How to apply for an Austria Schengen visa from the UK

Where you apply

Apply to Austria if it is your main destination, judged by the purpose of the trip and the length of stay. The embassy decides; VFS Global receives the applications at three centres:

• London: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00.
• Manchester and Edinburgh: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30. Fees cannot be paid in cash at these two.

You need a valid UK residence permit to apply here: VFS says a UK visitor visa is not acceptable, and its holders apply in their country of residence. Everyone, children included, applies in person on a date booked online, and each family member needs their own appointment. VFS lists the short-stay categories as “Tourist” (leisure, with accommodation you arrange yourself), “Visitor Family/Friends”, “Business”, “EEA/EU and Swiss national family member”, “Minors” and “Airport Transit”.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the form on a computer

   VFS says Austria accepts only the Schengen form filled in electronically: open the PDF form on Austria's VFS page for the UK, complete it, print it and sign it twice, at field 37 and under the disclaimer at the end. Hand-filled forms are not accepted.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global

   On VFS Global's Austria site for the UK, at the centre you choose. The embassy advises applying at least 15 calendar days before the trip, and no more than six months before.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Originals plus one photocopy of each. VFS says documents must be less than a month old, and some letters less than ten days.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Hand in the form and documents, give fingerprints and a photo, and pay the visa fee and VFS's service fee: in cash or by card in London, by card in Manchester and Edinburgh.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   The embassy says about 15 days, extendable to 30 or, in specific cases, 60. VFS says usually 10 working days from when the embassy receives the file, not counting transport.

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.
• Proof of your UK immigration status, such as your eVisa and a share code, 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 letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the embassy's list for the UK and VFS Global's checklist ask for:

• A UK residence permit, or eVisa share code, valid beyond the trip: the embassy asks for at least one month after you leave the Schengen Area, and VFS's checklist for one month plus a 15-day grace period.
• An employer letter on headed paper, addressed to the Mission and less than ten days old, and your last three payslips, which VFS says are mandatory. Students bring a letter from their UK school, college or university, also less than ten days old, giving hours a week and attendance.
• Your last three months of UK current account statements, with the closing balance dated within a week of your appointment; online printouts are accepted, cash is not accepted as proof of funds.
• Travel insurance that also covers COVID-19 and, for travel between 1 November and 30 April, winter sports.
• A photo to ICAO standards. The embassy asks for one less than three months old, not stapled or glued to the form; VFS's photo guidance says up to six months old and glued to the form.
• For a private stay, an invitation letter with the host's passport copy and Austrian registration (“Meldezettel”); the embassy may instead ask for an Electronic Guarantee Letter (EVE), which the host arranges free of charge with the police in Austria.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90; VFS lists £75.40 (VFS Global, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (£37.70 on VFS’s list)

Children under 6

Free

VFS service fee

£28.80 including VAT, per application (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

About 15 days, according to the embassy; usually 10 working days, according to VFS Global

The sterling amount follows the exchange rate, and all fees are non-refundable, including after a refusal. VFS said on 5 November 2026 that the Austrian Embassy will be closed from 18 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, both days included, so allow for that if you plan to travel in late December or January.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Austria in the UK received 3,930 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 0.8% of all those lodged in the UK, and the 15th most of any Schengen country. They refused 8.1% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UK the rate was 10.5%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

3,930

Rank in the UK

15th of 28 Schengen countries

Refused

8.1%

All Schengen countries in the UK

10.5% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of the UK of many 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

19 applicants in the United Kingdom have reported their Austria visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 7 days.

Reports

19

Appointment to passport back (median)

7 days; typically 5–9 days

Approved

100% of 19 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

135 days

Multiple entry

37%

See every Austria report from the United Kingdom · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

London. Our monitors saw new Austria appointments appear in London 63 times in the last 90 days, on 32 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 10 hours. The latest release we saw was on 10 November at 11:17 UK time. Over the past year (118 releases), 51% came on Mondays and Thursdays, and 29% between 14:00 and 17:00 UK time.

Manchester. Our monitors saw new Austria appointments appear in Manchester 18 times in the last 90 days, on 13 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 25 hours. The latest release we saw was on 29 September at 08:10 UK time.

Edinburgh. Our monitors saw new Austria appointments appear in Edinburgh 17 times in the last 90 days, on 12 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 19 hours. The latest release we saw was on 10 November at 12:26 UK time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with VFS Global: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear. In the last 90 days our monitors saw new dates appear in London 63 times, typically about 10 hours apart.

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

Each Austria route we track has its own page, and every route is on the UK appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in the UK.

• Austria visa appointment, London
• Austria visa appointment, Manchester
• Austria visa appointment, Edinburgh
• Austria visa appointment, Cardiff

Questions

Can I fill in the Austrian visa form by hand?

No. VFS Global says Austria accepts only the Schengen form filled in electronically, then printed and signed twice: at field 37 and under the disclaimer at the end. Hand-filled forms are not accepted at the centres.

Do I need winter sports cover for an Austrian visa?

Yes, if you travel between 1 November and 30 April: the Austrian Embassy in London and VFS Global both ask for it in that period. The insurance must also cover COVID-19, on top of the usual €30,000 of medical cover valid in every Schengen country.

How recent must my employer letter and bank statements be for Austria?

VFS Global asks for an employer letter less than ten days old, with your last three payslips, and three months of UK bank statements whose closing balance is dated within a week of your appointment. Other documents must be less than a month old.

What happens if the Austrian embassy has doubts about my application?

Before refusing, the embassy sends a written statement (Stellungnahme) setting out its concerns. You have seven days to reply, in writing and in German; if you do not reply adequately, the visa is refused.

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

In 2025, the consulates of Austria in the UK refused 8.1% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 3,930 applications, the 15th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Austrian Embassy London: information about the Schengen visa
• Austrian Embassy London: Schengen visa application requirements for the UK
• VFS Global: Austria visa application centres in the UK
• VFS Global Austria, UK: how to apply
• VFS Global Austria, UK: visa types, fees, documents, form and processing time
• VFS Global Austria, UK: centres and opening hours
• VFS Global Austria, UK: embassy closed for Christmas and New Year (5 November 2026)
• 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 their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.