebühr oder andere versteckte Kosten? Nein! Unser Motto lautet: Tarife ohne versteckte Kosten!». The only thing paid in advance is the Vertragsabschlussgebühr, which is not a charge but an advance and is refunded to you: «Die Vertragsabschlussgebühr ist jener Betrag, den du bei der Bestellung in Höhe einer Grundgebühr bezahlst. Sobald du deine SIM-Karte aktiviert hast … wird dir dieser Betrag auf der nächsten Rechnung gutgeschrieben.»
Length of stayNone. The page for each plan says «keine Mindestvertragsdauer» and the AGB round it off: «Grundsätzlich haben Sie bei spusu keine…
See the details
Mindestvertragslaufzeit. Ihre Kündigung wird mit dem Ende Ihrer aktuellen Abrechnungsperiode wirksam.» You cancel by phone (0670 670 1000), with the signed form sent to office@spusu.at, by post or by fax.
official source ↗ · read on 2026-09-29
A1 (Telekom Austria) — the network, and the stores
It is here for COVERAGE and for the stores, not for the price.
See the details
It is the historic operator and the network with the best reach outside the cities, which is exactly where an Austrian Working Holiday ends up working: mountain hotels in Tyrol and Salzburg, farms, ski resorts. It has 65 own and franchised stores, and you register the SIM right there or at a Hartlauer, a MediaMarkt or a trafik. And it is here for a second reason: it is the one that publishes the Austrian registration law and which document works most clearly. Now, the price: its B.free prepaid starts at 9,90 € for 50 GB, competitive; its monthly plans with no commitment term (SIMply) cost double what spusu does; and its plans with a phone have 24 months of commitment, which for a Working Holiday is a trap.
📶 Prepaid, from day 1
RateThe three packages are charged every 4 weeks and A1 states it in its own small print: «1 B.free Monat entspricht 28 Tagen».
See the details
That is 13,04 charges a year. B.free S 9,90 € · B.free M 14,90 € · B.free L 29,90 €. In real money per year: 129,05 € · 194,29 € · 389,90 €. The starter package is 9,90 € separately. THE BIG TRAP, and it has to be said: if you run out of credit when it is time to renew, the line does NOT switch off, it moves on its own to the B.free 50 rate, which costs 0,50 € per MB, 0,50 € per minute and 0,50 € per SMS. Verbatim from A1: «Nach Verbrauch der Freieinheiten wird nach B.free 50 verrechnet. € 0,50 pro Minute/SMS/MB.» Half a gigabyte at that rate is 250 €. You have to have your credit loaded before each renewal, no exceptions.
DataB.free S 50 GB (15 GB usable in the EU) + 2.000 minutes and 2.000 SMS in Austria and the EU, no international units · B.free M 60 GB (23 GB in the…
See the details
EU) + 2.000 minutes and 2.000 SMS, plus 50 minutes and 50 SMS to the EU and Switzerland · B.free L unlimited data (46 GB in the EU) + 3.000 minutes and 3.000 SMS, plus 100 minutes and SMS to the EU and Switzerland. All three up to 150 Mbit/s download and 50 upload. What you do not use is lost: «Freieinheiten gelten für 4 Wochen – nicht verbrauchte Einheiten verfallen.»
What they ask forRegistration required by law before the SIM can be used or topped up.
See the details
Verbatim: «Seit 01.01.2019 gilt die gesetzliche Registrierungspflicht für Wertkarten. Ab 01.01.2019 können nicht registrierte Wertkarten nicht mehr mit Guthaben aufgeladen werden.» What you have to bring, verbatim: «Sie benötigen: Einen amtlichen Lichtbildausweis (z.B. Reisepass, Personalausweis, Führerschein). Den PUK Ihrer SIM Karte.» The passport is expressly named. Online there are three verification routes: Handy-Signatur.at, the online banking of an Austrian bank joined to eID, or «FotoIdent mit Ihrem Ausweis und Smartphone bzw. Webcam» — the latter is the one that works for someone who has just arrived. Immediate activation: «Die Freischaltung erfolgt sofort nach der Registrierung.» No commitment term and no activation cost: «Ohne Bindung. Keine Aktivierungskosten.»
Where to buyThe B.free Welcome Package costs 9,90 € one-off, with free shipping by post in 2 to 3 working days paying by credit card or cash on delivery, or it is bought on the spot at any A1 Shop.
See the details
There is a physical SIM version and an eSIM version. Registration is done «In allen A1 Shops, Online auf A1.net, Im ausgewählten Fachhandel (z.B. Hartlauer oder MediaMarkt), In ausgewählten Trafiken».
official source ↗ · read on 2026-09-29
📄 Monthly plan, further on
RateTWO FAMILIES, and for a Working Holiday only one is of use.
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(1) A1 SIMply, WITH NO COMMITMENT TERM and per calendar month: SIMply S 120 GB at 14,90 € · SIMply M 200 GB at 21,90 € · SIMply L unlimited at 24,90 €. NOTE: those are the prices «Für A1 Kunden»; if you are not already an A1 customer —which is your case on arrival— the price the same page puts next to them is 19,90 € · 26,90 € · 29,90 €. Small print: «Kein Aktivierungsentgelt. Keine Vertragsbindung.» (2) A1 Mobil, WITH A PHONE AND A 24-MONTH COMMITMENT: A1 Mobil S 31,90 € (sonst 36,90 €) · M 42,90 € (47,90 €) · L 64,90 € (69,90 €), plus «Speichermedienvergütung einmalig € 6,60» and the clarification «24 Monate Vertragsbindung». There is an online bonus of one free month, tied all the same to those 24 months.
DataA1 SIMply S 120 GB (31 GB in the EU) up to 150 Mbit/s · SIMply M 200 GB (41 GB in the EU) up to 300 Mbit/s · SIMply L unlimited (48 GB in the EU) up to 300 Mbit/s.
