School: moving to Austria

In Austria, every child who lives there permanently must attend school for nine years, starting on the 1 September following their 6th birthday, whatever their nationality. They attend the Volksschule (primary school, 4 years), then the Mittelschule or the lower cycle of the AHS (general secondary school), then a 9th year. State school is free; you register your child yourself with the competent school.

Steps

Check the age. Compulsory schooling starts on the 1 September following the age of 6 (a child born on 1 September starts on their 6th birthday; born on 2 September or later, the following year) and lasts nine school years.
Understand the pathway.
- Years 1 to 4 (ages 6-10): Volksschule.
- Years 5 to 8 (ages 10-14): Mittelschule (MS) or lower cycle (Unterstufe) of the AHS (allgemeinbildende höhere Schule, 8-year general secondary school, leading to the Matura, the equivalent of the baccalauréat).
- Year 9 (ages 14-15): Polytechnische Schule (guidance towards apprenticeships), upper cycle of the AHS, or intermediate or higher vocational school.
- After that, compulsory training until age 18 (school, apprenticeship or other training).
Register your child. For entry into Volksschule, parents register the child at the competent school during the publicly announced registration period (an official letter invites you to register). Come with the child: the head teacher assesses their school readiness. If you arrive during the school years, contact the school or the Bildungsdirektion (education directorate of the Land).
Bring translated school reports. School reports and school certificates translated into German or English help to place your child in the right class.
If your child does not speak (enough) German: they can be registered as an "extraordinary" pupil (außerordentlich) and receive help with German (classes or support courses, assessed by the MIKA-D test). From the 2026/27 year, schools can organise this help autonomously, and since 2026 the Sommerschule (summer school) is mandatory for pupils in German support classes.
Private or international school: contact the head teacher early, before the registration period. A private school without Öffentlichkeitsrecht (official recognition) cannot issue official school reports: you must then notify the Bildungsdirektion before the end of the previous school year, and the child takes a check exam every year.

Documents

Documents requested at registration: set by each Bildungsdirektion, the exact list must be requested from the school. Example in Vienna for entry into year 1 in 2027/28 (registration week planned from 9 to 20/11/2026, by appointment; in Vienna there is in principle no school catchment area, and registration does not guarantee a place): proof of residence (Meldezettel or completed invitation letter), the child's birth certificate, proof of their nationality (their passport, for example), proof of their social security number (e-card), and if needed a certificate of work or training for afternoon care and the medical certificates for a disability or chronic illness.
School reports and school certificates from the previous school, translated into German or English.
Civil status documents (birth certificate) brought from your country.

Costs and timelines

State school: free (Schulgeldfreiheit). You still pay contributions to supplies and, in all-day schools, meals and afternoon care (amount set by the school's operator). Aid exists depending on your income.
Unjustified absences: beyond three school days, the absence is reported to the district authority; fine of €110 to €440 for the parents.
2026/27 calendar: school starts on the 1st Monday of September in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, the 2nd Monday elsewhere; autumn holidays from 27 to 31 October 2026; Christmas from 24 December 2026 to 6 January 2027; semester holidays (Semesterferien) from 1 to 6 February 2027 (Lower Austria, Vienna), from 8 to 13 February (Burgenland, Carinthia), from 15 to 20 February (Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg); Easter from 20 to 29 March 2027; summer from 3 July 2027 (Burgenland, Lower Austria, Vienna) or from 10 July (other Länder).

Common pitfalls

Waiting for the start of the school year to register. The registration period for Volksschule takes place well before the start of the school year; find out as soon as you arrive.
Believing that the obligation only applies to Austrians. It applies to every child who lives permanently in Austria.
Choosing too quickly between Mittelschule and AHS. The move is decided at the end of year 4 of Volksschule; both routes can later lead to the Matura.
School abroad or home schooling. Only possible if the Bildungsdirektion is informed, recognises the equivalence and if the child passes an exam every year.
What varies by Land: start and holiday dates, documents to provide, afternoon care provision.

