Studying at the University of Vienna

Non-EU/EEA nationals with equivalent status

Non-EU/EEA nationals with equivalent status are individuals with nationality from a non-EU/EEA country who, under certain circumstances, can be treated as equivalent to EU/EEA citizens.

We have created a summarised version of the Decree on Groups of Persons and all other qualified groups on this page. This is intended to help you understand the complex legal text. Only the original legal text is valid. You can find it at Legal Basis.

Ian Ehm

Am I a non-EU/EEA national with equivalent status? What documents do I need?

You are considered a non-EU/EEA national with equivalent status if you belong to a group of persons as defined in the decree of certain groups of persons (PersGV) or if you have the status of Daueraufenthalt - EU.

You can find all the options in the list below. Please note the required supporting documents and read all the information carefully.

derknopfdruecker.com

You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 6 PersGV if you are granted residence in Austria due to

  • §§ 3, 8, 13 or 75 para 5 and 6 of the Asylum Act 2005, BGBI. I. Nr. 100/2005, in the version of the Federal Act BGBI. Nr. 145/2017, or
  • former regulations in the Asylum Act
Proof:
  • Geneva Convention passport, asylum card ("Asylkarte") or
  • confirmation of granted asylum ("Asylbescheid") or
  • official confirmation by the Federal Agency for Reception and Support Services (BBU) or a lawyer that your asylum procedure is not yet concluded

You, your spouse, your civil partner, and your children belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 1 PersGV if you

  • have certain privileges and immunities in Austria according to a state treaty or federal law or
  • are staying abroad on behalf of the Republic of Austria at the time of obtaining your secondary-school leaving certificate and have certain privileges and immunities according to a state treaty there
Proof:
  • legitimation card
  • and, if applicable, marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of civil partnership

You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 3 PersGV if you, or the person from whom you are legally entitled to receive maintenance (e.g. parents, spouse, …)

  • have had your/their main place of residence in Austria
  • during five consecutive years
  • immediately prior to first applying for admission at a university, university of applied sciences or university college of teacher education in Austria or the "Studienberechtigungsprüfung"
Proof:
  • Current confirmation of registration, that you had your main place of residence in Austria throughout five consecutive years before you first applied for admission at an Austrian university. A registration form is not sufficient!

If you (or the person from whom you are legally entitled to receive maintenance) have not had your main place of residency in Austria for five consecutive years, the following additional documents may be used to fill any gaps in your evidence:

  • An insurance record from the Austrian social security system as proof of employment or receipt of social security benefits, or
  • Certificates from an Austrian secondary education institution, or
  • Transcripts of records from an Austrian post-secondary education institution (applies only to the person legally obliged to pay maintenance)

If the person from whom you are legally entitled to receive maintenance meets the requirements, you will need the following in addition to the supporting documents listed:

  • Marriage or birth certificate (with a certified translation into German or English, where applicable) or
  • proof of joint insurance cover with the person liable for maintenance

When applying for equal status with EU/EEA citizens with regard to the tuition fee and when applying for an application for admission to a degree programme within the application period for EU/EEA citizens, you must bear the following in mind:
Have you already applied for admission to a degree programme at another Austrian university, university of applied sciences or university of teacher education? If so, you must disclose this when claiming membership of the above-mentioned group. Please upload the official notice regarding your admission from the other higher education institution.

Failure to disclose this information may result in your application being reassessed and your admission to the University of Vienna being revoked!

You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 4 PersGV, if you receive a scholarship for the intended degree programme

  • either due to state treaty regulations or
  • from an Austrian authority with means specifically designated for scholarships according to that authority’s financial regulations
Proof:
  • Confirmation about the granting of the scholarship

You belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 5 PersGV, if you

  • have a secondary-school leaving certificate of an Austrian school abroad or
  • have passed a state examination of a South Tyrolean secondary-school of the second degree where the language of instruction is German or Ladin, if it is not connected to direct university access in Italy anyway. 
Proof:
  • secondary-school leaving certificate of an Austrian school abroad or
  • certificate of completion of a South Tyrolean secondary-school of the the second degree

You, your spouse, your civil partner, and your children belong to the group of persons according to § 1 subpara 2 PersGV if

  • you are an accredited journalist in Austria and
  • your main occupation is working as a foreign journalist here.
Proof:
  • accreditation (card)
  • and, if applicable, marriage certificate, birth certificate, certificate of civil partnership

Individuals with Aufenthaltstitel Daueraufenthalt – EU (issued in Austria), also count as Non-EU/EEA nationals with equivalent status.

Proof:
  • Scan of the card (both sides) as JPG or PDF

FAQ Equivalent Status

You need:

  • all documents that would be required if you belonged to a group of persons yourself and
  • the valid passports or personal ID cards (both sides) of you and the other person and
  • your marriage certificate/certificate of civil partnership/birth certificate and
  • if applicable proof of change of name and
  • if applicable a sworn translation of all documents into German or English

"Frist-time application" refers to the point in time when you submitted an application for admission to a degree programme at an Austrian university, university of applied sciences or college for teacher education for the very first time. 

For example:
You applied for admission at the Medical University of Vienna in 2015. It does not matter, if you were admitted to the degree programme there. Only the fact, that you have applied for admission is important. If you now want to prove that you belong to a group of persons according to § 1 subpara 3, you have to proof that you had your main place of residence in Austria from 2010 to 2015. 

Yes, if you have the citizenship of a Non-EU/EEA country and you

Exceptions: The proof is not required when

  • changing teaching subject in the bachelor programme in Teacher Education
  • changing the number of working languages in the bachelor programme in Transcultural Communication

Please upload your Geneva Convention passport in our Servicedesk, when you submit your (new) application for equal status.

Detailed info about the application for equal status with EU/EEA citizens regarding the tuition fee