Austrian Airport Transit Visa

Many UK citizens enjoy traveling abroad, with Austria being a popular destination due to its rich heritage and diverse customs. While British tourists often seek to explore the beauty of Austria, they may also encounter certain challenges when planning international trips. Therefore, it is important to provide clear guidance on how UK residents can obtain an Austrian today.

Picture of Austrian flag — Austrian flag

1. Top questions

1.1 What Is a Visa & Who Needs One?

1.2 What Is an Airport Transit Visa?

1.3 How Long is an Airport Transit Visa Valid For?

1.4 When Should I Apply For an Airport Transit Visa?

1.5 How Long Does it Take to Process an Airport Transit Visa?

1.6 Where is the Airport Transit Visa Processed?

1.7 How Much Does it Cost to Obtain an Austrian Airport Transit Visa?

1.8 How To Pay?

2. Application process

2.1 Documents Required for an Austrian Transit Visa

2.2 Steps to Apply for an Austrian Airport Transit Visa

3. Airport Transit Visa Extension

Introduction

The tourism industry is undeniably booming, with cross-country travel playing a crucial role in the socio-economic development of both the UK and Austria.

Firstly, international tourism significantly contributes to Austria’s prosperity at various levels. To accommodate the growing number of British visitors, there has been substantial infrastructure development, including improved roads, transport facilities, and enhanced law and order. These advancements not only benefit tourists but also enhance the quality of life for local residents.

Secondly, the increasing influx of visitors has led to more employment opportunities, particularly in the hospitality sector. This boost in employment contributes to a better overall quality of life for Austrians and generates significant revenue for the government, aiding the nation in overcoming financial challenges.

However, it is important to note that there are growing concerns about the negative impacts of the travel industry on local communities and the natural environment in Austria. In response, both the government and individuals have implemented stricter visa procedures to mitigate these drawbacks and ensure that tourism continues to contribute positively to Austria’s prosperity.

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a Visa & Who Needs One?

According to Wikipedia, a visa is a permit issued by Austria that allows an individual to enter, stay in, or transit through Austria. This document is typically stamped in a passport by an embassy. The type of visa required and the permitted duration of stay depend on the purpose of the visit. In some cases, an interview at the embassy may be necessary before obtaining a visa.

It is important to note that certain categories of UK residents may be eligible for visa-free entry to Austria.

British citizens do not need a visa for short stays in the Schengen Area (up to 90 days within any 180-day period). However, if they plan to stay in Austria for more than 90 days, a visa will be required. Conversely, non-UK passport holders residing in the UK must obtain an Austrian Schengen visa to visit Austria.

Please take a look at the tables to determine whether your nationality requires you to apply for an Austrian visa.

[expand title=”The countries whose citizens are required to get an Austrian visa in order to enter there are”]

A
Afghanistan	Algeria	Angola	Armenia	Azerbaijan

B
Bahrain	Bangladesh	Belarus	Belize
Benin	Bhutan	Bolivia	Botswana
Burkina Faso	Burma/Myanmar	Burundi

C
Cambodia	Cameroon	Cape Verde	Central African Republic	Chad
China	Comoros	Congo	Cote D’ivoire	Cuba

D
Dem. Rep. Of Congo	Djibouti	Dominican Republic
E
Ecuador	Egypt	Equatorial Guinea	Eritrea	Ethiopia

F
Fiji

G
Gabon	Gambia	Ghana	Guinea	Guinea-Bissau	Guyana

H
Haiti

I
India	Indonesia	Iran	Iraq

J
Jamaica	Jordan

K
Kazakhstan	Kenya	Kosovo	Kuwait	Kyrgyzstan

L
Laos	Lebanon	Lesotho	Liberia	Libya

M
Madagascar	Malawi	Maldives	Mali
Mauritania	Mongolia	Morocco	Mozambique

N
Namibia	Nepal	Niger	Nigeria	Northern Mariana’s	North Korea

O
Oman

P
Pakistan	Papua New Guinea	Palestinian Authority	Philippines

Q
Qatar

R
Russia	Rwanda

S
Sao Tome And Principe	Saudi Arabia	Senegal	Sierra Leone
Somalia	South Africa	South Sudan	Sri Lanka
Sudan	Suriname	Swaziland	Syria

T
Tajikistan	Tanzania	Thailand	Timor-Leste
Togo	Tonga	Tunisia	Turkey
Turkmenistan
U
Uganda	Uzbekistan

V
Vietnam

Y
Yemen

Z
Zambia	Zimbabwe

[/expand]

With a valid UK residence permit is valid until at least three months beyond your planned departure date from Austria or the Schengen Area, you can enjoy several benefits. For stays of less than 90 days in Austria, your UK residence permit suffices. However, if you plan to stay in Austria for more than 90 days, you will need to apply for a residency permit rather than an Austrian Schengen visa.

