Your First 5 Steps After Arriving in Austria as a Student

The first two weeks in Austria are a chain of small administrative tasks — and the order matters, because each step unlocks the next. Do them in this sequence and nothing blocks.

Step 1 — Address registration (Meldezettel)

Deadline: three working days after moving into your accommodation. Go to the local registration office (Meldeamt; in Vienna the Magistratisches Bezirksamt) with your passport and the signed Meldezettel form — including your landlord's signature.

The Meldezettel is the key that opens everything else: bank account, insurance, final enrolment, and collecting your residence-permit card. Registration is free. Full walkthrough in the arrival checklist.

Step 2 — Get an Austrian SIM

You'll need an Austrian number for bank onboarding and university systems. Prepaid discount operators (Lidl Connect, HoT, spusu) offer generous data bundles around €10/month with EU roaming — no contract, available at supermarkets with just your passport.

Step 3 — Open a student bank account

Bring your passport, admission letter, and Meldezettel. Erste Bank / Sparkasse, Bank Austria, and Raiffeisen all run free or discounted student accounts with cards and English-language apps. An Austrian IBAN also makes the proof-of-funds transfer history cleaner for your permit renewal.

Step 4 — Final enrolment (Inskription)

Bring your original, legalised certificates and passport to the admissions office to convert your status from "admitted" to "enrolled". Pay the semester dues:

| Item | Amount | |---|---| | Tuition (non-EU, public university) | €726.72 / semester | | Tuition (EU/EEA, public university) | €0 within standard duration | | ÖH student-union fee (everyone) | €25.20 (summer 2026) → €26.20 from winter 2026/27 |

You'll receive your student ID and the Studienbestätigung (enrolment certificate) — which you need for the insurance step next.

Step 5 — ÖGK student health insurance

Non-EU students (and anyone without EHIC coverage) apply for the subsidized student self-insurance at the Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK):

• €78.84 per month in 2026, billed on the 1st;
• your e-card arrives by post within 2–3 weeks and gives access to all contracted doctors (Kassenärzte) and public hospitals;
• the annual e-card service fee is €25.00 for 2026 (collected each November in advance; €26.85 follows for 2027);
• earning up to the marginal-employment cap (€551.10/month in 2026) does not affect eligibility.

Details and the enter-vs-stay insurance distinction: health insurance guide.