Britons in Vienna: 10% Have Already Applied for Residence Permit

So far, about 500 of the estimated 5,000 Britons living in Vienna have applied for a residence permit.

This figure was given by the British Ambassador to Vienna, Leigh Turner, after a joint visit with Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr to the Magistrate's Department 35, which is responsible for immigration.

Good visit to MA35 in Vienna this morning with deputy mayor @chriswiederkehr. I met British nationals applying for the new residency card, spoke to the team processing applications & briefed press. All UK nationals must apply for residency this year. See https://t.co/hN0I0pumyK pic.twitter.com/bXxtgWDcwb

— Leigh Turner (@LeighTurnerFCDO) January 12, 2021

The deadline for applications is December 31, 2021.

"It is our concern that as many British men and women as possible remain in Vienna," Wiederkehr stressed. He emphasizes that the approximately 5,000 British citizens are an important part of this city.

Due to Brexit, Britons living in Austria must have a residence permit.

As the responsible city councilor, he had made preparations for a quick and good processing, Wiederkehr assured.

The residence title must be applied for at MA 35 in the course of this year, he said.

A separate unit has been created to submit the applications and eleven new employees have been added, he said.

"There are appointment slots that can be booked online. We still have enough appointments to offer. We manage about 400 a week," Wiederkehr said.

Right when they submit their documents, British citizens receive a confirmation.

With this, they can also move freely in the Schengen area.

"By handing in the documents, freedom of travel within the European Union is ensured," said the deputy mayor.

He said it is important that Britons do not have to wait for applications to be fully processed.

"I am confident that many Britons who enrich Viennese society will also stay here and continue to be a part of Austria and Vienna," Wiederkehr said.

Turner was pleased about the 500 or so Britons in Vienna who have already received confirmation of submission.

With this document, he said, they also have the right to continue living and working in Vienna.

"This is a very good start."

The British ambassador thanked MA 35 for the good organization.

On the part of his compatriots, he said, there was positive feedback that the applicants had been treated very kindly.

He said that the British Embassy had already tried to inform all of the approximately 11,000 Britons living in Austria last year that they have the right to continue living and working here under the withdrawal agreement signed with the EU.

"We hope we can continue to keep in touch despite Covid-19, which already makes life more difficult," Turner said.

According to the British ambassador, there are about 17,000 Austrians in the U.K. who have already applied for continued residency or have until June 30 to apply for a residence permit.

In total, 4.5 million EU citizens have received residence permits in Great Britain since last year.