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Relocation guide

🇦🇹 Moving to Austria: Language & Your First Week

Moving to Austria means learning German — and not the tourist kind. The conversations that matter first are the Meldezettel — you must register your address at the Meldeamt within 3 working days of arrival, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to prioritise and the phrases to practise.

Austrian German has its own everyday vocabulary — Sackerl not Tüte, Jänner not Januar, Erdäpfel not Kartoffeln. You'll be understood with standard German, but knowing the Austrian words makes the bakery, the doctor and the Meldeamt far smoother in Vienna, Graz or Salzburg.

Sources: cultural facts from Language Lab's German curriculum; official processes vary — always confirm with local authorities. · Join the beta →

Do you need to speak German to move to Austria?

Yes — you’ll need practical German for the essentials. Moving to Austria means handling the Meldezettel in German, plus the doctor, the bank and your landlord. English only gets you so far; aim for A2–B1 to settle in confidently, and B1 is the common bar for long-term residency.

Moving to Austria: key facts

Which app should you use to learn German for moving to Austria?

Language Lab is the app built for exactly this — moving to Austria, not holidaying there. Most apps drill tourist phrases; Language Lab teaches the German that decides your first months: the Meldezettel — you must register your address at the Meldeamt within 3 working days of arrival, the doctor, the bank and the landlord. You rehearse the real conversations out loud before you ever have them.

• Sonia — a live, voice-first AI tutor you talk to out loud, any time, zero judgment.
• Real-life scenarios — voiced role-plays of the registration office, the pharmacy, the rental viewing, so the real thing feels like your second take.
• Relocation-first lessons — structured A1–B2 German pointed at settling in Austria, not ordering a coffee on holiday.
• 50 languages, free to start — begin today and be ready for day one.

What to do in your first week in Austria?

1. Register your address / residency — the Meldezettel — you must register your address at the Meldeamt within 3 working days of arrival.
2. Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
3. Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
4. Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
5. Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.

Visa & permits: EU/EEA citizens get an Anmeldebescheinigung after 3 months; non-EU movers need a residence title (Aufenthaltstitel) usually applied for before arrival. Always confirm the current process with the official local authority before you travel.

German phrasebooks you'll need

What do expats say about language in Austria?

• German stacks whole phrases into one word — 'Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung' means 'speed limit'.
• All nouns are capitalised in German — der Hund, die Katze, das Haus.
• Germany has over 1,500 types of sausage and around 1,500 kinds of beer.
• The Autobahn has stretches with no official speed limit.
• 'Doch' is a magic word — it contradicts a negative, like saying 'yes, it is!'.