Austria: Vertriebene status for Ukrainians extended to 4 March 2027 — labour market and the RWR-Karte plus

Austria has automatically extended the right of residence for displaced persons from Ukraine (Vertriebene) until 4 March 2027. This extension applies at EU level: on 13 June 2025 the member states agreed and on 15 July 2025 the Council of the EU adopted Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1460, extending temporary protection by another year (published in the Official Journal of the EU on 24 July 2025). For Ukrainians in Austria this means the essentials: status, the card and labour-market access are preserved — and nothing additional needs to be submitted.

What exactly has changed

The right of residence of displaced persons from Ukraine is automatically extended until 4 March 2027 — regardless of the validity date shown on your "Ausweis für Vertriebene" card. This right exists by operation of law (ex lege) and does not depend on the date printed on the plastic card: even if it shows an earlier date, your legal status is still valid until 4 March 2027.

The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) will send the new card with the updated date automatically — no application is needed. According to the BBU, cards with a validity date until March 2027 will be mailed automatically to the addresses in the Central Register of Residents (ZMR) expected around February 2027. In other words, the new card should not be expected any earlier; until then your status is valid anyway. If the new card arrives after the old one has already expired, the right of residence is preserved, and you can return to Austria even with the old (expired) card.

Who this concerns

The extension covers:

• Ukrainian citizens who left because of Russian aggression;
• persons who held protection status or permanent residence in Ukraine and cannot return safely;
• their family members (spouse or partner, minor unmarried children, other close dependants who lived together) who resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022.

Important: report any change of address to the registration office (Meldeamt) without delay — otherwise the new card may not arrive.

Labour-market access and the "Blaue Karte"

The terminology needs clarifying here, as it is often confusing. In Austria, "Blaue Karte" (Blue Card) is the colloquial name for the Ausweis für Vertriebene card itself, not the European Blue Card for highly qualified professionals. It is this card that opens labour-market access.

Since 21 April 2023 (entry into force of BGBl. I 43/2023), displaced persons from Ukraine are excluded from the scope of the Aliens Employment Act (AuslBG). This means that holders of the Vertriebene card may immediately take up any job without a separate employment permit (Beschäftigungsbewilligung) — effectively on a par with Austrian and EU citizens. The employer does not need to obtain a permit from the AMS to hire such a person.

Switching to the Red-White-Red Card plus (RWR-Karte plus)

Since 1 October 2024, displaced persons from Ukraine who have already integrated into the labour market may switch from temporary protection status to the Red-White-Red Card plus (Rot-Weiß-Rot-Karte plus) — an ordinary residence permit under the general regime of the Settlement Act (NAG). The main conditions:

• over the last 24 months you have been officially employed for at least 12 months with full social insurance (Vollversicherung) — not necessarily continuously;
• German at A1 level by the time the application is submitted, and proof of secured subsistence (gesicherter Lebensunterhalt).

In practice, the benchmark for "full insurance" is the marginal-employment threshold (Geringfügigkeitsgrenze) — in 2026 it is EUR 551.10 per month: work below this threshold usually does not provide full insurance. However, the legal criterion is precisely full insurance (Vollversicherung), not the earnings amount itself.

The advantage of the card is that it grants unrestricted labour-market access: you can work as an employee or as a self-employed person and are not tied to a specific employer. Depending on the fulfilment of integration requirements and the prior period of residence, the card is issued for one or three years. Time spent under Vertriebene status counts together with time on the RWR-Karte plus: after 5 years of residence you can obtain permanent status (Daueraufenthalt-EU). Unlike Vertriebene status, the RWR-Karte plus is a more stable basis for long-term residence.

Family allowance — with new conditions and a deadline of 30 June 2026

On 15 October 2025, Austria's National Council extended the payment of family allowance (Familienbeihilfe) and childcare allowance (Kinderbetreuungsgeld) for displaced persons from Ukraine, but only until 30 June 2026 — this is not an open-ended extension. In addition, the payments are now tied to a condition: the recipient must either work or at least be registered with the AMS (the employment service). Exceptions are provided for persons over 65 and those caring for children with severe disabilities.

What to do now

1. To extend your status, nothing needs to be submitted — the new card will arrive by post, expected around February 2027; until then your status is valid anyway.
2. Check and, if necessary, update your address at the Meldeamt so the card reaches you.
3. If you have been officially employed for at least 12 of the last 24 months with full insurance, consider switching to the RWR-Karte plus for a more stable status.
4. If you receive Familienbeihilfe, remember that payments are currently confirmed only until 30 June 2026, and make sure you are working or registered with the AMS.

For exact requirements and forms, see the official resources: BMI (Erfassung und Aufenthalt), UNHCR Austria and BBU (FAQ in Ukrainian/German).