How many points do you need for the Austria Red-White-Red Card?

It depends on the route. Very Highly Qualified Workers need at least 70 of a possible 100 points. Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupations need at least 55 of a possible 90. This calculator scores the route you pick and tells you how many points, if any, you still need.

What are the points criteria for the Red-White-Red Card?

The grid scores qualifications, work experience, language skills, age, and (for the Very Highly Qualified route) study in Austria. Each section has its own maximum. Qualification degree bands are mutually exclusive; language points add up across different languages, capped at the section limit.

Can I get a Red-White-Red Card without a job offer in Austria?

Very Highly Qualified Workers can enter Austria on a six-month jobseeker visa without a job offer, but the card is only issued once you secure a qualifying job. The Shortage Occupation route needs a binding job offer before you apply, so a job offer is required there.

Does the Red-White-Red Card require German language skills?

No single language is mandatory in the points grid — English can earn language points, and you can pass without German. But German is worth more, especially on the Shortage Occupation route (up to 15 points at B1 or higher versus 10 for English). Adding German is often the fastest way to close a small gap.

What counts as a shortage occupation for the Austrian Red-White-Red Card?

Austria publishes an annual Shortage Occupation Ordinance (Fachkräfteverordnung) listing roles with proven labour shortages — for example many IT, engineering, healthcare, and skilled-trade jobs. The list changes each year, so check the current ordinance for your exact occupation. This tool asks you to self-declare that your job is on the list.

Does English A1 earn language points on the Shortage Occupation route?

No. On the Shortage Occupation grid, English only starts scoring from A2 (5 points), rising to 10 at B1 or higher. German, by contrast, scores from A1 (5 points). On the Very Highly Qualified route, English A1 does earn 5 points.

How does work experience in Austria count?

On the Very Highly Qualified route, at least six months of experience gained in Austria adds a flat 10 points, within the 20-point experience cap. On the Shortage Occupation route, every completed half-year worked in Austria scores 2 points instead of 1, so Austrian experience is worth double.

Is this calculator an official eligibility decision?

No. It is an informational estimate that runs the published points grids. The binding decision rests with the Austrian immigration authority and, for the Shortage Occupation route, an AMS labour-market test. It does not verify whether your degree is recognised in Austria or whether your job is on the shortage list.

When were these points and thresholds last verified?

The two grids and the 70/100 and 55/90 thresholds were last cross-checked against the Austrian Migration Portal (migration.gv.at) on 2026-07-16. They are reviewed whenever the portal or the annual shortage-occupation ordinance changes.

Austria · Migration

Austria Red-White-Red Card Points Calculator

Score your eligibility for Austria's Red-White-Red Card in seconds. Runs the official migration.gv.at points system for the Very Highly Qualified (70 of 100) and Shortage Occupation (55 of 90) routes, with a full per-criterion breakdown. No signup, sources cited below.

By Induwara Ashinsana— Executive Director, Ryzera TechnologiesUpdated Jul 16, 2026

Score your Red-White-Red CardVery Highly Qualified route

migration.gv.at grid

Highest qualification

Degrees are not additive — the single highest is scored.

Senior-management salary offer

Only counts a binding senior-management gross annual salary.

Total work experience (years)

yrs

Relevant experience, one decimal allowed. Each completed half-year scores.

Of that, gained in Austria (years)

yrs

≥6 months in Austria adds a flat +10 (within the 20-point cap).

German level (CEFR)

Self-assessed European framework level.

English level (CEFR)

A1 = 5, A2+ = 10 points.

Study in Austria

Prior study or a completed Austrian degree.

Age (years)

yrs

Under 35 → 20, under 40 → 15, under 45 → 10.

Your score

70/ 100

Pass mark 70 · 100% of the way there

EligibleMeets the 70-point pass mark

Per-criterion breakdown

Criterion	How it scored	Points
Special qualifications & skillsMINT degree (+30)	MINT degree (+30)	30 / 40
Work experience10 completed half-years × 1	10 completed half-years × 1	10 / 20
Language skillsEnglish (+10)	English (+10)	10 / 10
AgeAge 31 (under 35) → 20	Age 31 (under 35) → 20	20 / 20
Study in AustriaNo study in Austria	No study in Austria	0 / 10
Total		70 / 100

Beyond the points

Points are only half the test. Very Highly Qualified applicants can enter on a six-month jobseeker visa with no job offer, but the RWR Card is issued only once you secure a qualifying job in Austria.