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All three with UNLIMITED minutes and SMS within Austria, 5G, and a package of minutes and SMS to the EU, Switzerland, Canada, the USA, Turkey, Serbia and North Macedonia (50/75/150 depending on the tier). The A1 Mobil plans come with unlimited data and 60, 80 or 114 GB of EU roaming.
What they ask forNOT PUBLISHED in detail: A1 does not say on its tariff pages what documents it asks for to sign up, whether it runs a credit assessment, whether it…
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requires an Austrian address or whether it accepts a foreign passport. We do not deduce it. The only things it publishes in the small print of the plans are below: activation fee and commitment term.
Length of stayThe A1 SIMply plans, none: «Ohne Bindung» in the title and «Kein Aktivierungsentgelt.
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Keine Vertragsbindung» in the small print. The A1 Mobil plans, 24 months: «24 Monate Vertragsbindung». NOT VERIFIED: A1 has historically had a Servicepauschale (an annual service fee) and its own help search still returns questions about it («Ist der Wechsel zu einem neuen A1 Tarif ohne Servicepauschale möglich?»), but the small print of A1 SIMply and A1 Mobil does not mention it. We could not confirm whether these plans charge it or not. We do not estimate it.
official source ↗ · read on 2026-09-29
Is it worth stretching the eSIM?
Let's do the maths with the numbers above, all in euros and all from the operator's website.
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FIRST, THE CALENDAR TRAP, which in Austria is worse than in Germany because each operator uses a different cycle. HoT charges «alle 30 Tage»: 12,17 times a year. A1 B.free charges every 28 days and writes it verbatim, «1 B.free Monat entspricht 28 Tagen»: 13,04 times a year. spusu charges per calendar month: 12 times. Put all three at 9,90 € and look at the year: spusu 118,80 €, HoT 120,45 €, A1 B.free 129,05 €. The same number in the shop window, a 10 € difference per year. And now look at what you get for that 9,90 €: A1 gives you 50 GB every 28 days, HoT gives you 70 GB every 30, spusu gives you 100 GB every calendar month. spusu wins at both ends at once: it charges fewer times a year and gives more data. SECOND, HOW MUCH DOES THE NUMBER ALONE COST? In Austria there are two floors. The lowest of all is HoT flex: no monthly fee, you pay 3,9 cents per minute or SMS and 0,9 cents per MB, and only when you use it. With that you have an Austrian number for 0 € a month. The next step up is spusu mini: 3,90 € per month with 1 GB, 100 minutes and 100 SMS, that is 46,80 € a year. Both are small money: the number, in Austria, practically costs nothing. THIRD, AND HERE THE DISCUSSION ENDS. From spusu mini (1 GB, 3,90 €) to spusu legendär (100 GB, 9,90 €) there are SIX EUROS of difference per month. Six euros for 99 GB more. Put another way: spusu legendär is 118,80 € a year for 1.200 GB, that is 0,099 € per GB — ten cents a gigabyte. There is no travel eSIM in the world that comes close to that number. The «minimal prepaid for the number + eSIM for data» play in Austria makes no economic sense at all: it would cost you more, with two lines and two expiry dates. FOURTH, PREPAID VERSUS CONTRACT, which here is reversed compared with Germany. In Austria the CONTRACT is cheaper than prepaid, and not by a little: spusu legendär gives 100 GB for 9,90 € a month against the 50 GB for 9,90 € every 28 days of A1 B.free, or the 4 € PER GIGABYTE of the spusu Wertkarte. And the Austrian contract does not ask you for anything strange: we read spusu's June 2026 AGB and there is no credit check, no deposit, no mandatory Austrian address and you pay by credit card or transfer. The only hard condition in the country is registration with a photo document, and the passport works. PRACTICAL RULE THAT COMES OUT OF THIS: data eSIM only for the first hours, and not even that if you arrive during opening hours. The day you land, walk into a HOFER —there are stores in every city and in almost every village—, buy the HoT SIM and register right there at the checkout with your PASSPORT: the SIM costs 0 € and in five minutes you have an Austrian number, with no Meldezettel, no bank and no history. With that you can already apply for jobs and WGs. In parallel, that same day, order the spusu SIM online (it arrives free and you have six months to activate it) and move to spusu legendär: 100 GB and 2.000 minutes for 9,90 € a month, no commitment term, cancellable at month end. That is the end point for the 6 or 12 months. Leave A1 for a specific case: if the job is in a mountain valley and HoT or spusu give you no signal there, A1 is the network that does reach, and you buy its 9,90 € B.free in the village. And never sign an A1 Mobil with a phone: it is 24 months of commitment, declared by themselves. A WARNING THAT IS NOT ABOUT PRICE BUT ABOUT LOST MONEY: if you use A1 B.free and run out of credit on the renewal day, the line does not switch off: it moves on its own to B.free 50, which costs 0,50 € per MB. Half a gigabyte at that rate is 250 euros. Have your credit loaded before each expiry. NOT VERIFIED: we did not check the price of any travel eSIM on any eSIM provider's website. There is no eSIM figure here: the calculation is made only with the Austrian 0 €, 3,90 €, 9,90 €, 14,90 € and 20 €, which are verified on each operator's website.

