Moving to Vienna
Vienna is a city of contradictions – an imperial setting with bohemian charms, a world-class city that is small and affordable. For the student, it offers endless mysteries to unravel and ponder…
What do I do before leaving?
What Visa do I need?
90 Day Tourist Visa
If you are staying for just one Trimester, then the 90-Day Tourist Visa is sufficient. This Visa is granted automatically upon arrival in Austria for selected countries. To check if your country is on the list, see this page for more info: OEAD.at – Entry and Residence
Necessary Documents: Passport
How to Apply: Stamped into your passport upon arrival.
6 Month Visa D
If you are staying for two Trimesters, then you can apply for the 6 Month Visa D. You must apply for this Visa from the Austrian Embassy within your own country. Here is a list of Austrian Embassies. Depending on your country, you may be able to stay in Europe for another 90 days on a Tourist Visa once your 6 month Visa D has expired. Ask your Embassy.
You can find out more about registering for this Visa here: OEAD.at – Students staying up to 6 Months.
1 Year Student Visa
This is the longest Visa available, which you will need if you are staying for three Trimesters or more. You must apply for it from within Austria after arrival, on your 90 Day Tourist Visa. Go to the section below to see how to apply for this visa.
How do I find accommodation in Vienna?
Where to Live
Some of our students live together in a shared apartment (WG or Wohngemeinschaft), as is quite common in Vienna.
The Academy is located in the 7th district, which is quite central. The closest districts for students to find accommodation are the 6th, 7th, and 8th.
Here is a map showing how the districts are arranged and the location of the Academy:
- German – English Rental Vocabulary
Here is a list of terms that it would be useful to know when looking for accommodation: Accommodation Terms
Erasmusu
We’ve arranged a partnership with Erasmusu to help you find accomodation in Vienna. Plus you receive 15% off with the Promo Code below!
To search for accommodation, follow this link.
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Erasmusu – Accommodation for Students in Vienna
Other Useful Websites
Websites in English:
Airbnb.com (Useful for students staying short term, eg. one or two trimesters)
Vienna.Craigslist.at
OEAD.at/en (Accommodation, living costs, etc)
Websites in German:
Immobilen.net
Derstandard.at/Immobilien
Wg-gesucht.de/en/
Jobwohnen.at
Willhaben.at
Schwarzesbrett.oeh.ac.at/wohnen/
Easywg.at
Facebook groups:
- Americans in Vienna
- Foreigners in Vienna
- WG-Zimmer in Wien Gesucht!
- WG Zimmer & Wohnung WIEN – Suche & Biete
- WG Zimmer frei in Wien
- Student’s Forum for The Vienna Academy of Visionary Art
Transportation
Vienna has great public transport. Be sure to always have a ticket before boarding, otherwise you may be penalised a €100 fine if caught. Single trip, daily, weekly, monthly and annual passes are available. Monthly passes always activate on the 1st of the month, so if you arrive in the middle of the month you can just use weekly passes.
Useful apps for transportation:
What are the living costs?
Vienna is surprisingly affordable, and apartments are less expensive than in other European capitals. This table gives a very approximate guideline for what you might expect to pay living in Austria:
Living Costs
| Accommodation costs (including heating and electricity) | €320 |
| Food (excluding luxury items and tobacco) | €240 |
| Study and personal requirements, books, culture, recreation | €290 |
| TOTAL | €850 |
How much should I budget for materials?
At the beginning of each Trimester, the Academy will provide the canvases as well as an assortment of shared materials. The cost for these are split among all the students, and is usually around €50-80.
Here is an approximate cost-breakdown of the price for other materials the students will need:
- Paints: between €150-300 for Oil paints and/or Acrylics, depending upon how many paints the student already has.
- Brushes: €50 (A minimum assortment would be 2 fine liners, 2 sable brushes, 2 fan brushes, a small and a large glazing brush, and a mop brush).
- Sketchbooks: €30.
- Pencils: €25 for a variety of H-6B pencils, shavings-holding sharpener, retractable knife, kneadable eraser, sand-paper sharpening pad, and charcoal, wax and chalk pencils.
- Misc: €10 for Palettes, small jars, etc.
What kind of health insurance do I need?
If you are on the 90-day tourist Visa, you can use your own traveling insurance.
You need an Austrian health insurance to apply for the 1-year Visa. Here are some options:
- Feelsafe.at (Accepted by MA35)
- WGKK.at (Accepted by MA35)
- OEAD.at – Insurance (Archived on Wayback Machine)
- Insurance-Austria.at
Do I need to learn German?
All classes are taught in English, so learning German is not necessary for our students. The Viennese speak English quite well, so it is possible to live in the city without knowing German. It is good to learn some German terms, so studying a bit of vocabulary beforehand can be helpful.
What do I do upon arrival?
First thing: “Anmelden”
You are expected to register your stay (anmelden) within 3 days of your arrival.
1) Register as a Resident of Vienna – “Meldezettel”
1) Complete the Meldezettel registration form (German only). To help you fill it in, you can use this as reference: Medelzettel English translation
2) Gather the necessary documents: a print-out of the registration form (signed by your landlord/lady and yourself) and your passport.
3) Go to one of the “Meldeservice” offices. You’ll find the list of addresses on the page Registering in Vienna. You don’t necessarily have to go to the one corresponding to your district. Hermanngasse 24-26 (1. Stock, Zimmer 102) is the one closest to the Academy.
3.1) Opening times for the Meldeservice offices: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday: 8am to 1pm. Thursdays from 8am until 5.30pm. More info here (German only): https://www.wien.gv.at/verwaltung/meldeservice/stellen.html
4) At the “Meldeservice” office you’ll get the official “Meldezettel” document. There is no fee.
The Meldezettel is a very important document to have. It is required for any administrative processes during your stay in Vienna, and also things such as registering for an Internet Modem, etc.
When your stay in Vienna is over, its important to go back to the “Meldeservice” and let them know you’re leaving – this is called “Abmelden”. You need a fresh new copy of the “Meldezettel” document. Scroll down to the bottom of the document, and fill in the “Abmelden” section.
2) For students staying long-term: Register for 1-Year Student Visa
Once you have your Meldezettel, you’ll have to apply for your student’s residence permit. As a student of the Academy, you’ll be able to get an “Aufenthaltserlaubnis – Schüler” (Residence Permit – Pupil). To do so, you’ll have to:
1) Fill in the Aufenthaltsbewilligung.Schüler.Formular. Since the application has to be in german, you can use this translation to help you. Note: When you fill in the document, in section K “Angaben zum Aufenthaltszweck“, click number 153 – “Zertifizierte nichtschulische Bildungseinrichtung” – this indicates what type of organisation the Academy is registered as
(meaning “Certified Educational Institution”).
2) Gather all the required documents, as listed here: Required Documents for Residence Permit. Make sure you have everything before going to the registration office, or you’ll have to go back again.
3) Go to the Visa office (called “MA 35″) on Dresdnerstrasse 93. The opening hours are: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00am-12:00pm. Thursday from 3:30-5:30pm. It’s closed on Wednesdays.
4) Be prepared for a big line up to get in. Someone will give you a ticket with a number and will tell you which floor you’ll have to go. Then, there’s another line up until your number is called.
5) Once you give all the documents, the person will go through it, and will then ask you to go to the cash desk to pay a 120 euros fee.
6) You’ll then go back to the same person with the Receipt, and they will tell you that you’ll receive an email within 3 weeks or so. This email will let you know that you can pick up your residence permit.
7) You’ll have to pay another 60 euros to pick it up…