Moving to Austria costs: price factors & planning

Austria is an EU member: no customs duty applies to your ordinary household goods on a move to Austria, and you do not need a list of removal goods for customs. More important for the schedule are the registration deadlines. You submit the Meldezettel within three days of moving in, signed by the accommodation provider (Unterkunftgeber). If you stay longer than three months, as an EU citizen you apply for a registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung) no later than four months after arrival – in Vienna at the MA 35. In Germany you deregister within two weeks of moving out (§ 17 (2) BMG).

Once you have established your main residence in Austria, you may only continue to drive a motor vehicle with German number plates for one month from bringing it into the country (§ 82 (8) KFG). For registration you need Austrian third-party liability insurance, the vehicle's data in the approval database and proof of payment of the NoVA (standard fuel consumption tax). Plan these steps before moving day.

The costs of a move to Austria vary depending on the distance, the moving volume and additional services booked, such as a packing service or furniture assembly. With us you always receive a transparent fixed price that covers all agreed services and contains no hidden costs. For a 3-room flat you should expect costs of between 1,500 and 3,500 euros, depending on the exact distance.

The process starts with a free survey or remote assessment of your belongings, followed by a detailed quote. Once the order is confirmed, we take care of the complete organisation, including packing, transport and unloading in Austria. We start in Berlin-Moabit; the locations overview shows which destinations have their own page.

As a starting point for your budget, we give the base prices by flat size: 1 room from €359, 2 rooms from €609, 3 rooms from €909 and 4 rooms from €1,329. For houses and villas there is an individual quote. For a move to Austria, the route is added: we charge long-distance moves from €3.80/km. We state the exact price after a free survey.

For a move to Austria, moving volume and distance (from €3.80/km) count the most, followed by floor, lift and tolls. The parking space at the destination, such as a parking restriction zone in front of an older building in Vienna or Graz, also has an effect. Additional services such as furniture assembly or a part load also change the total cost.

We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and operate nationwide and abroad, including to Austria. You will find destinations with their own page in the locations overview, and routes and the process under Long-distance moves.

What a move from Berlin to Austria costs depends on the volume, the route from our depot in Berlin-Moabit and the situation at the destination. The destination cities differ mainly in access, floor and parking space. The calculation includes volume, carrying distances, floor, a furniture lift if needed, the toll costs for the route and the time required for loading and unloading.

• Vienna: The districts and access routes are described in the Vienna guide.
• Graz: We have a dedicated Graz guide on the route and costs.
• Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck: There are dedicated guides for these cities too; the price factors are the same, but access differs.

The parking space for the removal van is regulated by each city. For Graz, the city names the road department (Straßenamt), Temporary Use team, which handles "temporary orders for removals" as the responsible office. Contact is currently only possible by phone (+43 316 872-3646) or email ([email protected]). The page does not state a lead time or the fee amount; ask about both early.

Lorry tolls and the driving bans for heavy lorries at weekends and on public holidays affect tour planning. We only state specific amounts in the binding quote, not in flat-rate prices. Customs and registration are described in the guide to customs and formalities.

Plan your schedule up to moving day so that registration works straight after you move in. According to oesterreich.gv.at, you must submit the Meldezettel within three days of moving in. The site says "three days", not working days; to be on the safe side, count in calendar days. The responsible office is the municipal office (Gemeindeamt), in statutory cities the Magistrat, and in Vienna the Municipal District Office (Magistratisches Bezirksamt). Registration is free of charge. The accommodation provider (for example the landlord or main tenant) must sign the Meldezettel, and each person needs their own form. Breaches can be fined up to 726 euros.

Important for planning:

• Documents: documents showing your name, date and place of birth and nationality, such as a passport or birth certificate.
• Online: the Meldezettel can also be submitted via the registration portal on oesterreich.gv.at with ID Austria or EU Login.
• ORF fee: according to ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH, it is charged per address as soon as at least one adult person is registered there with their main residence. No separate registration is needed for private addresses; the data comes from the Central Register of Residents.

For cars, according to the Federal Ministry of Finance, the NoVA is due when a vehicle is registered in Austria for the first time, including on import or relocation. An overview of all the steps is provided by the checklist for moving to Austria.