Your stay in Austria
A new life in a new town – of course, there are lots of things you will need to do during your stay. This page provides you with all you need to know about the administrative requirements.
Administrative issues
Residence registration
Anyone moving into an apartment in Austria is required to register with the relevant registration office. Registrations must take place within three days.
In order to register your place of residence, you need
- a completed registration form (Meldezettel) signed by the landlord/landlady
- a valid passport or personal ID
Registration offices in Graz: Tummelplatz 9, 8010 Graz | Bahnhofgürtel 85, 8020 Graz
Registration office in Kapfenberg: Koloman-Wallisch-Platz 1, 8605 Kapfenberg
Registration office in Bad Gleichenberg: Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Strasse 1,8344 Bad Gleichenberg
Insurance
Exchange students studying at FH JOANNEUM must be covered by sufficient insurance throughout their stay.
Students from EU/EEA countries are usually covered by national health insurance in their home country and are entitled to receive medical treatment in Austria upon presentation of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
Students from non-EU/EEA countries are free to take out their own insurance for their stay in Austria. If taking out insurance in your home country, you must prove that the amount covered by the contract is at least EUR 100,000 and that bills exceeding EUR 1,000 will be paid directly to the relevant hospital or doctor.
Based on our long-standing experience with foreign insurance providers, we recommend taking out one of the following 2 options for insurance for students:
- (1) with the Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK) or
- (2) FeelSafe.at
The costs of both insurances amount to around EUR 67 to EUR 80 per month.
Option (1) Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK)
To register, you need
- a completed application form for health insurance (“ÖGK Selbstversicherung”)
- a valid passport or personal ID
- a valid confirmation of study letter
- a valid certificate of enrolment
- a valid registration form
Option (2) FeelSafe.at
With FeelSafe you can fulfill the legal requirements in the quickest, easiest, most convenient and most affordable way.
FeelSafe is 100% accepted by the government for your stay in Austria.
You can choose from the travel insurance for the C-Visa for up to 90 days stay or the long-term insurance for the D-Visa and Residence Permit
Compared to the public ÖGK insurance, with FeelSafe you are fully privately insured - meaning you have access to all doctors (incl. private doctors) and some extra coverage. Also, you do not need any paperwork, you can buy it completely online in 5 mins, everything is in English (including the contract) and you can ask any specific questions you might have in their online chat.
Please note, that we can only offer help with these recommended options. In case you opt for insurance from your home country we can not offer assistance in any insurance matters that may arise.
You can use the search engine of the Austrian Medical Association to find a doctor who speaks your language.
If you have feelsafe-insurance, you can find a list of all doctors who directly bill the insurance provider here. This way you don’t have to prepay the doctor and need no refund process.
Confirmation of registration for EU/EEA nationals
EU/EEA nationals staying in Austria for more than three months have to apply for confirmation of registration ("Anmeldebescheinigung") within four months.
To register, you need
- a completed application form for a confirmation of registration (“Anmeldebescheinigung“)
- a valid passport or personal ID
- a valid confirmation of study letter
- a valid registration form
- proof of sufficient funds
- proof of sufficient health insurance coverage
- EUR 15 federal fee
Graz: Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Abt. 3 | Paulustorgasse 4, 8010 Graz
Kapfenberg: BH Bruck an der Mur | Th. Körnerstrasse 34, 8600 Bruck an der Mur
Bad Gleichenberg: BH Südoststeiermark | Bismarckstrasse 11-13, 8330 Feldbach
Residence permit for non-EU/EEA nationals
Nationals of non-EU/EEA countries studying in Austria for more than six months must file an application for a residence permit. If you are entitled to enter Austria without a visa you can file this application in Austria. Persons not entitled to enter Austria without a visa must file the application with the competent Austrian representative authority in their home country.
To register, you need
- a completed application form for a residence permit (“Aufenthaltsbewilligung“)
- a valid passport or personal ID
- a birth certificate
- a photo (not older than six months)
- a valid confirmation of study letter
- a valid registration form
- proof of residence (rental agreement)
- proof of sufficient funds
- proof of sufficient health insurance coverage
- EUR 100 federal fee
Graz: Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Abt. 3 | Paulustorgasse 4, 8010 Graz
Kapfenberg: BH Bruck an der Mur | Th. Körnerstrasse 34, 8600 Bruck an der Mur
Bad Gleichenberg: BH Südoststeiermark | Bismarckstrasse 11-13, 8330 Feldbach
Student ID
All exchange students will be issued with personal student ID during their stay at FH JOANNEUM. This ID serves both as a copy card and key card.
To collect your card, you need
- a valid certificate of enrolment
- a valid ID with photo
Campus Graz: Study Center | Alte Poststrasse 149, 8020 Graz
Campus Kapfenberg: Information Centre | Werk-VI-Strasse 46, 8605 Kapfenberg
Campus Bad Gleichenberg: International Office | Kaiser-Franz-Josef Strasse 24, 8344 Bad Gleichenberg
Course changes
You must update the Learning Agreement within 3 weeks of starting your exchange at FH JOANNEUM and have this confirmed by your home university.
Please discuss any changes you would like to make with the International Coordinator of your study programme.
The Learning Agreement must be identical to the Transcript of Records, which FH JOANNEUM will issue after your stay so that all of the courses completed can be recognised.
Extension of your stay
In principle, it is possible to extend your stay so long as your home university informs FH JOANNEUM of this at least one month before the end of the original contract period and there is sufficient capacity available on the course in question.
Erasmus+ students:
Any eligible extension can only take place once and the period of extension must follow on directly from the period covered by the original grant (the total duration of 12 months per study cycle must not be exceeded). Extension applications are only required with a minimum stay of 15 days or more.