Austrian citizenship through naturalisation is a notoriously difficult process. In most cases, the applicant needs to have lived in Austria for at least six (sometimes ten or more) years to be able to apply. They also need to be able to "support themselves" (which means they should have a stable source of income or financial support), have a high level of German, pass an exam, and pay the fees. The expensive fees.
In Austria, you need to be prepared to pay the initial application fee of €130 and then €1,100 to €1,500 if citizenship is granted. This does not include costs for certified translations, certificates, or the issuance of documents such as a passport.
Becoming Austrian is not cheap, and the payable fees are some of the highest in Europe, according to research done by The Local Denmark, where the Danish government is raising the cost of applying for citizenship to 6,000 kroner from 4,000 kroner (around €800 and €530, respectively).
READ ALSO: How much do you need to earn to qualify for citizenship in Austria?
For a comparative perspective, France's application fee is just €55, while in Spain, it is €104 and in Italy, €250. In Norway, the fee is lower than in its neighbour Denmark, at 2,500 Norwegian kroner (around €250). In Sweden, the fee is 1,500 kronor or €130, the cheapest of the three Scandinavian countries.
Germany’s citizenship application fee is €255. However, extensive changes to German citizenship rules are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, so this is expected to change.
Although Austria figures at the top of the list of countries detailed above, other countries (not covered by The Local) do have similarly high citizenship fees. These include the Netherlands (€925), Ireland (€175 on application, €950 if approved) and the UK, which has a £1,630 (around €1.900) application fee.
In Switzerland, applicants need to pay local, regional, and federal fees, which vary depending on cantons. In certain regions, costs could surpass CHF 3,000 (around €3,100).
Please note that the fees and requirements mentioned in this article are accurate at the time of writing, but they may be subject to change.
It's always best to check with the official government websites for the most up-to-date information.
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