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Move-in checklist

Vienna for new students — the bureaucracy in order

From admission letter to student card, in chronological order. Pick your origin to hide steps that don't apply, then tick them off as you go.

Progress—

Before you fly

  • Get your university admission letter

    Apply via uni-portal at the Austrian university you matched with. Without the admission letter the visa appointment will refuse you.

    ≈ 30 d

  • Book a dorm

    Use Istadi to compare 5 Vienna operators in one map. The dorm contract counts as proof-of-accommodation for both the visa and the residence-registration step.

    ≈ 7 d

Week 1 in Vienna

  • Meldezettel — register your residence

    Within 3 calendar days of moving in, take the form (signed by the dorm) to any Magistratisches Bezirksamt. Free, walk-in. The Meldezettel is required for everything: bank, SIM, university enrolment confirmation.

    ≈ 3 dOfficial page

  • Get an Austrian SIM

    Yesss, HoT, Magenta, Drei. Prepaid €10/mo with 30 GB is the student standard. Bring your Meldezettel to register the SIM (post-2023 anti-anonymity law).

    ≈ 1 d€10

  • Open a bank account (free student giro)

    BAWAG, Erste, easybank — all offer free student-giro. Bring passport, Meldezettel, university enrolment confirmation. ID-checking can be done online via N26 / Revolut if your bank visit is delayed.

    ≈ 7 d

First month

  • Register for ÖGK student health insurance

    Self-insurance for students is €73.20/mo (2026). Apply within 3 months of inscription so coverage backdates to your enrolment. Required for the residence permit too.

    ≈ 14 d€73Official page

  • Klimaticket Wien — student semester

    Wiener Linien semester ticket: €75 covers all U-Bahn, tram, bus and S-Bahn within Vienna for one semester. The cheapest student transit deal in Europe.

    ≈ 1 d€75Official page

  • Pick up your student ID card

    After paying ÖH-Beitrag at uni-portal you get the digital student card via Mobile-ID, plus a physical card from the registrar. Discounts: 50 % museums, 20 % movies, 30 % at most cafés.

    ≈ 14 d

Ongoing

  • Get a Steuernummer if you start a part-time job

    €551.10/mo Geringfügigkeit threshold — under that you owe nothing and your employer files everything. Above it, register at FinanzOnline.

  • Learn the bin colour code

    Yellow = plastic + metal, blue = paper, green = glass (clear in white, coloured in green). Most dorms have all four bins indoors. Mis-sorting carries a fine.