Starting a life in another country is never simple. And for many foreigners in Austria, there’s no shortage of frustrations: from bureaucracy to systems that don’t always function as smoothly as promised.
Yet there's a reason that so many people choose to make Austria their home. So what are some of the good points, and how do they make daily life in Austria that bit easier for foreigners?
Leaving the car at home
For Jarad Carleton, who's based in Bad Sauerbrunn, Burgenland, the "excellent network of trains" are a huge positive to life in Austria.
"The good train network allows me to leave the car at home many times," says Jarad. "That was impossible to seriously consider in the SF Bay Area (in the US)."
He also says that the "ability to withdraw money from every ATM without a fee even if it’s not your bank" is another draw as is not having to file income taxes if you're an employee, which you have to do in the States.
Other foreign residents mention the culture of not going to work when you're sick as a benefit to living in Austria, and that many places are dog friendly.
READ ALSO: What makes Vienna such a happy city to live in, or is it?
Going digital (to avoid authorities)
Our readers said digital cards make life in Austria much more convenient.
Jarad says: "The (health insurance) e-card allows me to pick up a prescription at any Apotheke vs the USA where you are restricted to the pharmacy the prescription was called into, or you had to keep track of a paper slip and bring it to a pharmacy and wait in long lines to get the prescription filled."
Igor Dragićević, 47, from Montenegro and living in Graz, added: "Any digital service which will remove a need to go to authorities (local, government, etc.) is a must have."
He said that when visiting immigration and other government offices in person, there is an element of "improvisation" depending on the officer, adding that he believes his nationality has led him to rejected "without explanation" at times.
"Moving to another officer or just using digital service can speed up things," Igor said.
Paul Frank Covello, who's from Chicago and became an Austrian citizen three years ago, said having the ID Austria, which allows users to access many government services online, is a lifesaver.
"If you can get ID Austria, GET IT!" he said. "It saves your from having to travel to some government offices. ID Austria helped me to avoid having to show up an a municipal office early in the morning as I was able to transact online."
READ ALSO: What you need to know about Austria's new digital ID
What do foreigners wish Austria did better?
One reader told us that they wished Austria was more open, especially with foreign residents.
"A friendlier and more supportive attitude toward foreigners would be appreciated in the MA government office (Vienna's immigration office)," said the reader who wished to remain anonymous.
"Additionally, German should not be mandatory for communication, as more flexible language options would greatly help non-German speakers."
READ ALSO: The smartphone apps that make living in Austria easier
Paul, who previously lived in Vienna's 5th District but plans to return, also called for more language diversity in official communication.
"Although I understand German is the official language of Austria, I do wish ID Austria supported other official EU languages such as English," he said.
READ ALSO: Why do foreigners find Austria such a difficult country to settle in?
Jarad in Burgenland said language integration courses could be hugely improved on.
He said: "They dump everyone in the same courses, the speaking part of integration courses is woefully inadequate, thereby creating a wilful separation of Ausländer (foreigners) and Austrian people that for many of us – including those with multiple university degrees but who work everyday in an English only business environment – means real integration is out of reach."
"Austria claims it wants to attract and retain educated immigrants, but they do nothing substantial to make it happen," he added.
Meanwhile, Igor in Graz said he would like to see much better customer service during phone calls. He said Austria's customer service is "much worse than in surrounding countries".
Many foreign residents also say they struggle to make friends in Austria, find locals to be rude and dislike the smoking culture.
READ ALSO: 'Smoking and the weather:' The downsides of life in Vienna
According to the 2025 InterNations survey, only around two in five respondents agreed that Austrians are friendly in general (43 percent vs. 62 percent globally) and towards foreigners in particular (37 percent vs. 60 percent).
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