Paperwork for a new baby in Austria
A new baby comes with forms. These are the ones asked of new parents in Austria, in the order they come, each from the official page that sets it. Read it together or on your own: every step says who usually does it.
In short
- 4 steps before the birth and 3 after it, each one taken from an official page.
- Registering the birth: within one week.
- Each step says who usually does it: the parent giving birth, the other parent, or either of you.
- No amounts here: they change every year and depend on income. The official page under each step has today’s figure.
What is due in Austria, and when?
| Step | When | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Look at childcare near you | Around weeks 20 to 28 | Either of you, or together |
| Arrange maternity leave with work | 8 weeks before the due date | The parent giving birth |
| Arrange the partner’s leave with work | Within 91 days of the birth | The other parent |
| Apply for a childcare place | Around weeks 28 to 34 | Either of you, or together |
| Register the birth | Within one week | Either of you, or together |
| Add the baby to your health insurance | First weeks | Either of you, or together |
| Childcare and the kindergarten year | Through the toddler years | Either of you, or together |
What to do before the birth in Austria
Look at childcare near you
When: Around weeks 20 to 28
Who: Either of you, or together
In Austria each Bundesland sets the rules for Krippen and Kindergärten, so ask your Gemeinde early how places are given and when to apply.
Official page: oesterreich.gv.at
Checked against oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), checked on 12 October 2026
“Der halbtägige Kindergartenbesuch (20 Stunden pro Woche ohne Mittagstisch) im letzten Jahr vor Schuleintritt ist für die Eltern kostenlos (beitragsfreier Pflichtkindergarten).”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 12 October 2026“Die Regelung der Rahmenbedingungen für Kindergärten fällt in die Kompetenz der einzelnen Bundesländer”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026
Arrange maternity leave with work
When: 8 weeks before the due date
Who: The parent giving birth
In Austria you may not work from 8 weeks before the due date until 8 weeks after the birth (12 after a multiple, premature or caesarean birth). Wochengeld can be claimed from the start of the 8th week before the due date.
Official page: oesterreich.gv.at
Checked against oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), checked on 11 October 2026
“Werdende Mütter dürfen ab der achten Woche vor dem voraussichtlichen Geburtstermin nicht mehr beschäftigt werden.”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026“acht Wochen nach der Entbindung (bei Mehrlings-, Früh- oder Kaiserschnittgeburten: zwölf Wochen nach der Geburt)”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026“Ab Beginn der achten Woche vor dem voraussichtlichen Geburtstermin kann das Wochengeld beantragt werden.”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026
Arrange the partner’s leave with work
When: Within 91 days of the birth
Who: The other parent
The Familienzeitbonus: the father or other parent can take 28 to 31 days within the first 91 days after the birth, and applies within 121 days at the health insurer.
Official page: Bundeskanzleramt (Kinderbetreuungsgeld)
Checked against Bundeskanzleramt, Sektion Familie und Jugend, checked on 11 October 2026
“28, 29, 30 oder 31 Tagen (Wahl unter vier Varianten) und innerhalb eines fixen Zeitrahmens von 91 Tagen nach der Geburt zu konsumieren”
Bundeskanzleramt, Sektion Familie und Jugend, read on 11 October 2026“spätestens binnen 121 Tagen ab dem Tag der Geburt des Kindes beim zuständigen Krankenversicherungsträger gestellt werden”
Bundeskanzleramt, Sektion Familie und Jugend, read on 11 October 2026
Apply for a childcare place
When: Around weeks 28 to 34
Who: Either of you, or together
Places and deadlines are set by your Bundesland and Gemeinde, so apply in the way and by the date they give.
Official page: oesterreich.gv.at
Checked against oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), checked on 12 October 2026
“Der halbtägige Kindergartenbesuch (20 Stunden pro Woche ohne Mittagstisch) im letzten Jahr vor Schuleintritt ist für die Eltern kostenlos (beitragsfreier Pflichtkindergarten).”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 12 October 2026“Die Regelung der Rahmenbedingungen für Kindergärten fällt in die Kompetenz der einzelnen Bundesländer”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026
What to do after the birth in Austria
Register the birth
When: Within one week
Who: Either of you, or together
In Austria the birth is reported to the Standesamt within one week; after a hospital birth the hospital sends the report automatically. The Standesamt then issues the Geburtsurkunde and the Meldezettel when you ask for them.
Official page: oesterreich.gv.at
Checked against oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), checked on 11 October 2026
“Die Anzeige der Geburt hat innerhalb einer Woche zu erfolgen.”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026“Die Anzeige der Geburt wird durch die Krankenanstalt, in der das Kind geboren wird, automatisch an das Standesamt übermittelt.”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026“Nach der Anzeige der Geburt wird auf Antrag der Mutter bzw. der Eltern vom Standesamt die Geburtsurkunde, ein Meldezettel und, wenn das Kind die österreichische Staatsbürgerschaft besitzt, ein Staatsbürgerschaftsnachweis ausgestellt.”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026
Add the baby to your health insurance
When: First weeks
Who: Either of you, or together
In Austria the baby is usually co-insured with a parent by law, and gets its own e-card by post once registered.
Official page: oesterreich.gv.at
Checked against oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), checked on 11 October 2026
“Kinder sind in der Regel bereits laut Gesetz bei Mutter und/oder Vater mitversichert”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026“Das Kind bekommt nach erfolgter Meldung per Post eine eigene e-card zugeschickt”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026
Childcare and the kindergarten year
When: Through the toddler years
Who: Either of you, or together
In Austria the half-day kindergarten year before school, from age 5, is compulsory and free for parents. Everything else about Krippen and Kindergärten is set by your Bundesland.
Official page: oesterreich.gv.at
Checked against oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), checked on 12 October 2026
“Der halbtägige Kindergartenbesuch (20 Stunden pro Woche ohne Mittagstisch) im letzten Jahr vor Schuleintritt ist für die Eltern kostenlos (beitragsfreier Pflichtkindergarten).”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 12 October 2026“Die Regelung der Rahmenbedingungen für Kindergärten fällt in die Kompetenz der einzelnen Bundesländer”
oesterreich.gv.at (the federal citizens' portal; each page names the ministry responsible), read on 11 October 2026
Questions parents ask
How much will we get?
This page does not say, on purpose. Amounts change every year and depend on income and work, and a wrong figure is worse than none. Each step links the official page that has today’s amount and the rules for your case.
Is this legal advice?
No. It names each step, who usually does it, where and by when, as the official pages put it. Your own case can differ: your employer, your registry office or the office named on each page has the last word.
Does this apply if I am doing it on my own?
Yes. The steps are the same together or on your own. A step marked for the other parent, such as their leave, only applies if there is one.
How current is this?
Each step links the official page it was read on. Where a step rests on a sentence we re-read every week, the date it was last read is under it, and if the official page changes the step says it is being re-checked instead.
Your paperwork, dated and shared
Syncry turns this list into your family’s own checklist: each deadline counted from your due date or your baby’s birthday, split between the two of you or all yours, a reminder before each one, and ticked off together.