Blocked Accounts & Proof of Funds in Austria (2026)

Do you need a blocked account for Austria?

Austria is not Germany. A blocked account (Sperrkonto) is one accepted proof format but is not legally required by Austrian immigration law. migration.gv.at and oesterreich.gv.at list several accepted alternatives. The requirement is to prove you can meet the Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz monthly threshold, not to hold your money in any specific account type.

Many students and visa applicants use a blocked account because it is familiar from the German process, but for Austria it is entirely optional. If you have a personal account with sufficient funds, a scholarship, or a guarantor, you can satisfy the requirement without opening a blocked account at all.

A blocked account works like this: you pay in the full year’s sum at once, and the provider releases a fixed amount each month. At Expatrio that is €992 a month, paid into a German current account once the account is activated in Germany. The lock does not replace the Austrian checks. The residence authority can still ask where the money came from, so a large deposit just before you apply needs a paper trail either way.

For a full comparison of the blocked account option versus alternatives, see do I need a blocked account for Austria and our guide to blocked accounts in Austria.

How much money do you need to show in 2026?

The Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz sets the official subsistence benchmarks. In 2026 the thresholds below apply. Most student permits require you to show 12 months of funds in advance. Note that rent above €386.43/month is added on top of the base figure.

Sources: OeAD, BMI (Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior), migration.gv.at (German). 12-month totals are the monthly rate times 12. Figures as of October 2026.

The €722.58 figure for students under 24 is an important correction. The English-language page on migration.gv.at has not been updated and still shows €777.58. The authoritative figure comes from the German-language BMI page and is confirmed by OeAD. If you are applying for a student permit and you are under 24, use €722.58 as your monthly baseline.

The rent rule comes from § 11 Abs. 5 NAG, the Settlement and Residence Act. It ties the required amount to the § 293 ASVG reference rates and subtracts regular costs such as rent, loan repayments and maintenance payments from your available money. The first €386.43 of those costs is already built into the rate. Example: a student under 24 paying €550 rent adds €163.57 a month, so the 12-month target rises from €8,670.96 to €10,633.80.

The amounts move every 1 January, because they track the Ausgleichszulage reference rates. The Pensionsversicherungsanstalt and the Sozialministerium state that these rates rise by 3.3% on 1 January 2027. The single rate of €1,308.39 then becomes about €1,351.57, or roughly €16,219 over 12 months. If your permit will be decided in 2027, plan with the higher figure and check OeAD for the new student amounts in January.

Health insurance is a separate requirement. Every permit needs cover that pays out in Austria for all risks. Most students use the ÖGK student self-insurance, which costs €78.84 a month in 2026 for students with a total income under €15,000 a year. Budget about €946 a year for it on top of your proof of funds.

What proof of funds does Austria accept?

Austria accepts multiple proof formats and allows you to combine sources. The four main accepted formats are: a personal bank account in your name accessible from Austria, a scholarship or grant letter, a Haftungserklärung (a notarised declaration of liability from a guarantor), and traveller’s cheques. You do not need to meet the threshold from a single source.

The OeAD list for the student permit names four formats: a savings book or bank account in your name and accessible from Austria, a Haftungserklärung, traveller’s cheques, and a scholarship confirmation. A blocked account is not on that list. It still works as proof, because it is a bank account in your name, but no Austrian rule asks for one.

The Haftungserklärung has strict form rules. § 2 Abs. 1 Z 15 NAG requires certification by an Austrian notary or an Austrian court and a validity of at least 5 years. The guarantor must prove at signing that they can carry the costs. The law sets no residence or citizenship rule for the guarantor, but the authority checks their income. § 2 Abs. 6 NAG allows one declaration per application, and co-signers are each liable for the full amount. § 64 Abs. 1 NAG expressly permits it for students; for other permits it only counts where the law says so (§ 11 Abs. 6 NAG).

One wording gap matters for guarantors abroad. The OeAD student page describes the Haftungserklärung as coming from a person residing in the European Union, while the NAG definition sets no residence rule. If your guarantor lives outside the EU, ask the authority in writing before the notary appointment. On request, the guarantor must also show the origin of their money, for example with their own bank statements of the last 6 months.

For a deep dive on the source-of-funds documentation, see our guide to source of funds for Austria. For the Haftungserklärung specifically, see the sponsor declaration guide.

How do you prove where your money comes from?

A balance alone is not always enough. According to OeAD, the residence authority can ask you to prove the origin of the funds. The accepted evidence includes bank statements of the last 6 months with all deposits and payment orders, the last 6 payslips if you work, and a declaration naming the source. No official page sets a fixed number of statements for every application: the 6-month figure applies when the authority asks.

