Month: May 2025

While we still had to pay 13.80 euros for the e-card last year, the fee will rise to 25 euros this year. The reason for this is the government’s cost-cutting measures. Some Austrians probably don’t even know they are paying a fee. We are talking about the annual fee for the e-Card. This is due every year in mid-November and is deducted from the following year’s salary. In most cases, the Christmas bonus is also paid out with it, so the slight deviation—last year, the fee amounted to 13.80 euros—is…

ÖGK warns of phishing mail: Fraudsters promise a 450-euro refund. Many policyholders are unsettled—tips to protect against data theft on the website. A “Heute” reader had recently submitted documents to the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). She was waiting to hear back and expected a refund. When an email arrived shortly afterwards with the subject “Refund: 450.40 euros,” everything seemed logical to her: logo, transaction number, official tone of voice, and a button for payment—everything looked genuine. But the message was fake. The fake email seemed particularly credible because she…

Austria has to make savings, and several things will become significantly more expensive. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) presented the double budget for 2025 and 2026 on Tuesday. Around a third of the savings will be made on the revenue side, which means that several things will become more expensive, such as the fees for the e-card or those for documents such as passports, driving licenses, etc. But because the subsidies for the climate ticket are also being cut back, people will also have to dig deeper into their pockets…

In all likelihood, the measures to protect against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) will end on May 20. Accordingly, border controls and army assistance missions are to be ended if no further cases occur, as the office of the responsible State Secretary Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ) confirmed an ORF report on Tuesday. “Farmers are sitting on pins and needles”However, a spokesperson for the State Secretary told APA that the final decision will not be made until next week. An ORF report confirmed on Tuesday that the minor crossings that were closed to Slovakia…