Austria visa guideThe Austria tourist visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for holidays in Austria, valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. You fill in Austria's application form in English or German, then hand in the file and give biometrics at a VFS Global centre; Chandigarh and Jalandhar are the closest for Punjab. The Austrian Embassy in New Delhi decides.
The Embassy's March 2026 checklist wants the file in its own order, a passport with no handwritten change on the data page and ITRs with barcode. Since 1 March 2026 it also accepts insurance only from approved insurers. Allow up to 15 working days once the Embassy has the file, and apply at least a month ahead.
Do Indians need a visa for Austria, and which one?
Yes. An Indian passport holder going to Austria on holiday needs a Schengen short-stay visa, type C. The Austrian Embassy describes it as the visa for touristic, business or visiting purposes without gainful employment, for a maximum stay of 90 days per 180 days. There is no e-visa. You download Austria's application form, fill it in English or German, sign it, and hand in the file in person at a VFS Global centre, where your fingerprints and photo are taken.
Austria publishes a separate checklist for each purpose: tourism, visitors with a sponsorship, business, cultural, sports or religious events, film crews, incentive groups, official visits, students and interns, and transit. For a holiday you follow the tourism checklist, updated in March 2026. Every Austrian Schengen application in India is decided by the Austrian Embassy in New Delhi, and there is no legal entitlement to a visa.
Austria tourist visa at a glance
- VisaPaper form in English or German, lodged in person
- Schengen short-stay visa, type C
- Longest stayShared across the Schengen area
- 90 days in any 180-day period
- Who decides
- Austrian Embassy, New Delhi
- Where you applyChandigarh and Jalandhar in Punjab
- VFS Global, 17 centres in India
- Visa feeNo fee under 6
- €90 adult, €45 child aged 6 to under 12
- Decision timeUp to 45 calendar days in individual cases
- Up to 15 working days at the Embassy
Austrian Embassy New Delhi checklist and VFS Global Austria, checked 14 Oct 2026
A longer stay is a different visa. Austria issues a national visa D for 91 days to six months, and above six months a residence permit is needed. Plan the holiday inside the visa you ask for: the Embassy's checklist says neither a C nor a D visa can be extended or renewed in Austria. (The Interior Ministry's page allows an extension at the regional police directorate only under clearly defined conditions, so treat the stricter checklist rule as the one that applies to you.) For what every Schengen state shares, see the Austria country page and our Schengen visa guide.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global, which runs 17 Austrian visa centres in India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi, Puducherry and Pune. For Punjab the nearest are Chandigarh and Jalandhar; Haryana has Gurugram, and Delhi has New Delhi. All of them work Monday to Friday. Austria has one deciding office for India, the Embassy in New Delhi, so there is no state-wise jurisdiction to work out.
What VFS asks of you on the day:
- Attend yourself. You cannot send someone in your place. An authorised travel agent may submit only if your fingerprints were captured within the last 59 months, with your original authorisation letter naming the representative and their organisation, and a copy of a valid photo ID.
- New passport, new fingerprints. VFS says that if your previous Schengen visa was issued within the last five years but sits in an old passport, you still give biometrics again.
- Children. Under-12s give no fingerprints, but a child under 5 must still attend. Anyone under 18 comes with an adult who is not VFS staff.
- Timing. Arrive 15 minutes early. If you miss the appointment, you can book a new one only after 24 hours.
- Fingertips. Mehndi, cuts and other marks can stop the scanner reading your prints.
- Who gets in. Only applicants, caregivers and people accompanying children under 18 may enter the centre.
Status queries are answered only after the processing time has passed. Send them to the VFS office where you applied or by email to NEW-DELHI-KA@bmeia.gv.at; the Embassy asks for questions in writing and gives only general information by phone. For how dates are opening up, see our Austria appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The common checklist is printed further down this page. Austria's tourism checklist then changes the proof of occupation by who you are, and adds a few items most countries never ask for.
Salaried
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- Salary certificates for the last 3 months of your present job, employment contract and a company NOC for the leave, plus your official email or your HR department's email on the form, or a business card showing your official email
Self-employed or business owner
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- GST certificate, Udyam (Udyog Aadhaar) memorandum, Import Export Certificate, Certificate of Incorporation or similar
Retired
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- Pension statements for the last 3 months and/or proof of regular income from property or a business
Student
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- Proof of enrolment at the school, college or university
Paid for by a host in Austria
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- Use the checklist for visitors with a sponsorship; the host can file an electronic sponsorship declaration, the EVE
Minor with one parent
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- Original notarised NOC from the other parent, plus copies of the parents' passports or ID
Minor travelling alone
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- Original notarised NOC from both parents or legal guardians, plus their passport or ID copies
Not an Indian national
- What Austria's checklist asks for
- A valid permit to return, such as an Indian residence permit or return visa; Tibetans on an Identity Certificate need a return visa and the NORI endorsement
Everyone, whatever the occupation, adds the same three things. First, original bank statements for the last 3 months; VFS states it is mandatory that they are stamped and signed by the bank. Second, income tax returns with barcode for the last 2 years. Third, contact details that work: an operational email address, a mobile number and a business card.
Points that are particular to Austria:
- The file goes in the checklist's order. The checklist is headed "To be arranged in same order". Put the documents in that sequence.