What changes by country of origin

French families: the Lycée français de Vienne is an establishment directly managed by the AEFE (the French public agency for French education abroad), accredited by the French Ministry of Education from the first year of nursery school (petite section) to the final general year (terminale générale) (order of 19/06/2026). French children enrolled in a French establishment accredited by the French Ministry of Education (such as the Lycée français de Vienne) may be entitled to a school grant, subject to income conditions: the child and the parent making the application must be registered on the register of French nationals living outside France, and the grant is not a right, it is reviewed every year (French embassy).
Other nationalities: private international or foreign-language schools exist, especially in Vienna; find out about their Öffentlichkeitsrecht.
Foreign diplomas and qualifications: for higher education, a foreign qualification with no substantial difference from the Matura can give access to university (this is also the case for the IB and the European baccalaureate). To have a diploma recognised for employment, free advice centres (Anlaufstellen) exist in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck. Nostrifikation (formal recognition of the equivalence of a foreign school certificate) is only useful if a right requires it, for example a regulated profession; for a job or studies, a simple assessment (Bewertung, on asbb.at) is most often enough, and the university itself decides on admission. The application goes to the Ministry of Education (BMB), by appointment or by registered post, with the originals translated by a sworn translator; additional exams may be required. Fees: €21 for the application, €21 for the final certificate, €21 for each other certificate, €6 per attachment (birth certificate, etc.), €21 for the authentication of the certificate (Beurkundung), plus €6.50 for the decision (Bescheid) and €2.10 of administrative duty for the authentication; translations, legalisations and exams remain at your expense. For a regulated profession with an EU or EEA diploma, professional recognition applies, not Nostrifikation.
British nationals (including Scots) and Swiss nationals: same compulsory schooling, same schools.

In Austria, the Kindergarten (nursery school, generally for ages 3 to 6) is compulsory in the last year before school, for at least 20 hours per week, and this year is free on a half-day basis everywhere. Before that, the Krippe (crèche, up to age 3) and the Kindergarten are optional, and their prices depend on the Land: Vienna, for example, does not charge parents for full-time care from 0 to 6 years. You register your child with the municipality, the Magistrat or directly with the facility, and the sooner the better.

Steps

Identify the compulsory year. A child who turned 5 on 31 August at the latest must attend a Kindergarten for at least 20 hours per week, from September to June (outside school holidays, plus five weeks of possible leave). An exemption is requested in writing (child already at school, illness, disability, very remote home, care at home or by a childminder).
Choose the type of care. Kinderkrippe or Krabbelstube (crèche, up to age 3), Kindergarten (ages 3-6), Tagesmütter/Tagesväter (childminders), Kindergruppen (small groups, often run by associations). Public, private or company Kindergarten.
Register your child. Public Kindergarten: generally at the municipality or the Magistrat, sometimes at the Kindergarten itself; some municipalities offer online pre-registration. Crèche: with the facility or its operator (municipality, parish, association). In Vienna, the main registration period for municipal Kindergartens is in November and December for the following year, with online registration possible and places during the year depending on availability.
Prepare for the language assessment. In the last year before school, a national tool (BESK KOMPAKT, or BESK-DaZ KOMPAKT for children for whom German is a second language) assesses language; the result is passed on to the primary school.
Ask for financial help. A childcare allowance (Kinderbetreuungsbeihilfe) exists depending on income; your municipality may also offer reductions.

Documents

Often requested at registration: the child's birth certificate, Meldezettel (residence registration), the child's social security number. The exact list depends on the facility.
Exemption from the compulsory year: written request from the parents.

Costs and timelines

Compulsory year: free for 20 hours per week without meals, everywhere in Austria.
Extended free places depending on the Land (care in an educational facility):
- Burgenland: free on a half-day or full-time basis from 0 to 6 years.
- Carinthia: free on a half-day or full-time basis from 1 to 5 years (or until school).
- Lower Austria and Upper Austria: free on a half-day basis from 0 to 6 years.
- Salzburg: free on a half-day basis from 3 to 6 years.
- Tyrol: free on a half-day basis from 4 to 6 years.
- Vienna: free full-time from 0 to 6 years (different rules if the child does not have their main residence in Vienna).
- Styria: only the compulsory year is free, on a half-day basis (up to 30 hours per week); beyond that, and for the other years, the parents' contribution follows a Land scale based on the family's net income and the hours of care, if the facility applies this scale (Sozialstaffel, Land of Styria, year 2025/26). Ask your facility for the fee.
- Vorarlberg: no general free provision. For a child who has turned 3 by 31 August, the Land brings the fee down to a single price for at most 25 hours per week (€46 for 2025/26) in playgroups, small groups, private kindergartens and with childminders. Elsewhere, ask the municipality or the facility for the fee.
Crèche: price set by the operator, sometimes according to the parents' income and the number of hours.

Common pitfalls

Leaving it late. Crèche places are limited: register your child as soon as possible.
Forgetting the compulsory year. It also applies to foreign children settled in Austria; not sending your child without an exemption is an administrative offence punished by a fine, whose amount depends on the Land: in Vienna, up to €440. In Vienna, the obligation is at least 20 hours over at least 4 days per week, and an exemption (care by a childminder or education at home, in both cases without an increased need for German support; a facility outside Vienna; medical reasons; early school entry) is declared in writing before 30 June.
Comparing prices between Länder. Free places, hours and fees are matters for the Länder and municipalities: find out where you are going to live.
Meals not included. Even when free, the Kindergarten often charges for the midday meal.

