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AUSTRIAN CITIZENSHIP

How powerful is the Austrian passport?

No matter which index you consult, an Austrian passport is regularly counted as one of the most powerful in the world. Here's just how far an Austrian passport can take you

Published: 19 January 2023 15:04 CET
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An Austrian passport (© Amanda Previdelli / The Local)

For many people applying for Austrian citizenship, there are many reasons for not wanting to give up their current citizenship. Yet, chances are high that an Austrian passport is more powerful than any others they might have unless you are from a handful of other EU/EEA countries or Japan, Singapore or South Korea.

Several indices, including two out just recently, focus on travel freedom. That is, how many countries can you visit on that passport without a visa – or with a simplified process which you can get after landing. 

READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: Could Austria ever change the rules to allow dual citizenship?

The Henley Passport Index, which has recently released its 2023 ranking, puts the Austrian passport in the top five of the most powerful travel documents in the world. Austria is among the some of the most powerful passports in Europe, as Austrian citizens can travel to 188 countries or territories where they either don’t need a visa or get one on arrival. 

Internationally, only the passports of Luxembourg, Italy, Finland, Spain, Germany, South Korea, Singapore and Japan score higher than Austria. Japanese citizens can travel to 193 countries or territories without a visa.

Other indices also measure travel freedom, although each calculates it slightly differently, explaining some of the different rankings. Some place more weight on whether you can travel entirely visa-free for another country, while others treat being able to travel somewhere completely without a visa and getting a visa on arrival as more or less the same thing.

READ ALSO: How foreigners can get fast-track citizenship in Austria

Second most powerful?

In a separate ranking, the 2023 Passport Index Austria lands in second place along with Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and South Korea. They are behind the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which takes the top spot.

Although Austrians can travel to a few more countries visa-free than UAE citizens, the UAE passport allows entry to a lot more countries through a visa on arrival than an Austrian one does – which is why the index ranks it higher.

Meanwhile, the Guide Consultants Index also factors where certain passport holders might need an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) rather than just a visa or not to travel to a specific country. By this measure, they rank Austria fifth, tied with Portugal, the UK, New Zealand, and Ireland. Singapore ranks first.

READ ALSO: Austrian citizenship: Do you really have to renounce your original nationality?

According to this index, Austrians can travel to 143 destinations without a visa. However, they need a visa on arrival for 33 destinations. For 15, they can get a visa online, and for 13, they just need to apply for an eTA online in advance. Austrians must apply for a travel visa in advance from only 25 countries.

What about EU Freedom of Movement?

Current rankings focus on the travel freedoms associated with a particular passport. Although each measure travel freedom slightly differently, an Austrian passport always does well.

However, none consider the European Union freedom of movement that an Austrian passport grants. In addition to travelling, Austrians can live and work in the EU’s other 26 member states without a visa. 

Through EU treaties, this right also exists with countries in the European Economic Area or European Free Trade Association, like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

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AUSTRIAN CITIZENSHIP

IN NUMBERS: Who are the new Austrian citizens in 2024?

The number of people receiving Austrian citizenship through naturalisation processes is slowing down. Here's a look at some stats about the new citizens and where they are from originally.

Published: 16 February 2024 16:55 CET
IN NUMBERS: Who are the new Austrian citizens in 2024?

In 2023, Austrian citizenship was granted to 19,939 people, including more than 8,000 living abroad, according to Statistik Austria. The number was 3.2 percent lower in total than last year.

“The trend of rising naturalisation figures did not continue in 2023. The decline is mainly due to the fact that naturalisations of victims of National Socialism and their descendants fell by 17.7 percent”, said Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria.

Austria’s naturalisation rate (ratio of naturalisations to the number of non-Austrian citizens living in Austria) is relatively low compared to the rest of Europe and continues at 0.7 percent. This is because the naturalisation process is not easy in the country – people generally need to be residents for ten years, pay high fees (around €2,000) and give up any other citizenship they hold.

READ ALSO: Will my children get an Austrian passport if born in Austria?

The hurdles are rarely worth it for EU citizens who can live and work in Austria. This is shown in the Statistik Austria data.

Who are the new Austrian citizens?

Only 9 percent of the naturalisations were from people from EU states. The highest proportion of new Austrians held Israeli citizenship (21.4 percent). They are followed by people from Syria (9.4 percent) and the United States (8.2 percent). 

Other nationalities include Turkey (5.7 percent), United Kingdom (5.6 percent), Bosnia and Herzegovina (4 percent), and Afghanistan (4 percent). Nine percent of the naturalisations were of people from EU states and 4.4 percent of people from African countries.

The majority of the people naturalising as Austrians that were from the United Kingdom, the United States or Israel resided abroad – most of them were naturalised via the new process for restitution of Austrian citizenship to victims of the Nazi regime and their descendants. In these cases, people are allowed to keep their other citizenship. 

READ ALSO: Austria improves nationality law for descendants of Nazi victims

About half of the people naturalising (50.2 percent) were women, and a third were under 18 years old. 

In seven federal provinces, more people were naturalised in the year 2023 than the previous year. The relative increases were highest in Burgenland (44.9 percent to 297 naturalisations), followed by Styria (43.8 percent to 1,309), Upper Austria (36.1 percent to 1,808), Lower Austria (33.4 percent to 2,031), Tyrol (18.6 percent to 913), Salzburg (8.8 percent to 530) and Vorarlberg (4.6 percent to 677). 

Fewer naturalisations compared to the year 2022 were reported in Carinthia (−21.4 percent to 434) and Vienna (−12.9 percent to 3,899).

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