Consular territorial competence
As a general rule, the Consulate of the Schengen State in which the sole or main destination is located is competent for examining and deciding on an application for a Schengen visa. In case no main destination can be identified as visits to different Schengen States are planned, the Consulate of the Schengen State through whose external borders the applicant intends to enter the territory of the Schengen State is the competent Consulate for issuing a Schengen visa.
Visa for travels to Austria have to be applied for at the competent Austrian Consulate, which is placed in the country where the applicant legally resides.
In some countries, the Austrian Consulates also offer the possibility of submitting visa applications to an external service provider. For a service fee, the service provider receives applications and forwards them to the competent Austrian Consulate for examining and decision. An external service provider plays no role in the decision-making process itself!
If there is no Austrian Consulate in the applicant’s home country, a Schengen visa can also be applied for at a Schengen embassy representing Austria if one exists.
Where is aSchengen representationin place?
Please note that the representing Schengen embassies may not accept the “electronic declaration of sponsorship” submitted in Austria. The form in which a declaration of sponsorship is accepted by the representing Schengen embassies can be obtained from the competent Austrian Consulate or the representing Schengen embassy. Please note that if you apply to a Schengen embassy representing Austria, this embassy is exclusively responsible for the proceedings. An appeal against the decision also depends on the legal regulations of the respective representing Schengen State.
Visas D and visa for employment can only be applied for at the competent Austrian Consulate.
Specific information on making an appointment, you can find under"How to make an Application".
