Austria’s healthcare system is high-quality and well-structured. But if you’re used to a different approach – or don’t speak German – it can feel overwhelming.
This guide gives you an overview of the healthcare system without the jargon. It’s designed to help you feel confident using Austria’s healthcare system.
| Note: Austria has both public and private health insurance systems. Unless otherwise stated, this guide focuses on how things work under public insurance. If you have private insurance, some steps and coverage may differ. |
| Health Insurance Basics | |
| The E-Card | |
| Seeing a Doctor | |
| Emergency Services | |
| Prescriptions and Pharmacies | |
| Maternity and Family Care | |
| Dental Care | |
| Glossary |
Health Insurance Basics
Almost all of Austria’s residents (99.9%) are covered by statutory health insurance. Most people are automatically enrolled in public insurance through their job – usually with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) – for employees and their families.
| ⚠️Co-insurance isn’t automatic — check with your employer to confirm whether it’s being arranged (by HR, a relocation agency, or if you need to handle it yourself). |
| 🤝 We can support you in applying for co-insurance (Mitversicherung) and managing your registration with the relevant insurance provider. |
| ⚠️ You are usually assigned an insurer based on your employer’s insurance affiliation – the insurer’s name is not printed on your e-card. To check who your provider is, ask your HR department or refer to insurance letters. |
An Example of the E-Card
The e-card is your Austrian health insurance card. You’ll need it for nearly all healthcare services — including doctor appointments, hospital care, and collecting prescriptions from a pharmacy.
If you’re employed in Austria and on an Austrian payroll:
|
⚠️ A photo is required for all new e-card applications. If you’ve never submitted one or are an EU citizen without a resident permit, you'll need to register it at a police station. Even if you submitted a photo before (e.g. for a Red-White-Red Card), it often doesn't reach the health insurer, which can delay your e-card, so it's good to follow up. |
| 🤝 We can support you in applying for your photo registration to ensure you receive your e-card in good time. |
If you're covered by another EU country's social security system, while working in Austria, you’re unlikely to receive an Austrian e-card – but you can still access healthcare. You may need to complete and submit A1 and S1 forms.
| Form | Purpose | Who Needs It | How It Relates to Healthcare | ||
| A1 | Confirms you're under your home country’s social security system while temporarily working in Austria. |
Workers in Austria, employed by EU employers, on short-term assignment. | Proof that you don’t need to pay Austrian social security contributions (including health insurance). | ||
| S1 | Provides access to public healthcare in Austria while insured in another EU country. | EU workers living in Austria but insured abroad. | Let's you access Austrian public healthcare without paying into the Austrian system. |
| ⚠️ Request these forms from your home country’s social security office before your move or assignment begins. |
| 🤝 We can support you in arranging your access to Austria's public healthcare. |
Your family can be added to your insurance:
| ⚠️ Please check whether your employer is taking care of this formality for you. |
| 🤝 We can support your co-insurance registration and make sure all your family members are properly covered. |
Publicly insured individuals currently pay €13.80 per year.
This increases to €14.65 in 2026 (fee is due each November for the following year).
If you need to see a doctor and you don’t have your e-card with you, most doctors won’t turn you away. Just submit your e-card within 14 days of the visit and pay a deposit. You’ll get your deposit back when you show your e-card.
Austria has both public doctors (Kassenarzt) and private doctors (Wahlarzt). If you're covered by public insurance, you’ll want to choose a doctor (Kassenarzt) who works with your insurer.
|
💡 Private doctor (Wahlarzt)? Look for "keine Kassen". This means the doctor doesn’t accept public insurance, so you’ll pay the full fee upfront. You can submit the invoice to your insurer for partial reimbursement, and you will be refunded approximately 80% of the standard consultation costs. ⚠️ Note: This means you'll get back 80% of what a contracted (public) doctor would have been paid, not 80% of what you actually paid. |
Use www.docfinder.at or www.aerztekammer.at/arztsuche to search by location, specialty, and language (use advanced search).
In Vienna, www.praxisplan.at is also useful.
Doctors may list languages like French, Turkish or Arabic, in addition to English.
