Austrian Passport: Eligibility, Costs, and Dual Citizenship

An Austrian passport is issued only to confirmed Austrian citizens, and getting one means booking an in-person appointment at a District Commission (Bezirkshauptmannschaft) inside Austria or at an Austrian embassy or consulate abroad, bringing proof of citizenship along with a specific set of civil documents, and paying a fee that runs €112 for a standard adult book at home or USD 132 at a US consulate. Adult passports are valid for ten years and cannot be extended, so every renewal is a fresh application. The passport itself gives visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 164 destinations and the right to live and work anywhere in the EU and EEA.¹

Who Can Get One

Citizenship is the gate. Nothing else in the process matters until you can document that you are Austrian.

The most common route is descent. A child is Austrian at birth if at least one parent holds Austrian citizenship, no matter where the birth takes place. A child who also picks up a second nationality automatically at birth (for example, born in the United States to an Austrian parent) keeps both without conflict under Austrian law.²

Naturalization is the longer road: generally ten years of continuous legal residence, German at Integration Agreement Module 2 level, a civics exam, and proof of self-sufficient income over the prior six years.³

A separate declaration route under Section 58c of the Citizenship Act is open to people whose ancestors fled Nazi persecution before May 15, 1955, and to all their direct descendants. It requires no residency in Austria and does not force applicants to give up any other nationality they already hold.⁴

What to Bring to the Appointment

Missing a single document usually means rescheduling, so assemble the full file first:

Proof of citizenship (Staatsbürgerschaftsnachweis). Required for every application.⁵
Long-form birth certificate showing parental details.
Marriage, civil union, or divorce certificates if your name has changed.
Two recent passport photos, no older than six months, 35mm by 45mm, plain light background, neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes in the upper half of the frame.⁶
Your current ID or expired passport. If the previous one was stolen, bring the police report.

Civil documents issued outside Austria need an Apostille from the issuing state’s competent authority before a consulate will accept them. US Apostille fees generally run between $2 and $20 depending on the state. Note that the name shown in your Austrian passport has to conform to Austrian legal naming rules, so a name change from a foreign court may need review before it appears on the document.⁷

How the Application Works

Every application is in person. Walk-ins are not accepted, and you have to book online in advance. Consulate slots fill up, so plan several weeks out.⁸

At the appointment, officials verify your identity, take digital fingerprints, and capture your signature. All of that is written to the passport’s chip.⁹ Residents in Austria go to their local District Commission or Magistrate; Austrians abroad use the nearest embassy or consulate general.

The passport is produced at the Austrian State Printing House and sent by registered mail. Standard domestic processing takes about five to six working days. Express and one-day emergency options exist at higher fees.

What It Costs

Fees inside Austria, from the government portal:¹⁰

Standard passport: €112
Express passport: €148
One-day express passport: €326

At US consulates, a standard passport for someone aged 12 or older is USD 132. A children’s passport (under 12) is USD 52, but the express version for children is USD 287.¹¹ US consulates accept cash in USD, postal money orders, or cashier’s checks. They generally do not accept credit cards or personal checks.⁹

Passports for Children

Children of every age, including infants, have to appear in person. There are no exceptions for babies.⁸

Validity depends on age:

Under age 2: valid for 2 years. The first passport is free.⁷
Ages 2 to 12: valid for 5 years.
Ages 12 to 18: valid for 10 years, same as an adult passport.⁸

For children under 14, the legal representative files the application and both parents must sign. Children aged 14 to 17 can submit on their own but still need written consent from both parents. In divorce or sole-custody situations, bring the custody decree along with the divorce paperwork; this is where applications most often stall.⁸

Validity, Renewal, and Travel Within Europe

An adult book is valid ten years and cannot be extended. When it expires, you file a completely new application.¹²

For trips inside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland, you don’t actually need the passport at all. A valid Austrian national identity card (Personalausweis) is enough for entry to all 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. It’s smaller, cheaper, and easier to carry.¹³

The Dual Citizenship Trap

Austria enforces one of the strictest dual-nationality rules in Europe, and this one catches people. Under Article 27 of the Austrian Citizenship Act, an Austrian who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Austrian citizenship automatically at the moment the foreign nationality is granted. There is no grace period and no notification. The loss happens by operation of law, so you can lose your passport without anyone formally revoking it.¹⁴

The only way to prevent that is to obtain a retention permit (Beibehaltung) in writing before the foreign naturalization goes through. Article 28 allows retention where keeping Austrian citizenship is in the Republic’s interest because of the applicant’s achievements, or where particularly compelling private and family circumstances justify it. Once granted, the permit gives you two years to acquire the other nationality; if you don’t, it expires.¹⁴

Two groups are exempt. Children who acquire a second citizenship automatically at birth keep both. People who obtain Austrian citizenship through the Section 58c persecution-descendant route are not required to renounce any other nationality.

If You Lose Your Passport Abroad

File a loss or theft report with local police and keep a certified copy. Then contact the nearest Austrian embassy or consulate general and apply for an emergency passport.¹⁵

The emergency passport costs €112 worldwide and is valid for up to one year, but it is issued only for the return trip to Austria. Bring one biometric photo (35mm by 45mm) and any official ID you still have, such as a driver’s license. Emailing a copy of your lost passport and your photo to the consulate ahead of the appointment speeds things up.

In a country where Austria has no diplomatic presence, any EU member state’s embassy can issue an Emergency Travel Document to get you home. Once back in Austria, apply for a regular replacement through your local passport authority.

1
Passport Index. Austria Passport Dashboard 2026
2
oesterreich.gv.at. Acquiring Austrian Citizenship by Descent
3
Migration.gv. Citizenship
4
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Declaration Pursuant to 58c of the Austrian Citizenship Act
5
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Proof of Citizenship
6
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. VISA and Passport Photographs Criteria
7
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Austrian Consulate General Los Angeles – Passport
8
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Austrian Passport and ID Card
9
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Austrian Passport
10
oesterreich.gv.at. Reisepass – Neuausstellung
11
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Consular Fees
12
Honorary Consulate of Austria in Victoria. Austrian Passport
13
Your Europe – European Union. Travel Documents for EU Nationals
14
Legislationline.org. Federal Law Concerning Austrian Nationality (1985 Nationality Act)
15
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Loss of Passport