The City of Vienna goes one step further at MA 35. When you collect the permit, you show that the money covers the whole stay, and for savings you add an explanation of where the money comes from. Typical sources are savings, a loan, a scholarship, an inheritance or the sale of property. Never use a certificate bought from an agent: the funds must be genuinely yours and traceable.

Sources: OeAD student permit page, City of Vienna (MA 35). As of October 2026.

Which permit needs proof of funds, and how much?

Almost every Austrian residence permit requires you to prove you meet the Ausgleichszulagenrichtsatz, but the required period and the acceptable proof vary by permit type. The table below summarises what migration.gv.at and oesterreich.gv.at require. No permit mandates a blocked account.

Sources: migration.gv.at, oesterreich.gv.at, BMI. As of June 2026.

Should you buy a blocked account from a provider for Austria?

Prices as of October 2026, verify on the provider site. Fintiba’s fees apply to accounts opened from 3 November 2025. 12-month totals are the setup fee plus 12 monthly fees.

For most applicants the answer is no. Austria publishes no list of approved blocked-account providers, and the official student pages of OeAD, migration.gv.at and the City of Vienna do not mention a blocked account at all. A personal account in your name with the full 12-month balance meets the same rule without a provider fee. Paying for a blocked account only makes sense if your embassy asks for one in writing.

The best-known providers, Expatrio, Fintiba and Coracle, design their accounts for Germany. Expatrio builds its account around the German blocked amount of €992 a month (€11,904 a year). That figure matches neither Austrian rate: it is €269.42 above what a student under 24 needs and €316.39 below what a student aged 24 or older needs each month. If you still want a provider, email your Austrian embassy or residence authority first, name the provider, and keep the written answer with your application.

Check fees on the provider’s own site, because older figures still circulate. Fintiba raised its prices for accounts opened from 3 November 2025 to €159 plus €9.90 a month. Coracle shows no opening fee on its blocked-account page as of October 2026, only an €80 buffer it returns with the first payout. Of the two providers with published fees, Expatrio is cheaper over a year at €227. A personal account costs €0 in provider fees.

Who checks your proof of funds, and what does the permit cost?

Your first student permit application goes to the Austrian embassy or consulate in your home country. You may file inside Austria only after a lawful entry. Under § 3 NAG the deciding authority is the Landeshauptmann of your province. In Vienna that is MA 35; in most other provinces the Bezirkshauptmannschaft or the Magistrat of a statutory city decides. The BFA, the asylum office, does not decide student permits.

The application fee is €218 in 2026, up from €212 before 1 January 2026, according to the City of Vienna. OeAD gives a decision period of 90 days, extended by another 90 days if you must submit missing documents. In Vienna you show your money twice: once with the application, and again when you collect the permit, where MA 35 asks for proof that the funds cover the whole stay. Keep the balance in place until the card is in your hand.

The check repeats at every renewal. You file it no earlier than 3 months before your permit expires and always before it runs out. The OeAD list for the renewal asks again for proof of funds, plus proof of study success: at least 16 ECTS credits or 8 semester hours in the previous academic year. The €218 fee applies again. Plan the second year’s money before the first year ends.

How do you set up and transfer your funds?

The practical steps are straightforward. Pick your proof route early, make the transfer well in advance of your appointment, and keep documentation ready for the authority at MA 35 (Vienna) or your district authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat).

1. Step 1: Choose your proof route. Decide whether you will use a personal bank account, a scholarship letter, a Haftungserklärung, or a combination. If you prefer not to use a provider, see our guide on how to set up a blocked account yourself.
2. Step 2: Open an account or arrange your provider. If using a bank account, open it in your name. For a blocked account, see our guide to blocked account providers in Austria.
3. Step 3: Transfer early via SWIFT or SEPA. International transfers can take 3 to 5 business days. SEPA transfers within the EU arrive next day. For international transfers, Wise offers competitive rates with mid-market exchange.
4. Step 4: Get a bank confirmation letter. Request a letter on bank letterhead confirming your account balance and account holder name. Most banks provide this within 2 to 5 business days.
5. Step 5: Keep 6 months of statements ready. The authority can ask you to prove where the money comes from. OeAD names bank statements of the last 6 months, including deposits and payment orders, as accepted evidence. Keep the transfer receipts for any large deposit too. See how to prove where your money comes from.

Frequently Asked Questions