{"id":"austria-merit","name":"Austria Citizenship for Extraordinary Achievements","type":"CBI","status":"operational","country":"Austria","country_code":"AT","url":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/immigration/austria-citizenship-by-investment","min_investment":{"amount":3000000,"currency":"EUR","route":"Discretionary naturalisation on Federal Government confirmation of extraordinary achievements in the special interest of the Republic (StbG section 10 (6)); no amount set in law; Mirabello practice experience: an active investment in Austria of EUR 3 million to EUR 10 million","basis":"practice","note":"No investment amount is set in Austrian law: StbG section 10 (6) sets no price. EUR 3 million to EUR 10 million is Mirabello practice experience of the active investment in Austria that successful applicants make; the official criteria state that mere money flows are not sufficient."},"qualification_basis":"merit","investment_routes":null,"family_pricing":{"value":"Conferral may be extended to the spouse living in the same household (§ 16) and to minor, unmarried children (§ 17). Where citizenship is conferred under § 10 (6), the spouse's 6-year residence, settlement and 5-year marriage requirements and the renunciation rule do not bar the extension (§ 16 (2)); for children, the renunciation rule and the settlement requirement do not bar it (§ 17 (4)). The other requirements of § 10 (1) nos. 2 to 8 and (2) apply to each family member. Extension is granted only together with, and with the same effective date as, the main conferral (§ 18)."},"processing_time":"24-36 months","processing_time_basis":"practice","processing_time_note":"No official processing time is published by the government; this is Mirabello practice experience.","visa_free_count":184,"passport_index_rank":null,"key_destinations":null,"travel_access":null,"minimum_stay":null,"tax_note":null,"path_to_citizenship":"Discretionary: citizenship is conferred only if the Federal Government confirms extraordinary achievements already rendered and still expected are in the special interest of the Republic (StbG section 10 (6)); no entitlement and no published timeline (24 to 36 months in Mirabello practice experience). Otherwise ordinary naturalisation after 10 years of lawful residence (5 settled), or 6 years on the section 11a grounds, with renunciation of the previous nationality.","highlights":["Austrian and EU citizenship: the right to live, work and study in all 27 EU member states, plus the EEA and Switzerland, and the previous nationality may be kept","A discretionary Federal Government confirmation for extraordinary achievements (StbG section 10 (6)); no amount set in law; in Mirabello practice experience an active investment in Austria of EUR 3 to 10 million and 24 to 36 months","Published criteria (Council of Ministers, 25 Feb 2014): mere money flows are not sufficient; 21 grants in 2022 and 40 in 2023"],"atomic_answer":"Austria has NO citizenship-by-investment programme and no law sets a price, contribution or investment amount for citizenship. Section 10 (6) of the Citizenship Act (Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz 1985, a constitutional provision) lets the Federal Government confirm that granting citizenship lies in the special interest of the Republic because of extraordinary achievements already rendered and still expected; the confirmation removes the 10-year residence requirement, the income test and the duty to give up the previous nationality, but every character and security requirement still applies. The Council of Ministers criteria of 25 February 2014 cover science, the economy, sport and the arts; economic achievements mean owning or leading a company, creating jobs and making investments or projects in Austria, and the criteria state that mere money flows are not sufficient. The decision is case by case, with no entitlement and no published timeline; the Government decides at least once every half-year. In Mirabello practice experience, successful applicants make an active investment in Austria of EUR 3 million to EUR 10 million, and the process takes 24 to 36 months; neither is an official figure. 21 people received citizenship this way in 2022 and 40 in 2023, and their names and professions are published. Ordinary naturalisation otherwise takes 10 years of lawful residence (6 on certain grounds), German at B1 and, in principle, renunciation of the previous nationality.","fees":null,"last_updated":"2026-10-27","data_freshness":{"verification_confidence":92,"last_verified":"2026-10-26","fields_tracked":1,"stale_fields":0},"mirabello_index":{"composite":53.4,"rank_overall":71,"rank_in_type":16,"scores":{"cost":38,"speed":10,"mobility":100,"path":44,"stability":65},"confidence":0.71},"regulatory_status":{"fatf_list":null,"eu_tax_list":null,"us_sanctions":null,"oecd_crs_high_risk_scheme":false,"as_of":"2026-06","status":"not listed on FATF, EU tax, US OFAC, or OECD CRS-risk lists"},"processing_stages":null,"required_documents":null,"biometric_enrolment":null,"dependant_additions":null,"nationality_naturalisation":null,"region":null,"provider":"Mirabello Consultancy","source":"Mirabello Consultancy","verified_by":"Mirabello Consultancy (IMC member, ACAMS-certified team)","book_a_consultation":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/contact-us-for-your-free-consultation","terms":"https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/ai","disclaimer":"Provided by Mirabello Consultancy Ltd. for general information only, indicative and subject to change without notice; not legal, financial, tax, or immigration advice, nor an offer or solicitation. Programmes are operated and governed solely by the respective sovereign governments. No warranty of accuracy or completeness; Mirabello accepts no liability for reliance on this information. © Mirabello Consultancy Ltd. This data and its selection, structure and provenance are Mirabello's proprietary compilation — permitted for interactive, attributed use only; systematic bulk extraction, scraping, or redistribution to rebuild a competing dataset is prohibited (acceptable-use terms: https://mcp.mirabelloconsultancy.com/v1/terms). Terms: https://www.mirabelloconsultancy.com/ai","data_updated":"2026-10-27T11:02:03.019Z","claims_provenance":{"path_to_citizenship":{"source_url":"https://www.bmi.gv.at/406/verleihung.html","source_tier":"official","verified_at":"2026-10-26","confidence":92,"review_due_at":"2027-01-24"}}}