Rates verified on each carrier's website on 2026-09-29 and reviewed every week. Phone prices change often: confirm before signing up.

💡 Tips

🔗 Official links

🏛️Embajada de Austria en Buenos Aires — Working Holiday Programm (español)https://www.bmeia.gv.at/es/embajada-de-austria-buenos-aires/viajar-a-a📋BMEIA — Working Holiday Application (requirements and documentation, official)https://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/travel-stay/entrance-and-residence-in-austr🛂Austrian Embassy — How do I submit an application (appointment and process)https://www.bmeia.gv.at/es/embajada-de-austria-buenos-aires/viajar-a-a📝Sistema de turnos oficial (appointment.bmeia.gv.at) — oficina Buenos Aireshttps://appointment.bmeia.gv.at/📋Argentine Foreign Ministry — Vacations and Work Programshttps://www.cancilleria.gob.ar/es/servicios/servicios/programas-de-vac📋Argentina's foreign ministry — Austria (working holiday programme)https://www.cancilleria.gob.ar/es/servicios/extranjeros/austria🔗ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) — public health insurance and e-cardhttps://www.oegk.at/🔗chipkarte.at — process and annual fee for the e-cardhttps://www.chipkarte.at/🔗AMS eJob-Room — bolsa oficial de empleo del Estado austríacohttps://jobs.ams.at/🔗Arbeiterkammer — free employment advice and collective-agreement wageshttps://www.arbeiterkammer.at/ℹ️kollektivvertrag.at (WKO) — search tool for collective agreements by sectorhttps://www.kollektivvertrag.at/🔗FinanzOnline — annual tax return and tax refundhttps://finanzonline.bmf.gv.at/🔗wien.gv.at — Meldeservice and the Meldezettel processhttps://www.wien.gv.at/verwaltung/meldeservice/ℹ️Wiener Linien — current public transport fares in Viennahttps://www.wienerlinien.at/ticketsℹ️ÖAMTC — exchanging driving licences from non-EEA countrieshttps://www.oeamtc.at/thema/fuehrerschein/