- A clean data page. No alteration or handwritten amendment on the passport's data page is accepted. If yours has one, renew the passport before you apply.
- Your travel history on paper. Copies of the present passport's data pages, last page and pages with earlier visas, plus copies of Schengen visas and entry and exit stamps from previous passports, or proof that they were lost.
- Language. The form must be in English or German. The Embassy says English documents need no German translation.
Visiting relatives or friends who will cover your costs? The Austria family visit visa guide explains the EVE route.
How much is the Austria visa fee for Indians?
The visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, and children under 6 pay nothing. On 14 October 2026 the VFS fee tab showed ₹9,900 and ₹5,000, and VFS notes that the rupee amount follows the exchange rate and can change at every month end. VFS adds a service charge of ₹2,479 per applicant, GST included, payable by cash, card or UPI. Neither the visa fee nor the VFS charge is refunded if the visa is refused; our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
Plan on up to 15 working days once the Embassy has your file. That is the figure on the Embassy's March 2026 checklist and on the VFS processing tab, which adds that transport time is not included and the clock runs from when all requested documents are in. The Embassy's website puts the norm at 15 calendar days and warns that processing may currently take longer than usual. In individual cases, especially when the file needs closer scrutiny or an interview, it can run to 45 calendar days.
When to apply:
- Earliest: six months before departure. Not before.
- Latest: the checklist says that if the Embassy receives your application less than 15 working days before your travel date, the file and passport go back to VFS. It therefore advises applying at least 1 month before travel.
- Holiday seasons: VFS warns that processing can be longer at busy times of the year and suggests applying even earlier ahead of holiday periods. Its own page mentions two weeks as a minimum; the checklist's one month is the stricter figure, so use that.
A complete file is decided faster. A request for more documents, or a call for an interview, restarts the wait for you.
Why do Austria visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The Embassy lists what has to be positively established for every applicant: a plausible and verifiable purpose, means for living and travel costs from your own assets or income, your willingness to leave the Schengen area before the visa expires, and valid travel medical insurance. The refusal form's numbered reasons follow the same lines.
A thin or jumbled file
At the counter you sign a declaration that missing documents may be considered non-existent by the authority, which can result in rejection. An item that is missing, or buried out of order, can sink an otherwise sound application. Tick off the checklist line by line and arrange the file in its order.
A purpose that cannot be checked (reasons 2 and 10)
The purpose has to be plausible and verifiable. A holiday cover letter that does not match the flight reservation, hotel bookings or leave NOC fails that test. So does using the tourism list for a trip that is really a business visit or a family stay.
Means that are not your own (reason 3)
Austria wants living and travel costs covered from your own assets or income. Original, stamped and signed statements, salary certificates and ITRs with barcode show that. If you cannot show your own means, the route the Embassy names is an electronic declaration of sponsorship by someone living in Austria.
Weak roots in India (reason 13)
The Embassy asks for evidence of your economic, family and social roots at home: property, employment, studies, a pension, family ties. A leave NOC from your employer and a return booking inside the visa period help the officer believe you will leave on time.
Insurance from an insurer Austria does not accept (reason 16)
For applications lodged in India, Austria accepts travel medical insurance since 1 March 2026 only if it comes from an insurer on the approved list. The policy must cover at least €30,000, be valid in every Schengen state and last for the whole stay.
What each numbered reason means is set out on our Schengen refusal reasons page.
Tips for a stronger file
- Tab it. Arrange documents in the checklist's order with dividers. An officer who can tick down the list without hunting has fewer questions.
- Write the cover letter Austria asks for. Purpose, duration, names of anyone travelling with you, transport and accommodation details. Add a day-by-day plan.
- Use your office email. Put your official email, or HR's, on the form, or attach a business card that shows it.
- ITRs with barcode. Print the acknowledgement that carries the barcode, for both years.
- Stamped and signed statements. Ask the bank to stamp and sign every statement page you file.
- Show where you have been. Copies of earlier Schengen visas and stamps, even from expired passports, build your record.
- Insurance from the list. Check that the insurer is on the approved list before you pay, and that the policy covers every day of the trip.
- A reservation, not a ticket. The checklist asks for a round-trip flight reservation; the Embassy does not require a paid ticket.
- Keep your phone and email working. The Embassy may ask for more documents or call you for an interview.
Can you appeal an Austrian visa refusal?
Yes. The Embassy says a refused applicant can file a legal remedy at the consulate itself (a "Vorstellung") or submit an appeal to the Federal Administrative Court, and that the procedure is explained on the refusal form. Austria's Interior Ministry adds the deadline: complaints against visa decisions go to the Federal Administrative Court within 4 weeks, and are lodged with the authority that made the decision.
An appeal argues that the decision was wrong on the papers you gave. If the refusal came from a missing or weak document, a fresh application that fixes it is usually quicker. Four weeks pass fast, so check the date on your refusal letter with our refusal deadline tool before you decide.
Official sources
- Visa, Austrian Embassy New Delhi (BMEIA)
- Einreise / Visa / Visumfreiheit / EVE, Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior
- VFS Global Austria India: visa types, fees and processing time
- VFS Global Austria India: visa application centres
- VFS Global Austria India: what happens at the centre
- Information on Travel Medical Insurance (approved list applied by Austria), German Missions in India
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
- Visa Code, consolidated text (EUR-Lex)