If you hold a UK visa valid for three months, you can extend it for an additional three months. This extension allows you to apply for an Austrian Schengen visa from within the UK. Be sure to apply for the extension before your current visa expires and while you are still in the UK.

1.2 What is an Airport Transit Visa?

An Airport Transit Visa allows travellers to pass through Austria while en route to another country within the EU, specifically for the purpose of changing flights at an Austrian airport. This visa permits you to remain in the international transit area of the airport but does not allow you to leave this area, even temporarily.

If your journey involves transiting through more than one airport within the Schengen Area, you will need a regular Schengen Visa (Type C), as flights between Schengen countries are considered “domestic” flights. Similarly, if you need to leave the airport to travel to another airport within the same country, you must also apply for a regular Schengen Visa (Type C).

Exceptions to the Airport Transit Visa Requirement:

You do not need an Airport Transit Visa if you belong to one of the following categories:

Hold a diplomatic passport.
Are a family member of an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen.
Hold a valid visa from a Schengen state, a European Union or EEA member state, Canada, Japan, or the United States.
Hold a valid residence permit from a Schengen state, a European Union or EEA member state, Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino, or the United States.
Are a flight crew member from a country party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

1.3 How long is an Airport Transit Visa valid for?

An Airport Transit Visa is typically valid for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. If your stay exceeds 90 days, you will need to apply for a long-stay national visa instead.

1.4 When Should I Apply For an Airport Transit Visa?

It is highly recommended to apply for an Austrian Airport Transit Visa 6 months prior to your planned trip.

1.5 How Long Does It Take to Process an Airport Transit Visa?

You should receive a response from the Visa Application Centre within 15 days or less. However, processing times can vary, and in some cases, it may take up to 30-60 days due to specific circumstances or additional documentation requirements.

1.6 Where Is the Airport Transit Visa Processed?

The processing of Airport Transit Visas generally follows a standard procedure, with additional documentation required only in rare cases.

For Visits to Austria Only: Submit your application at the VFS Visa Centre in the UK.
For Visits to Multiple Schengen Countries: Submit your application at the Visa Center of the country where you will spend the most days, or if the duration is equal in each, at the country you will enter first.

Picture of VFS Center's official website page — VFS Centre’s official website page

A VISA APPLICATION CENTRE IN LONDON – VFS JOINT VISA APPLICATION CENTRE

Address:

66 Wilson Street

London

EC2A 2JX

Contact details:

email: info.ituk@vfshelpline.com

Helpline number: 0871 376 0023

Due to the increasing demand for Austrian visas, the Austrian Embassy has outsourced its visa application processing to the Austrian Visa Centres in London. A Visa Application Centre (VAC) is an authorised third-party service provider responsible for accepting visa applications on behalf of a country. The VAC transmits the applicant’s information and application to the relevant visa processing authority, which is either the Visa Application Center or the embassy of the applicant’s destination country.

Our company is here to assist you in preparing and submitting the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center. We handle the review and forwarding of your documents to ensure a smooth process for obtaining an Austrian visa through the VFS Visa Application Center.

1.7 How Much Does it Cost to Obtain an Austrian Airport Transit Visa?

The visa processing fees for an Austrian Airport Transit Visa vary based on the applicant’s category:

Adults: £73
Children Aged 6-12: £36.50

There is no fee for the following categories:

Children Under 6 Years Old
Family Members of an EU/EEA National

For family members, please provide the following documents:

Original Marriage Certificate or Civil Partnership Certificate
Original Full Birth Certificate
EU/EEA National’s Passport
Students and Accompanied Teaching Staff: This includes school children, undergraduates, and postgraduates traveling to Austria for a short study period.

For this category, please provide:

A letter from the school principal or dean indicating that the trip is a necessary part of the school or college program.

1.8 How To Pay?

Visa fees can be paid in cash or by credit/debit card at the Visa Application Centre. Please note that checks are not accepted.

2. Application process

2.1 Documents Required for an Austrian Transport Visa

To apply for an Austrian Airport Transit Visa, you must provide the following documents:

1. Visa Application Form

Complete the Short-Stay Visa Application Form legibly and accurately.
Ensure you sign the form.
Include the complete address in Austria, specifying the number, street name, city, and postal code.