❓ Frequently asked questions

How many places are there, and do they run out?
Austria grants up to 200 Working Holiday visas a year to Argentines. Demand is low and the quota has not run out since 2022: in practice there has always been availability. The hard part is not the quota but getting an appointment at the Embassy.
How old can I be to apply?
Between 18 and 30 years old inclusive at the time of submitting the application. You cannot have turned 31 on the day you apply.
How much money do I have to show?
The official Austrian source (BMEIA) requires proof of financial means to cover the costs of the first period of stay, but does not publish an exact amount. The figure of EUR 1,500 that is often mentioned is an indicative reference, not an official minimum. It is shown with bank statements or a card statement in your name. Also bring a return ticket or the funds to buy one.
Is the process online?
No. It is 100% in person at the Austrian Embassy in Buenos Aires. You book an appointment online at appointment.bmeia.gv.at and submit all the documents in person. It is not accepted by post or through third parties.
Do I need to know German or take a language test?
No. Unlike Germany or Australia's subclass 462, Austria does not require a language certificate (neither German nor English) or a university degree for this visa.
How much does the visa cost?
The fee is EUR 195, paid in the consulate's local currency, according to its rules, at the day's exchange rate, on the day of your appointment at the Embassy (verified July 2026).
Can I work all year in the same place?
You can work on a casual basis, but with a limit of a maximum of 6 months with the same employer. You can change jobs during the 12 months. The main declared purpose must be to holiday.
How much do you really earn working in Austria on a Working Holiday?
Austria has no statutory minimum wage: the minimums are set by each sector's Kollektivvertrag. In hospitality, the collective-agreement minimum is around € 2,026 gross per month for a full-time job (value in force in July 2026), which comes to roughly € 1,550-1,650 take-home, paid 14 times a year. In ski season you add tips and, above all, the Personalzimmer and meals, which is what turns the wage into savings. Before signing, ask which agreement and which Verwendungsgruppe apply to you and check it at kollektivvertrag.at or with the Arbeiterkammer.
How much money do I need to settle in Vienna?
The € 1,500 the Embassy requires is the formal minimum for the application, not a real budget. Counting 2 to 4 weeks in a hostel, the Kaution (2 to 3 months' rent), the first month in advance and food until your first pay, a realistic start is between € 2,500 and € 4,000. Living in a WG in Vienna and cooking at home then costs between € 1,100 and € 1,500 a month (verified July 2026).
Do I have to register my address when I arrive?
Yes, and it is the most important step of your first week. Austrian law requires you to register your address within 3 working days of moving in. The form is the Meldezettel; it has to be signed by the owner or the main tenant, it is submitted at any Meldeservice and it is free. You will be asked for the certificate (Meldebestätigung) to open a bank account, for the annual transport pass and for almost any other process. Every time you move, you have to repeat it.
How does healthcare work? Is the visa insurance enough?
The private insurance of € 30,000 with repatriation covers you from the moment you arrive and while you travel in Schengen. When you get a job with a contract, your employer registers you with the ÖGK before your first day and you move to full public coverage, with the e-card as your credential (annual fee of € 25.00 in 2026). Note: if you only work geringfügig, below € 551.10 a month, you do NOT have public health cover and it is worth taking out the Selbstversicherung at € 83.49 a month.
Do I get taxes back when I leave?
Very likely yes, and it is money many people leave unclaimed. Since the system withholds month by month assuming you will earn the same all year, if you only worked part of it you were almost always withheld too much. The return is called the Arbeitnehmerveranlagung, it is filed for free through FinanzOnline (finanzonline.bmf.gv.at), it can be filed up to five years back and you do not need to still be living in Austria. Even if you did not pay Lohnsteuer you can receive the Negativsteuer, which refunds part of the social contributions.
Do I need German to get a job?
The visa does not require a language certificate, but for work it changes everything. Without German you can find kitchen, laundry, cleaning, warehouse and delivery jobs: roles paid according to the collective agreement but with no tips or progression. With A2-B1 you can access table service, bar and reception work, which pay better and where tips exist. In ski resorts with British and Dutch guests, English is enough more often. The cheapest courses are those at the VHS in Vienna.
Can I stay in Austria after the year?
The Working Holiday visa cannot be extended or renewed. If you want to stay, you have to change status before it expires, typically to a Rot-Weiß-Rot Karte with a skilled job that meets the points and salary threshold, or to a student permit. This process is handled by the immigration authority (the MA 35 in Vienna), which is overloaded: start 4 to 6 months ahead, not in the last month.
Is it true that rent in Vienna is cheap for Western Europe?
It is more affordable than in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris or Dublin, and not by chance: more than one in four homes in Vienna is municipal (Gemeindebau) and around half of Viennese live in some kind of subsidised housing, which anchors prices across the whole market. You will be renting on the private market — Gemeindebau is not accessible without years of registered residence — where a room in a WG in central districts runs from € 550 to € 750 including utilities (verified July 2026).

📚 Sources

Last verified: July 2026.

📷 We post all of this on Instagram first@holaviajacongus

🧰 Tools that will help you

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How do they speak there?
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← Back to all Working Holiday programs

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Image credits
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (CC BY, CC BY-SA or public domain). Open each file to see its author and licence.
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