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:
Where insurance sits in a Red-White-Red Card file
The Red-White-Red Card is Austria's points-based route for qualified workers; a residence permit that's also their way into the country. Because it's a residence permit, the same insurance standard applies to your file as to any other: benefits in Austria, all risks covered, and claims payable in Austria. A standard travel policy, built for short Schengen visits, doesn't meet that bar.
The full criteria for the Card itself live on migration.gv.at, Austria's official migration portal. Our side of the file is narrower: getting the insurance piece right so it doesn't stall the rest of the application. For how Austria's wider system fits together, see how Austria's healthcare system works.
The bridge before statutory cover
Once a Red-White-Red Card is approved, many holders move into Austria's statutory health system through their employer; but that starts once the job does, not before. In the months between applying and that employment kicking in, you need cover that already meets the all-risks, Austria-based standard on its own.
That gap is assessed case by case: how long it runs and what your permit type requires both shape what the file needs. Expat health insurance in Austria covers the wider expat picture if you want context beyond the Card itself.
What we arrange for Red-White-Red applicants
This isn't an automated quote. A person reviews your permit type before your policy is worded for the authority; matching the benefits-in-Austria, all-risks standard the file needs, not a generic travel plan. Cover runs from US$1,000,000 to US$2,000,000, starts the same day, needs no medical exam, and carries a 14-day cooling-off period; pre-existing conditions are excluded and care in the US isn't covered.
See real Austria prices by age on the Austria cost page, check the exact wording an authority expects in the certificate wording guide, or run a policy check on your documents with the policy check before you submit. If the Card leads to a settlement permit later, settlement permit insurance covers that stage; start a quote whenever you're ready.
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.