Austria or Belgium
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Austria | Belgium | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 89 674 | $ 51 210 |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | no | — |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 616 | $ 1 764 |
| Basket | $ 53,5 | $ 45,5 |
| Life expectancy | 82 | 82.3 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.99 | 1.08 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Austria — 60, Belgium — 54. Types present in both: work, study, family, startup, retirement, job seeking and working holiday. Austria adds: investment, talent and repatriation.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Austria: fees range from 44 to 275 EUR. Routes with no fee: 1. Routes stating an income threshold: 30; the lowest is 1,308.39 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 13; the shortest is 30 days. Belgium: fees range from 152 to 377 EUR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 22; the lowest is 1,038 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 39; the shortest is 15 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: Austria after 10 years, Belgium after 5 years. Belgium allows a second citizenship, Austria does not.
Austria in brief
Austria is a stable, peaceful EU country with low corruption and universal health insurance. The work visa (Red-White-Red Card / EU Blue Card) is tied to the employer for the first 21–24 months; processing an application takes about 8 weeks. Permanent residence (Daueraufenthalt-EU) comes after 5 years of continuous residence. The standard route to citizenship is 10 years (6 years with German at B2), and dual citizenship is restricted. Reunification with one's own parents or a spouse's parents is not covered by the standard procedure. The rent and grocery-basket figures are not confirmed by sources and need further research.
Belgium in brief
Belgium is an EU country with a single labour migration procedure (single permit / EU Blue Card), but the criteria are split regionally between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Citizenship and permanent residence come after 5 years; dual citizenship is allowed. The main natural hazard is river flooding (Wallonia, July 2021).
Other comparisons
More on each: Austria · Belgium. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.