How to apply for an Austria Schengen visa from the UAE

Where you apply

Apply to Austria if it is your main destination. The embassy accepts applications only from holders of a valid UAE residence permit, and VFS Global receives them at its centres in Dubai (Wafi Mall) and Abu Dhabi (World Trade Center Mall, level B2).

Everyone applies in person, children of any age included, and each member of a family or group books their own appointment. An appointment cannot be moved from one centre to the other, and VFS says buying a premium service does not get you a separate appointment.

VFS runs a waitlist for Austria. An appointment booked through it cannot be rescheduled: to change the date, you join the waitlist again.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the paper form

   Austria uses a PDF form, which you download from the embassy (a German–Arabic version) or from VFS Global. Fill it in, print and sign it. A child in a parent's passport needs a separate form, and for an applicant under 18 both parents sign an authorisation letter, with copies of their passports.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global

   On Austria's VFS page for the UAE, in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, at least 15 calendar days before you travel. The service fee is paid by card online, which confirms the appointment at once.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against VFS Global's Visa C checklist, in German or English; the UAE-specific points are below.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Bring the printed form, the appointment letter and the documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee in dirhams.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   Usually 15 working days from when the embassy receives the file, according to VFS Global. The embassy may contact you while it decides, so give a working e-mail and mobile number and check them daily.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, VFS Global's Visa C checklist for Austria in the UAE asks for:

• A UAE residence permit valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area. The embassy's own page counts the three months from the end of the visa, which is later; plan on that.
• Copies of every UAE residence permit you have held in the last ten years, and of your Emirates ID.
• An original no-objection letter from your employer or sponsor, signed, stamped and no older than one month, giving your qualification, salary, start date, leave dates, the date you return to work and confirmation that the job continues.
• Original personal bank statements for the last three months, showing your salary, signed and stamped by the bank.
• Copies of all previous Schengen visas with their entry and exit stamps, and a return flight reservation with a full itinerary.
• For sponsored family members, birth and marriage certificates in English or German; for business owners, the trade licence and their shareholding.
• If a host in Austria covers your costs, their electronic declaration of sponsorship, the only form of it accepted.

A domestic worker travelling with the sponsor's family adds the labour contract, showing at least a year with the same sponsor, and a declaration signed by the sponsor; VFS says they may travel only if the sponsor's children travel too.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90, paid in dirhams at the centre (AED 376 on VFS Global's page, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (AED 188)

VFS service fee

AED 121.39 on the centre pages, AED 94.29 on the visa-type page (VFS Global, November 2026); check at booking

Processing

Usually 15 working days; up to 45 calendar days in individual cases

The embassy says the visa fee is not returned if the visa is refused. If you need your passport while the application is processed, VFS Global can hand it back once the application has gone to the embassy.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Austria in the UAE received 7,406 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 2.5% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 13th most of any Schengen country. They refused 16.4% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

7,406

Rank in the UAE

13th of 27 Schengen countries

Refused

16.4%

All Schengen countries in the UAE

24.2% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

Not enough applicants in the UAE have reported an Austria visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 21 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 8 days.

Reports

21

Appointment to passport back (median)

8 days; typically 6–9 days

Approved

100% of 21 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

6 months

Multiple entry

43%

See every Austria report · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

Dubai. Our monitors saw new Austria appointments appear in Dubai 112 times in the last 90 days, on 51 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 8 hours. The latest release we saw was on 10 November at 14:22 UAE time. Over the past year (276 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.

Abu Dhabi. Our monitors saw new Austria appointments appear in Abu Dhabi 45 times in the last 90 days, on 28 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 14 hours. The latest release we saw was on 3 November at 12:48 UAE time. Over the past year (54 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date at the Austria visa application centre: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

The live status of each Austria route is on its own page, and every UAE route is on the UAE appointment board. For how the booking portal itself works, see how to book a VFS Global appointment in the UAE.

• Austria visa appointment, Dubai
• Austria visa appointment, Abu Dhabi

Questions

Can I apply for an Austrian visa in the UAE without a UAE residence visa?

No. The Austrian Embassy in Abu Dhabi accepts visa applications only from holders of a valid UAE residence permit, which must stay valid at least three months after the requested visa expires.

How old can the NOC be for an Austrian visa from the UAE?

No older than one month. VFS Global’s checklist asks for an original letter from your employer or sponsor, signed and stamped, giving your salary, start date, leave dates and the date you return to work.

Can I move my Austria appointment from Abu Dhabi to Dubai?

No. VFS Global says an appointment booked at one centre cannot be transferred to the other, and the fee cannot be transferred or refunded. An appointment booked through the waitlist cannot be rescheduled either: you join the waitlist again.

Can I get my passport back while my Austrian visa is processed?

Yes, if you need it. The Austrian embassy says VFS Global can hand the passport back once the application has been sent to the embassy.

What is the refusal rate for Austria Schengen visas in the UAE?

In 2025, the consulates of Austria in the UAE refused 16.4% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 7,406 applications, the 13th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Austrian Embassy Abu Dhabi: how to apply (appointments, fees, forms)
• Austrian Embassy Abu Dhabi: visa categories and requirements
• VFS Global Austria, UAE: visa types, fees, processing and forms
• VFS Global Austria, UAE: how to apply and book
• VFS Global Austria, UAE: Dubai centre and fees
• VFS Global: Austria Visa C checklist for the UAE (PDF)
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.