The most important rule first
Austria distinguishes between two types of work: employed and self-employed. For employed jobs, the Aliens Employment Act applies, with its own permits.[4] For self-employed work, something else counts: your residence right — in other words, your passport or your residence permit.[1] That is why some people can work self-employed even though they could not take an employed job — and the other way round.
Who can do what? The overview
- Austrian citizens: can do anything — employed and self-employed.
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens: are treated the same as Austrians. No permit needed — just two registrations. Details: Working in Austria as an EU citizen.
- Third-country nationals with a residence permit: depends on the permit. Red-White-Red Card plus, EU long-term residence, or a settlement permit allow self-employed work — other permits do not. Details: Self-employed with a residence permit.
- Recognised refugees and people with subsidiary protection: have free access to the labour market — including self-employed work. Details: Working with asylum or subsidiary protection.
- Asylum seekers in an ongoing procedure: heavily restricted — employed work only with AMS approval, self-employed work only in certain forms. Get advice before you start.
- Tourists and visa holders: may not work — neither employed nor self-employed.
What exactly does "self-employed" mean?
You work self-employed when you work on your own account: you have several customers, set your own prices and hours, write invoices, and carry the risk yourself. Typical examples: cleaning in private households, gardening, tutoring, trades. For most of these activities you register a trade licence — which is free.[3]
Watch out for bogus self-employment
How do you find out what you are allowed to do?
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Look at your card
Every residence permit shows its exact name — for example "Rot-Weiß-Rot – Karte plus" or "Niederlassungsbewilligung". This name decides what you are allowed to do. With an EU passport: you can work, full stop. -
When in doubt, get free advice
The WKO founder service, the settlement authority (in Vienna: the MA 35) and the official platform migration.gv.at answer exactly these questions — for free, and more reliably than any internet forum tip. -
Only then: register your trade
Once your status allows self-employed work, the rest is standard: register a trade, the SVS, invoices — just like for everyone else.
Your status can change
And then? Self-employed is self-employed
Once you are allowed to work, the same rules apply to you as to every self-employed person in Austria: trade registration, SVS insurance, invoices, taxes. You can find the complete roadmap in the guide Becoming self-employed in Austria. And bop helps you along the way — in your language: the app guides you through registration, invoices and official letters. Sign up on the homepage, no obligation.