What changes by country of origin

All countries of origin: same rules for all children who live in Austria.
Children who do not speak German: the Kindergarten is an important place for learning German before school.

Steps

Check the age. Compulsory schooling starts on the 1 September following the age of 6 (a child born on 1 September starts on their 6th birthday; born on 2 September or later, the following year) and lasts nine school years.
Understand the pathway.
- Years 1 to 4 (ages 6-10): Volksschule.
- Years 5 to 8 (ages 10-14): Mittelschule (MS) or lower cycle (Unterstufe) of the AHS (allgemeinbildende höhere Schule, 8-year general secondary school, leading to the Matura, the equivalent of the baccalauréat).
- Year 9 (ages 14-15): Polytechnische Schule (guidance towards apprenticeships), upper cycle of the AHS, or intermediate or higher vocational school.
- After that, compulsory training until age 18 (school, apprenticeship or other training).
Register your child. For entry into Volksschule, parents register the child at the competent school during the publicly announced registration period (an official letter invites you to register). Come with the child: the head teacher assesses their school readiness. If you arrive during the school years, contact the school or the Bildungsdirektion (education directorate of the Land).
Bring translated school reports. School reports and school certificates translated into German or English help to place your child in the right class.
If your child does not speak (enough) German: they can be registered as an "extraordinary" pupil (außerordentlich) and receive help with German (classes or support courses, assessed by the MIKA-D test). From the 2026/27 year, schools can organise this help autonomously, and since 2026 the Sommerschule (summer school) is mandatory for pupils in German support classes.
Private or international school: contact the head teacher early, before the registration period. A private school without Öffentlichkeitsrecht (official recognition) cannot issue official school reports: you must then notify the Bildungsdirektion before the end of the previous school year, and the child takes a check exam every year.

Documents

Documents requested at registration: set by each Bildungsdirektion, the exact list must be requested from the school. Example in Vienna for entry into year 1 in 2027/28 (registration week planned from 9 to 20/11/2026, by appointment; in Vienna there is in principle no school catchment area, and registration does not guarantee a place): proof of residence (Meldezettel or completed invitation letter), the child's birth certificate, proof of their nationality (their passport, for example), proof of their social security number (e-card), and if needed a certificate of work or training for afternoon care and the medical certificates for a disability or chronic illness.
School reports and school certificates from the previous school, translated into German or English.
Civil status documents (birth certificate) brought from your country.

Costs and timelines

State school: free (Schulgeldfreiheit). You still pay contributions to supplies and, in all-day schools, meals and afternoon care (amount set by the school's operator). Aid exists depending on your income.
Unjustified absences: beyond three school days, the absence is reported to the district authority; fine of €110 to €440 for the parents.
2026/27 calendar: school starts on the 1st Monday of September in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, the 2nd Monday elsewhere; autumn holidays from 27 to 31 October 2026; Christmas from 24 December 2026 to 6 January 2027; semester holidays (Semesterferien) from 1 to 6 February 2027 (Lower Austria, Vienna), from 8 to 13 February (Burgenland, Carinthia), from 15 to 20 February (Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg); Easter from 20 to 29 March 2027; summer from 3 July 2027 (Burgenland, Lower Austria, Vienna) or from 10 July (other Länder).

Common pitfalls

Waiting for the start of the school year to register. The registration period for Volksschule takes place well before the start of the school year; find out as soon as you arrive.
Believing that the obligation only applies to Austrians. It applies to every child who lives permanently in Austria.
Choosing too quickly between Mittelschule and AHS. The move is decided at the end of year 4 of Volksschule; both routes can later lead to the Matura.
School abroad or home schooling. Only possible if the Bildungsdirektion is informed, recognises the equivalence and if the child passes an exam every year.
What varies by Land: start and holiday dates, documents to provide, afternoon care provision.

What changes by country of origin

French families: the Lycée français de Vienne is an establishment directly managed by the AEFE (the French public agency for French education abroad), accredited by the French Ministry of Education from the first year of nursery school (petite section) to the final general year (terminale générale) (order of 19/06/2026). French children enrolled in a French establishment accredited by the French Ministry of Education (such as the Lycée français de Vienne) may be entitled to a school grant, subject to income conditions: the child and the parent making the application must be registered on the register of French nationals living outside France, and the grant is not a right, it is reviewed every year (French embassy).
Other nationalities: private international or foreign-language schools exist, especially in Vienna; find out about their Öffentlichkeitsrecht.
Foreign diplomas and qualifications: for higher education, a foreign qualification with no substantial difference from the Matura can give access to university (this is also the case for the IB and the European baccalaureate). To have a diploma recognised for employment, free advice centres (Anlaufstellen) exist in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck. Nostrifikation (formal recognition of the equivalence of a foreign school certificate) is only useful if a right requires it, for example a regulated profession; for a job or studies, a simple assessment (Bewertung, on asbb.at) is most often enough, and the university itself decides on admission. The application goes to the Ministry of Education (BMB), by appointment or by registered post, with the originals translated by a sworn translator; additional exams may be required. Fees: €21 for the application, €21 for the final certificate, €21 for each other certificate, €6 per attachment (birth certificate, etc.), €21 for the authentication of the certificate (Beurkundung), plus €6.50 for the decision (Bescheid) and €2.10 of administrative duty for the authentication; translations, legalisations and exams remain at your expense. For a regulated profession with an EU or EEA diploma, professional recognition applies, not Nostrifikation.
British nationals (including Scots) and Swiss nationals: same compulsory schooling, same schools.

