Au pairs (by definition, between the ages of 18 to 28) from non-EEA countries, including the U.S., are exempt from the provisions of the Law Governing the Employment of Foreigners (“Ausländerbeschäftigungsgesetz”).
Under Austrian Law, the host family is required to submit a formal notification of employment (“Anzeige”) in advance to the regional office of the Austrian labor authorities (“Arbeitsmarktservice/AMS”). Arrangements can be made through an agency authorized to sponsor Au Pairs (Au-Pair-Argenturen), or, in the case of private arrangements, information and forms may be accessed directly through the “AMS” homepage or the Government of Austria website:
- Au-pair Info [pdf/92kb]).
The labor authorities will issue a confirmation authorizing the employment (“Anzeigebestätigung” [pdf/490kb]) upon submission of the formal notification request (“Anzeige”) and a contract of employment (“Au-Pair-Mustervertrag” [pdf/538kb]).
The Austrian residence permit (“Aufenthaltsbewilligung für den Aufenthaltszweck Sonderfälle unselbständiger Erwerbstätigkeit”) can generally only be applied for and obtained outside of Austria at an Austrian Embassy or Consulate by submitting the labor office confirmation (some nationalities, including U.S. citizens, may also apply within Austria upon arrival, at the “Bezirkshauptmannschaft”/”Magistrat”). The maximum validity is 12 months, but renewal after 6 months is mandatory.
Please Note: Austrian government offices may require an “Apostille” authentication on documents presented to Austrian authorities, please see: Apostille. Also, as is the case with any residence permit, the application does not automatically prolong the right of stay beyond the allowed 90 days visa-free stay in Austria, if the processing of the residence permit takes longer. (Note: Applications for residence permits may take up to six months to process.)