Please make use of the following table to fill in the form correctly:

The appropriate Form Section	Our explanation of each Form Section
Surname	Fill in your name like it is on your passport (do not write “married name” and your husband name)
Surname at birth	Write the name you had at your birth if different than your current surname
First Name (s)	Write your first name like it is on your passport
Date of birth	Fill in your date of birth like this: day/month/year
Place of birth	Fill in your place of birth like it is on your passport
Country of birth	Fill in your country of birth even there is no it on your passport
Current Nationality	Fill in your nationality like it is on your passport
Nationality at birth, if different	Fill in your nationality at birth if it is different from the nationality on your passport
Other nationalities
Sex	Fill in your male or female gender
Marital Status	For a common-law marriage, indicate “common-law marriage” in the section “Other”. For a PACS (your destination country civil union contract) with a local citizen, indicate “PACS” in the section “Other“
Parental Authority	Fill in the full name, address, telephone number, email address, and nationality of the person who keeps parental authority or legal guardianship
National Identity Number	Fill in your national identity number if you have this one
Type of travel document	Write the appropriate kind of your travel document
Number of travel document	Write the appropriate numbers of your travel document
Date of issue	Write the date your passport was issued (not the extension date)
Valid until	Write your passport expiration date taking into account the extensions
Issued by	Write the country of issuing your passport and the authority that issued the passport
Personal data of the family member who is a European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen or is a United	Fill in the full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and relationship only if you are the dependent spouse, child, father, or mother of a person who is a citizen of another State of the European Union.
Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable
Family relationship with an European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen, or with United Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable	Fill in the corresponding status
Applicant's home address and e-mail address	Write the e-mail address: 1) your own one, either 2) another person one, or 3) company (accordingly, write the name of the mailbox owner).
Telephone number	Write your cellular number in your residence country and, where appropriate, in the country where you are submitting your visa application
Residence in a country other than the country of current nationality	If you are living in other country you need to write the number of your residence permit and its expiration date
Current occupation	Fill in the current occupation like it is on the passport, for example: “professor” or “retired (former designer)”. If you have no occupation, write “no occupation”
Employer and employer's address and telephone number	Fill in the name of the organization (firm, public service, educational institution) where you work or study and its name, address, and telephone number
For students, name and address of educational establishment
Purpose(s) of the journey	Write the appropriate goal of your travel
Member State of main destination (and other Member States of destination, if applicable	Write a country name as your primary destination. If it is a foreign overseas department or territory, write your destination country name and the name of the department or territory
Member State of first entry	Fill in your destination country
Number of entries requested	Write your desired number of entries with the dates of arrival and departure
Fingerprints collected previously for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa	If your fingerprints have already been taken for a visa application, write the date
Entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable	Write the number and validity dates for your visa at your final destination, if this country is outside the Schengen area
Surname and first name of the inviting person(s) in the Member State(s). Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s). Telephone number	Write the name of the person who invited you, address, e-mail and a phone number
Name and address of inviting company / organization, phone number and e-mail number	Write the contact info of the organization that invited you and the contact info for your contact person in the organization
Cost of travelling and living during the applicant's stay is covered	Indicate the necessary boxes
Place and date	Write the place and date where you are filling in the form, even if this date is different than the day you are going to the visa service
Signature	The visa applicant must sign and not another person. If the visa applicant is a minor (under 18), the application must be signed by a person having parental authority and their relationship should be included in parentheses (father, mother, guardian). If the visa applicant cannot sign, a cross may be used

2. Two Recent Photographs

Follow these Austrian Visa Photo Requirements:

Two identical photos taken within the last six months.
Photo size: 35×45 mm (width x height).
Colour photos only (no black and white).
Head should occupy 70-80% of the photo.
Background should be bright and lightly coloured (light grey is recommended).
The applicant should be facing the camera directly.
Maintain a neutral expression (no smile and mouth closed).
Avoid uniforms or colours that match the background.

3. Valid Passport

The passport must be valid for up to 10 years.
It must have at least 3 months of validity remaining after your trip to Austria.
The passport should have at least two blank pages for the visa sticker.

4. Flight Itinerary (Reservation)

Also known as: Booked Flight Itinerary, Flight Reservation, Air Ticket Booking, Dummy Ticket, Flight Confirmation, or Return Ticket.
This document is not a paid air ticket but a detailed itinerary showing your flight plan, including flight name, your name, reservation number or booking ID, arrival and departure dates, airport IATA codes, and ticket price.
A small fee may be charged for obtaining this reservation for your visa application. Some airlines offer it for free, but it is rare.

5. Travel Health Insurance

Ensure your travel insurance meets the following requirements:

Minimum coverage of at least €30,000.
Coverage must be valid for all Schengen Area member states.
It should cover expenses for repatriation, urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment, or death.

