Comparison of retirement visas in Austria and Swistzerland

The general conditions of retirement visas in Austria and Switzerland

Among the 7 categories or 7 immigration methods, there is a method called retirement visa, through which a large number of people apply to migrate abroad every year. In some countries, retirees must pay a large amount of money to get a residence permit, but there are also countries that provide this type of residence permits to individuals with more reasonable amounts and prices. In this article, we are going to compare the retirement visas in Austria and Switzerland, and point out their similarities and differences, and compare them with each other.

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Topics reviewed in this article:

• Introducing the retirement visa in Switzerland
• Introducing the retirement visa in Austria
• Comparison of living expenses in Switzerland and Austria
• Differences and general comparison of retirement visas in Switzerland and Austria

Introducing the retirement visa in Switzerland

With a retirement visa in Switzerland, you cannot migrate to Switzerland through this method before being retired. Even if you are retired but you are under the age of 55, you still cannot apply to immigrate to Switzerland. Because in Switzerland you are retired when you are over the age of 55 and cannot work. The important thing about this method is that you will not be allowed to work because you are a retiree. The interesting thing about this method is that it will be enough if only one of the parents is over 55 years old. In the self-supporting method in Switzerland, there is no need to provide a language certificate. In this method, each year the person must show 50,000 Euros in his/her bank account for the number of the remaining years of his/her life, meaning that up to the age of 78 he/she must show 50,000 Euros in his/her bank account each year.

Introducing the retirement visa in Austria

There is no age limit for getting a retirement visa in Austria, and you can apply to migrate to Austria through a retirement visa whenever you eligible and have meet the conditions. One of the positive points of this method is that it does not require a language certificate. But one of the important points about this method is that if a person who is applying for a residence permit through a retirement visa does not have a university degree, he/she must have at least a German A1 language certificate. Of course, those who have a university education can achieve their goal by having any English language proficiency levels. The requirements for retirees to get a residence permit in Austria are:

Financial ability of 2000 Euros per person

Passive monthly income of € 3,000 to € 2,500

Not being an active employee

Being present in Austria for 6 months

Comparison of living expenses in Switzerland and Austria

As mentioned, for getting a residence permit as retirees in a country like Switzerland, a person is not allowed to work in that country and must be able to pay for his/her own and his/her family’s living expenses. Therefore, in the meantime, paying attention to the living expenses in the desired country can help the person. The cost of living in a country like Switzerland is higher than in Austria, but on the other hand Switzerland has a better climate and welfare level compared Austria.

Differences and general comparison of retirement visas in Switzerland and Austria

In the capital of Austria, a family of four can live by having 4,000 to 5,000 euros a month, while in other Austrian cities the same family can live by having 1,800 to 2,000 euros a month. Switzerland accepts people’s application for a residence permit through a retirement visa 4 times in a year and each time 500 cases will be accepted. This means that every year 2,000 people can get a residence permit in Switzerland through a retirement visa if they are eligible. Austria on the other hand, accepts only 500 applications for a residence permit through a retirement visa. This means that Austria is stricter in granting a residence permit through this method.