Become a Host Family in Austria

Once you’ve found the right Au Pair, sign the contract. Make sure all the important points such as the working schedule and the duties are clear.

Hosting EU and Non-EU applicants

The Au Pair program in Austria has specific requirements that candidates have to meet depending on their nationality.

Although hosting a non-EU Au Pair includes few extra steps to keep in mind, it significantly increases the pool of applicants for your family and gives you the chance to welcome a person from a completely different cultural background into your family.  

Take into consideration that Au Pairs also need to meet some general expectations like not being married, not being parents, being in good health and being able to afford their travel expenses. Of course, they should also have some experience in childcare and basic German language skills to communicate.

Hosting an Au Pair from the European Union and EFTA

Au Pairs from countries of the European Union and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) should be between 18 and 28 years old, and have a valid passport or identity card to register at the foreign office.

If you’ve found a candidate that meets your expectations and fulfills the requirements stated above, you only have to complete a few more steps!

1. Organize video calls to get to know each other better, discuss the details that will go into the contract and sign it. 
2. Insure your Au Pair: according to the General Social Insurance Act (Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz), every candidate needs to be registered with the Austrian social insurance. Register your candidate with the social security system.
3. Register the applicant: if your candidate is going to stay with your family for more than 3 months, you will need to request a resident’s registration document at one of the Immigration, Citizenship and Register Offices.

Hosting  an Au Pair from a non-EU country

Participants from non-European Union countries will need to get a visa or a residence permit in Austria. Austria has an official Au Pair program and therefore a special Au Pair visa (Sonderfälle unselbstständiger Erwerbstätigkeit - Special Employment Cases) is available for young people willing to join the program. All candidates who may enter Austria under the visa waiver-program (e.g. U.S. citizens, Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians) may file the application once in Austria. However, it is recommended to apply for a residence from the Au Pair’s homeland.

These are the requirements for Au Pairs from countries that don’t belong to the European Union / EFTA:

• between 18 - 27 years old
• basic German language skills (at least A1 certificate)
• not married, no children of their own
• clear criminal record
• valid passport
• has not been working / au pairing for more than a year in Austria in the past 5 years

Does your future Au Pair fulfill all these points? Then there are no more obstacles for them. Have a look at the following steps that will help you to plan your Au Pair’s stay in Austria.

Take care of the paperwork
You will need to register your candidate. In order to do that, you will need the signed copy of the contract and prove that the Au Pair is staying with you.

Register the participant at the Austrian Employment Office
Host Families need to register their Au Pairs at the “Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich” (Austrian Employment Office). The office will check if your candidate fulfills all the requirements of the program and if your family can participate. Shortly after that you will receive the confirmation.

Help your Au Pair with the visa application
Your candidate needs to present certain documents at the visa application appointment. You need to provide the Au Pair with:
Confirmation of registration of the candidate at the Austrian Employment Office
Confirmation of insurance coverage
Read more about the visa requirements for Au Pairs in Austria.

If the Au Pair is employed below the marginal earnings threshold of EUR 460.66 per month, registration for statutory accident insurance is sufficient. Health insurance can be taken out with a private insurance company for the Au Pair. It should be noted that a health insurance policy taken out abroad is only sufficient if it is also payable in Austria. The insurance has to cover the complete Au Pair stay and special medical procedures such as operations. 
Insure the Au Pair with the national social security system
A soon as the Au Pair arrives, you need to register them at the national social security system. Read more about the Au Pair insurance in Austria.

Residence permit and registration
Once in Austria, the candidate must change the visa into a residence permit. The Host Family should help during this process at the corresponding foreign office.

In case of any further questions, take a look at our Au Pair WIKI and the most common questions. If you have any other specific question, send us a message!