We recommend contacting insurance providers such as AXA, Europ Assistance, or DR-WALTER.

Picture of AXA insurance company page — AXA insurance company page

6. Proof of Accommodation in Austria

You must provide one of the following documents to the Austrian Visa Application Center:

Hotel Booking or Reservation

7. Proof of Sufficient Financial Means

To demonstrate that you have enough funds to support yourself during your stay in Austria, you may provide one of the following:

Bank Account Statement

Picture of bank account statement for an Austrian visa — Bank account statement for an Austrian visa

Credit Card: As evidence of available funds.
Cash: If applicable.
Cheques: If applicable.
Payslips: Recent payslips indicating regular income.
Proof of Employment: Documenting your current employment status.
Sponsorship Letter: From a person who will financially support your trip.
Proof of Prepaid Accommodation: Evidence that accommodation costs have been covered.
Document About Private Accommodation: If staying with friends or family.
Proof of Prepaid Transport: Evidence of travel arrangements.
Other Documents: Any additional documents

The Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs of Austria does not specify the exact amount of financial means required. Instead, the amount is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

8. Visa Application Cover Letter

Your cover letter should include:

The purpose of your travel to the Schengen area.
How you will fund your trip (personal funds or sponsorship).
If sponsored, details of your relationship with the sponsor and why they are sponsoring you.
An overview of your itinerary, including reasons for applying at the specific embassy.
Explanation if any required documents are missing and details of any alternative documents submitted.
Your intent to return to your home country. You may also include a separate letter explaining your ties to your home country.

The cover letter serves as a communication tool with the embassy officer processing your application.

9. Copies of Previous Austrian Visas (If Applicable)

If you have previously been issued Austrian visas, provide copies of these visas.

10. Proof of Civil Status

Provide one of the following documents:

Marriage Certificate
Birth Certificate of Children
Death Certificate of a Spouse

11. Evidence of Employment Status

If Employed:
- Employment Contract
- Leave Permission from Employer
- Income Tax Return
If Self-Employed:
- Copy of Business License
- Company’s Bank Statement for the Last 6 Months
- Income Tax Return
If a Student:
- Proof of Enrollment
- No Objection Letter from University
If Retired:
- Pension Statements for the Last 6 Months

12. Documents for Minors

When applying for a minor traveling to Austria, provide:

Birth Certificate of the Minor
Austrian Application Form Signed by Both Parents
Family Court Order (if one parent has full custody)
Certified Copies of ID/Passport of Both Parents
Notarised Parental Authorisation to Travel to Austria, Signed by Both Parents/Guardians (if the minor is traveling alone)

Parents or guardians should accompany minors when applying at the Austrian embassy or consulate in the home country.

13. Valid Visa for the Final Country of Travel

Provide a valid visa for the country you are ultimately traveling to.

14. Flight Ticket to the Final Country of Travel

Provide a confirmed flight ticket for your final destination.

2.2 Steps to Apply for an Austrian Airport Transit Visa

Regardless of your visa type, the process for applying is as follows:

First Step: Locate the nearest Visa Application Center where you need to submit your documents. Contact us for assistance in finding the appropriate centre.

Picture of your choice of applying — Your choice of applying

Second Step: Determine the best time to visit the Visa Application Center in person to submit your Austrian Visa application.

Picture of your choice of time to come to us — Your choice of time to come to us

Third Step: Schedule an appointment at the Austrian Visa Application Center.

You can make an appointment in one of two ways:

Online
In Person

Picture of an appointment at the Austrian Visa Application Center — Make an appointment at the Austrian Visa Application Center

Fourth Step: Attend your appointment at the Visa Application Center with all the required documents.

Picture of your interview — Your interview

Fifth Step: Pay the visa fee.

Picture of paying money for your visa — Paying money for your visa

Sixth Step: Wait for a response from the application centre regarding your visa application.

Picture of a reply from the VFS application center — A reply from the VFS application centre

Note: Ensure that your visa application form clearly specifies the dates of your visit and the cities you will be staying in. It is advisable to gather all necessary documents and complete the application form only after you have all the required information.

3. Airport Transit Visa Extension

Extending an Austrian Airport Transit Visa is uncommon and typically requires compelling reasons. Acceptable grounds for an extension may include:

Late Entry
Humanitarian Reasons
Force Majeure
Personal Reasons

4. In Summary

We hope this article has provided valuable guidance for applying for an Austrian visa from the United Kingdom.

Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more information and feel free to share this article!

Austrian Airport Transit Visa