Self-declare your qualification recognition and shortage-list status — this tool does not verify either.

Points grid and the 70/100 and 55/90 thresholds transcribed from the Austrian Migration Portal (migration.gv.at) and last verified on 2026-07-16. Informational estimate — not an eligibility decision.

How it works

The Red-White-Red (RWR) Card criteria catalogue is category-specific. The Austrian Migration Portal (migration.gv.at, run by the Federal Ministry of the Interior) publishes a separate points grid for each route. This tool scores the grid for the route you choose, caps each section at its published maximum, adds the capped section scores, and compares the total against the pass mark.

Very Highly Qualified Workers are scored out of 100 and pass at 70. The sections are: special qualifications and skills (max 40 — a 4-year degree scores 20, a MINT degree 30, a PhD 40, plus additive bonuses for a senior-management salary, research, or a recognised award); work experience (max 20, one point per completed half-year, with a flat +10 if at least six months were worked in Austria); language skills (max 10, additive across languages); age (max 20 — under 35 scores 20, under 40 scores 15, under 45 scores 10); and study in Austria (max 10).

Skilled Workers in Shortage Occupationsare scored out of 90 and pass at 55. The sections are: qualification (max 30 for a completed qualification in a listed shortage occupation); work experience (max 20 — one point per general half-year, but two points per half-year worked in Austria); language skills (max 25 — German scores 5/10/15 at A1/A2/B1+, English 5/10 at A2/B1+, with additive bonuses for a third language and for English being the employer's working language); and age (max 15 — under 30 scores 15, under 40 scores 10, under 50 scores 5).

Within any section, mutually exclusive rows take the single highest band — a PhD scores 40, not 40 plus the lower degree bands, and German is scored at A1 or A2 or B1+, never their sum. Different languages, by contrast, add together up to the language cap. Two internal cross-checks keep the arithmetic honest: the total is computed as the sum of the capped section scores (shown row by row in the breakdown), and the section caps themselves are asserted to reconcile to exactly 100 and 90 points. If you fall short of the pass mark, the tool re-scores realistic single changes and ranks them by the points they would actually add.

Worked examples

Colombo data scientist — Very Highly Qualified route

70 / 100 — Eligible (exactly meets 70)

Qualification: MINT (informatics) degree → 30 (section cap 40)
Work experience: 5 years = 10 completed half-years × 1 → 10 (cap 20)
Language: English A2 → 10 (cap 10)
Age 31 (under 35) → 20
Study in Austria: none → 0
Total: 30 + 10 + 10 + 20 + 0 = 70 → meets the 70 pass mark

Nurse — Shortage Occupation route

73 / 90 — Eligible (needs 55)

Qualification: completed nursing training in a shortage occupation → 30
Work experience: 4 years general = 8 half-years × 1 → 8 (cap 20)
Language: German A2 (10) + English B1+ (10) = 20 (cap 25)
Age 29 (under 30) → 15
Total: 30 + 8 + 20 + 15 = 73 → clears the 55 pass mark

Recent graduate — Very Highly Qualified route (falls short)

51 / 100 — Not eligible, needs 19 more

Qualification: 4-year non-MINT degree → 20
Work experience: 3 years = 6 half-years × 1 → 6
Language: English A1 → 5
Age 34 (under 35) → 20
Study in Austria: none → 0
Total: 20 + 6 + 5 + 20 = 51 < 70 → suggestions: MINT degree (+10), raise English to A2 (+5), or 6 months' Austrian experience (+10)

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

The point values, section caps, and both thresholds were last cross-checked against the migration.gv.at pages on 2026-07-16. The page is reviewed whenever the portal or the annual shortage-occupation ordinance (Fachkräfteverordnung) changes.

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