Steps

Identify the compulsory year. A child who turned 5 on 31 August at the latest must attend a Kindergarten for at least 20 hours per week, from September to June (outside school holidays, plus five weeks of possible leave). An exemption is requested in writing (child already at school, illness, disability, very remote home, care at home or by a childminder).
Choose the type of care. Kinderkrippe or Krabbelstube (crèche, up to age 3), Kindergarten (ages 3-6), Tagesmütter/Tagesväter (childminders), Kindergruppen (small groups, often run by associations). Public, private or company Kindergarten.
Register your child. Public Kindergarten: generally at the municipality or the Magistrat, sometimes at the Kindergarten itself; some municipalities offer online pre-registration. Crèche: with the facility or its operator (municipality, parish, association). In Vienna, the main registration period for municipal Kindergartens is in November and December for the following year, with online registration possible and places during the year depending on availability.
Prepare for the language assessment. In the last year before school, a national tool (BESK KOMPAKT, or BESK-DaZ KOMPAKT for children for whom German is a second language) assesses language; the result is passed on to the primary school.
Ask for financial help. A childcare allowance (Kinderbetreuungsbeihilfe) exists depending on income; your municipality may also offer reductions.

Documents

Often requested at registration: the child's birth certificate, Meldezettel (residence registration), the child's social security number. The exact list depends on the facility.
Exemption from the compulsory year: written request from the parents.

Costs and timelines

Compulsory year: free for 20 hours per week without meals, everywhere in Austria.
Extended free places depending on the Land (care in an educational facility):
- Burgenland: free on a half-day or full-time basis from 0 to 6 years.
- Carinthia: free on a half-day or full-time basis from 1 to 5 years (or until school).
- Lower Austria and Upper Austria: free on a half-day basis from 0 to 6 years.
- Salzburg: free on a half-day basis from 3 to 6 years.
- Tyrol: free on a half-day basis from 4 to 6 years.
- Vienna: free full-time from 0 to 6 years (different rules if the child does not have their main residence in Vienna).
- Styria: only the compulsory year is free, on a half-day basis (up to 30 hours per week); beyond that, and for the other years, the parents' contribution follows a Land scale based on the family's net income and the hours of care, if the facility applies this scale (Sozialstaffel, Land of Styria, year 2025/26). Ask your facility for the fee.
- Vorarlberg: no general free provision. For a child who has turned 3 by 31 August, the Land brings the fee down to a single price for at most 25 hours per week (€46 for 2025/26) in playgroups, small groups, private kindergartens and with childminders. Elsewhere, ask the municipality or the facility for the fee.
Crèche: price set by the operator, sometimes according to the parents' income and the number of hours.

Common pitfalls

Leaving it late. Crèche places are limited: register your child as soon as possible.
Forgetting the compulsory year. It also applies to foreign children settled in Austria; not sending your child without an exemption is an administrative offence punished by a fine, whose amount depends on the Land: in Vienna, up to €440. In Vienna, the obligation is at least 20 hours over at least 4 days per week, and an exemption (care by a childminder or education at home, in both cases without an increased need for German support; a facility outside Vienna; medical reasons; early school entry) is declared in writing before 30 June.
Comparing prices between Länder. Free places, hours and fees are matters for the Länder and municipalities: find out where you are going to live.
Meals not included. Even when free, the Kindergarten often charges for the midday meal.

What changes by country of origin

All countries of origin: same rules for all children who live in Austria.
Children who do not speak German: the Kindergarten is an important place for learning German before school.

School

Enrolling your child in school in Austria: compulsory schooling, system, registration and calendar

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Nursery and kindergarten in Austria: compulsory year, free places depending on the Land, and registration

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Other topics

School

Enrolling your child in school in Austria: compulsory schooling, system, registration and calendar

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Nursery and kindergarten in Austria: compulsory year, free places depending on the Land, and registration

Steps

Documents

Costs and timelines

Common pitfalls

What changes by country of origin

Other topics