Look for "alle Kassen" to confirm they accept public insurance.
| 💡If you're unsure, ask directly if they accept your e-card or name your insurer. |
Booking a Doctor's Appointment
Be prepared for some waiting time, even with an appointment.
| 📞 Language barrier? Many practices allow booking by email or online forms. |
Check with HR if your company has specific rules or timelines for submitting a sick note. If you're unsure of the legal requirements, get advice from HR or a legal expert.
|
⚠️ You can only see one doctor per specialty (including GPs) every three months. After that, you can switch. |
If you or someone else is in need of immediate, urgent care, here’s what to do.
|
112 |
European emergency number (works anywhere in the EU) |
Euro-Notruf – einheitliche europäische Notrufnummer |
|
|
122 |
Fire brigade |
Feuerwehrzentralen |
|
|
133 |
Police |
Polizei |
|
|
141 |
On-call doctor / emergency medical service | Ärztenotdienst | |
|
142 |
Telephone counselling |
Telefonseelsorge |
|
|
144 |
Ambulance / emergency services |
Rettungsdienst |
|
|
1450 |
Non-emergency medical helpline | Gesundheitshotline | |
|
1455 |
Pharmacy services | Apothekendienste | |
| 147 | Emergency services for children and young people | Notrufdienst für Kinder und Jugendliche |
When you have a doctor’s prescription (Rezept) for medicine, take it to a pharmacy (Apotheke).
| 🧾 From a private doctor or hospital? You may need to get your prescription approved by the health insurance fund first to pay the reduced fee. Present the prescription at your district insurance office (see www.gesundheitskasse.at). |
Austrian pharmacies rotate on-call services (Apotheken Notdienst) so there’s always a pharmacy open:
🕑 Normal pharmacy hours:
Monday–Friday: 08:00–18:00
Saturday: 08:00–12:00
| 🌙 Night / Weekend: There may be a small surcharge for out-of-hours services. |
| 💬 Still unsure? Pharmacists are usually helpful — and many speak at least some English. Or use a translation app — you can both speak into it and converse that way! |
Maternity protection begins eight weeks before your due date and continues until between eight weeks and 12 weeks after birth.
During this time:
Children are eligible for free routine check-ups under the Eltern-Kind-Pass programme — this continues until the child turns 5 years old.
| 🤝 We can support you in applying for Childcare Allowance, ensuring you don’t miss any deadlines or paperwork. |
Dental care in Austria is partially covered by public insurance, but not all treatments are included. Treatments that are generally covered by your public insurance are: fillings, root canal treatments, tartar removal, tooth and root extractions and surgical procedures.
| ⚠️ To find out exactly what is covered, and not covered, by your public health insurer, check your insurance policy details. |
| German | English | Description |
| Alle Kassen | All public insurers accepted | Indicates the doctor accepts all public health insurance providers |
| Apotheke | Pharmacy | Place to collect prescribed or over-the-counter medicine |
| Ärztenotdienst | On-call doctor | Doctor that is available outside regular hours |
| e-card | e-card | Austrian social insurance card used to access public healthcare services |
| Elternkarenz | Parental leave | Extended unpaid leave after maternity protection |
| Eltern-Kind-Pass | The Parent-Child Pass | A record of medical check-ups during pregnancy and for children up to age 5, monitoring key health milestones |
| Facharzt | Medical specialist | A doctor that specialises in a specific area of medicine |
| Hausarzt | General practitioner (GP) | Primary doctor who handles general health concerns |
| Kassenarzt | Contracted public doctor | Doctor covered under the public health insurance system |
| Keine Kassen | No contract with public insurers | Indicates the doctor does not have a contract with the public health insurance system. Payments must be made upfront, although they may be partly reimbursed later |
| Kinderbetreuungsgeld | Childcare allowance | Financial support for parents staying home with young children |
| Krankenstand | Sick leave certificate | Document for employer if you're absent due to illness |
| Mitversicherung | Co-Insurance | Insured person extending their insurance to cover their dependents |
| Meldezettel | Residence registration form | Mandatory form to register your Austrian address |
| Mutterschutz | Maternity protection | Leave protection 8 weeks before and after childbirth |
| Nachtdienst | Night duty pharmacy | On-call pharmacy service outside regular hours |
| Notaufnahme | Emergency room | Hospital department for urgent and emergency treatment |
| ÖGK | Austrian Health Insurance Fund | The main public health insurance provider (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) |
| Papamonat | Daddy Month | One month's unpaid leave for fathers after the birth of their child |
| Rezept | Prescription | A doctor’s order for medication, either electronic or on paper, used to collect medicine from a pharmacy |
| Überweisungsschein | Letter of Referral | Letter provided by your GP referring you to a specialist |
| Wahlarzt | Private doctor | Doctor not contracted with public insurance – you pay and claim later |
Hopefully, you found this guide helpful. Getting access to healthcare comes with its fair share of formalities — from e-cards to A1 / S1 forms, and co-insurance to family benefits. But you don't have to figure it out alone.
Book a free 15-minute call with one of our experts and let us help you sort out the paperwork, giving you and your family access to Austria's excellent healthcare system.