Granting Austrian Citizenship at the Authorities’ Discretion

Persons without legal claim to citizenship may be granted Austrian citizenship at the authorities’ discretion. Relevant factors considered are: public interest and weal, integration and overall conduct of the applicant:

To be eligible for citizenship under the above terms, applicants must fulfil the following conditions along with general requirements of naturalisation:

• ten years of legal and continuous stay in Austria, of which at least five years as an Austrian resident, or
• exceptional achievements rendered or about to be rendered in the special interest of the Republic of Austria. Exceptional achievements are well above average and cannot be achieved by other persons of the same level of education or training. It is incumbent upon the federal government of Austria to decide whether naturalisation is in the special interest of the Republic of Austria.
• present main residence in Austria, provided that the applicant already held the Austrian citizenship for ten years.

Please note

• If you are granted citizenship due to exceptional achievements in the special interest of the Republic of Austria, it is not necessary for you to renounce your current citizenship, or to have your main residence in Austria.
• For any further information please contact Municipal Department for Immigration, Citizenship and Registry Offices (MD 35).