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Austria · visa health insurance

Health insurance in Austria for UK citizens

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Since Brexit, UK citizens moving to Austria need a residence permit, and insurance sits inside that file; not your GHIC or NHS record. Austria's standard is stricter than travel cover: benefits in Austria, all risks, claims payable there, assessed case by case. We arrange international cover built to that wording, or tell you plainly if your permit type doesn't fit.

Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.

The rule in writing

“Austrian residence permits require health insurance that provides benefits in Austria and covers all risks, with claims payable in Austria — a stricter standard than a Schengen travel policy.”

Official source: migration.gv.at & oesterreich.gv.at — residence-permit general conditions — Last verified:

The NHS and your move to Austria

Your NHS entitlement runs on where you live. It's built around your presence in the UK, so it doesn't travel with you once you're settled in Austria; it isn't cover for your new life there.

Since Brexit, UK citizens staying beyond the short-stay window need a residence permit: settlement permit routes if you're moving without a job lined up, work routes if you're employed. Insurance sits inside that permit file, and the authority reads the certificate wording, not a summary of what your policy claims to do.

A GHIC or EHIC covers necessary care on a temporary stay. It isn't residence cover, and it isn't what the permit file is asking for. See settlement permit insurance for how the permit file itself works.

Austria's all-risks standard, assessed case by case

Austria's standard for permit-linked cover is stricter than a typical Schengen travel policy. The rule, per migration.gv.at (verified July 2026): benefits in Austria, all risks covered, and claims payable in Austria.

It's assessed case by case; a person reviews your permit type against the certificate wording before the authority decides whether a policy fits your file. That's why the exact wording on the certificate matters more than a brochure's headline claims.

For the fuller picture of how care is delivered once you're covered, see how Austria's healthcare system works, and for the permit-side detail, the settlement permit insurance guide.

What we arrange for UK movers

We arrange international cover valid in Austria, with the certificate worded for the authority; our partner arrangements were confirmed in July 2026. If your permit type doesn't fit our arrangement, we say so before you pay.

Limits run from US$1,000,000 to US$2,000,000. Cover starts the same day, with no medical exam, and you get a 14-day cooling-off period. Children aged 0-17 are covered at a flat rate. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, plainly, and treatment in the US isn't covered anywhere in the plan.

New applicants are accepted up to age 70 on our core plans, or 80 on Essential; worth knowing if you're moving out at retirement age. One insurer covers all eight destinations we work with, so your policy moves with you if you relocate within them. See real numbers by age on Austria insurance prices, compare against expat health insurance, or go straight to a quote. Not sure what else your move needs? Check the checklist.

Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s.

Cover levels that meet the rule

Benefits are public, and so are the 2026 prices: your exact rate depends on age.

Standard

From $1,133/yearabout $94/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $853/yr

Adds everyday outpatient care — GP and specialist visits, prescriptions, and tests — to hospital cover.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • GP, specialist, medication & lab tests (US$750 each)
  • Outpatient surgical to US$25,000
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Pre- & post-hospitalisation cover

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Scope: No dental or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose StandardSee your price by age →

Fully Comprehensive

From $1,906/yearabout $159/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $1,439/yr

The highest level: full-cover room, uncapped surgeon fees, routine dental, and the largest limits.

  • US$2,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Full-cover private room & board
  • Full surgeon, professional & outpatient cover
  • Routine & major dental (after 6-month wait)
  • Wellbeing check-ups & vaccinations to US$500

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Choose Fully ComprehensiveSee your price by age →

See your exact price by age →

Budget options — limited cover

Essential Health

From $392/yearabout $33/mo billed annually

A budget plan for accident and emergency care in state hospitals only. Not full private health cover.

  • US$100,000 maximum plan limit per year
  • Unforeseen accident & emergency care only

Scope: State hospitals only, accident/emergency only. No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing cover. Not a substitute for full private health insurance on a visa application.

Choose Essential Health →

Major Medical

From $721/yearabout $60/mo billed annually

Hospital-focused cover: inpatient treatment, surgery, and emergencies, worldwide outside the US.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Theatre, ICU, and emergency-room cover (full)

Scope: No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose Major Medical →
  • Treatment is covered worldwide, excluding the United States.
  • Pre-existing conditions are excluded — including conditions you did not know about.
  • Evacuation & repatriation is an optional benefit that costs an additional premium.
  • Prices are Regency’s 2026 rates for the EU region: per person, per year, billed annually, starting at adult age 18 — your exact price depends on age. Children 0–17 pay a flat rate on every plan.
  • Plans run in 12-month terms and renew at the anniversary; the age limits shown apply to new applicants.

Common questions

Does my GHIC or EHIC cover me while I live in Austria?

No. A GHIC or EHIC is for necessary care during a temporary stay, not for residents. Once you're settled in Austria on a permit, the authority wants cover that's all risks, with benefits and claims payable in Austria; a GHIC doesn't meet that standard.

Will my NHS cover still apply once I move to Austria?

No. NHS entitlement is tied to living in the UK. Once you move, it doesn't extend to your life in Austria, which is why the residence permit process asks for separate insurance in its own right.

What does all risks mean for an Austrian permit application?

It means the policy needs to cover benefits in Austria, all risks, with claims payable in Austria; stricter than a standard Schengen travel policy. It's assessed case by case, so a person reviews your permit type and the certificate wording before the authority makes a call.

What if my permit type doesn't fit the cover you arrange?

We tell you before you pay. Our arrangement is built for most non-working and working UK movers, with the certificate worded for the authority, but if your specific permit type falls outside it, we say so upfront rather than let you find out later.

Get a certificate that meets the published rule

Tell us your destination, visa, and who’s moving. Our team reviews it against the current requirement and calls you with a quote — no obligation.

Cover underwritten by Regency Assurance · every rule on this site cited and dated · a person calls back within one business day.

Before you request a quote: cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States, and pre-existing conditions are not covered — including conditions you did not know about. We say this up front so a quote is worth your time.

Keep reading

Guides for this move