Cool tips to help expats enjoy a stress-free move to Vienna

1. The full removal lorry
What to I have to do to be able to unload the lorry right outside my door?

• The easiest option is to hire a reputable removal company. Recommendations for removal companies can be obtained from the Expat Center of the Vienna Business Agency. 
• Are you the do-it-yourself type? Then you will need to plan in advance and apply for a temporary no-stopping zone in your intended unloading area! To apply for, you must allow a lead time of five working days to three weeks. The no-stopping zone application must be submitted to the MA 46 (Municipal Department of Traffic Management and Organisation). All Details here.
• Smart Starters: A small but valuable tip is concealed at the end of the infopage of the MA46:  “A practical suggestion: instead of applying for a temporary no-stopping zone, you may want to consider legally parking a private vehicle at the given location beforehand, and parking it elsewhere as soon as the removal van arrives. This allows you to make sure the space you need for the removal van (or other temporary purpose) is not occupied by another car - without having to go through the application process specified above.”

2. Your first breakfast in Vienna
You brought toaster, juicer, coffeemachine and kettle along with you to Vienna? To make sure there is no BUT:

• Before you leave, please check: will your plugs fit the electrical sockets, and are the voltage and current appropriate? Or will your appliance need an adaptor: e.g. from 115 to the 220-volt power used in Vienna? If not, don’t take the appliance with you. Although you can buy voltage transformers, they are clumsy and very expensive...
• If you use plug adaptors, check the maximum permitted wattage and amperage, which is often only marked on the original packaging. If in doubt, for large appliances you should only use plug adaptors with a built-in fuse.

3. Forms, forms
To ensure your stay in Vienna is a complete success, don’t forget these important initial bureaucratic steps on your arrival in Vienna.

• Submit your registration form within three working days of your arrival in Vienna! For without this, virtually nothing else can happen...!
• For non-EU citizens: apply for your residence permit if you did not do this before you moved! Without a visa, you can only stay for 90 days! Our Expat Center will be happy to advise you on this point!
• Small but necessary steps: open a bank account, organise a mobile phone contract, register your car at the new address (must be done within 30 days).
• For EU citizens: you must apply for your registration permit within four months after your move! More information here.

4. All subsequent years: don’t forget to extend your residence permit!
A year in Vienna will simply fly by - and before you know it, it will be summer again and residence permits for non-EU citizens will need to be extended!

• Plan for this well in advance: an extension application can be submitted up to three months before the old card expires.
• Please check the validity of your passport! The minimum period: expiry date of the old residence card plus the period of validity of the new card (1-3 years depending on type).
• Planning a holiday? You have already applied for your new residence permit, but not yet received the card? Please contact the embassy of the country in which you intend to travel. Or you can contact our Expat Center, where this can often be resolved! It is important to address this matter promptly, for sometimes an additional visa will be required in such situations. Embassies in Vienna.
• Will you be spending considerable time outside of Vienna during this process? Please give the MA 35 (Municipal Department of Immigration and Citizenship) the name of an authorised representative who can be contacted by the department in the event of queries or other concerns. The authorised representative may be any person residing in Austria - the necessary proxy form can be obtained from the Vienna Business Agency’s Expat Center.

With these tips you will have a flying start in Vienna! And for all cases: expatcenter@protect-it-awayviennabusinessagency.at is the email address you should remember!

Vienna, 31 July 2019