Austria’s National Council has approved a far-reaching revision of the Allgemeines Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz (AVG – General Administrative Procedures Act). The reform, championed by Digitalisation State Secretary Alexander Pröll and published on 23 September 2026, establishes a single legal framework that requires every public authority—from federal ministries to municipal offices—to offer end-to-end digital case handling. For global mobility professionals the change is more than an e-government footnote. Until now, many residence-permit and visa applications—most notably the Red-White-Red Card and Blue Card—still involved paper forms, wet signatures and in-person filing. From mid-2027, those steps will move online. Secure ID-Austria log-ins will allow assignees to submit evidence, track status in real time and receive digitally signed decisions. Employers, in turn, will be able to upload labour-market attestations and power-of-attorney documents directly from their HR systems, cutting out courier costs and days of idle waiting. The amendment also legalises several tools designed to speed up low-risk cases. Routine matters—such as confirmation of continued employment or renewal of a Red-White-Red Card in the same category—may be decided automatically, provided an official can intervene at any time. A “no-stop procedure” clause even allows authorities to issue benefits or approvals without an application if they already hold all required data. From the user’s perspective much of the new law will be invisible. The most tangible change is a ubiquitous QR-code that replaces paper payment slips on penalty notices and administrative fees; travellers will be able to scan and pay outstanding fines before departure, avoiding unpleasant surprises at the border. Implementation will be phased. Pilot offices in Vienna, Graz and Linz will launch the new platform in January 2027; nationwide roll-out is slated for July 2027, just ahead of the full ETIAS go-live. Companies that relocate staff to Austria should review their power-of-attorney processes, update employee handbooks and prepare for a world in which “digital first” is not a slogan but a legal obligation.
Source: Bundeskanzleramt Österreich
