Category: Austrian News

Scammers promise victims a supposed reimbursement of costs. Anyone who receives such a call should hang up immediately. If the phone rings and someone answers with the words, “Hello, this is ÖGK Cost Reimbursement. We need your IBAN and BIC so that we can carry out the transfer.” Then this is not a reason to rejoice but rather an attempt at fraud. Therefore, hang up. There has been a recent increase in fake calls and phishing emails in the name of Austrian Lotteries, the City of Vienna, and the Austrian…

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The travel booking platform Omio has used global weather data to list the Christmas markets in Europe where snow is most likely to fall. So if you’re looking for a white Christmas, you don’t have to travel all the way to the North Pole – some of Europe’s most charming cities offer you the chance to celebrate in the snow. In Austria in particular, you can look forward to snow-covered Christmas markets and festively decorated old towns. Snow guaranteed in Finland If you’re looking for a winter wonderland, Finland should…

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Price shock in November! Many things will become more expensive now that the heating season is starting, and many will feel the impact of the increased CO₂ tax and higher electricity costs (+33%). Fees have risen sharply—the e-card fee, which is due on November 15, 2025, has almost doubled to 25 euros! Other costs are also painful: since July 2025, fees for official documents such as passports and driver’s licenses in Austria have increased by almost 50% in some cases. Streaming is becoming more expensive—Spotify is raising its prices by…

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Cases of fraud are on the rise again in Austria. The police in Tyrol are warning of a current wave of telephone scams in which the perpetrators pretend to be police officers or detectives. By now, there is hardly an Austrian who has never received a fraudulent text message, phone call, or email. But the number of these scams currently in circulation is staggering, as the saying goes. Police warn of wave of calls Whether it’s “children who have lost their cell phones,” an urgent request to log in to…

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Every year on October 26, Austria marks its National Day—a public holiday that honors the country’s postwar rebirth as an independent, neutral nation. It’s a day filled with pride, remembrance, and reflection on how Austria redefined itself after World War II. The Roots: End of Occupation and Return to Independence After the war, Austria was divided into four zones of occupation, controlled by the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. For ten years, the country remained under Allied supervision, with Vienna itself split into sectors, much…

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On the occasion of Austria’s National Day, the Integration Fund has analyzed the city’s demographic structure and compared it with data from 2015, the year before the refugee crisis. Vienna has long been a melting pot of cultures, but in recent years, change has accelerated dramatically. No other federal state has transformed as much in the past decade. According to the latest brochure from the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF), “Bundesländer 2025” (“Federal States 2025”), as of January 1, 2025, around 829,800 residents of Vienna were born abroad—accounting for 40.9 percent…

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The coming week will start off cool, windy, and unsettled, with rain and snowfall possible everywhere. From Wednesday onwards, however, increasingly pleasant weather is expected, with temperatures reaching up to 19 degrees on Thursday thanks to the foehn wind, according to the forecast issued by Geosphere Austria on Saturday. The eastern Alpine region will remain in a westerly flow on Sunday with a slight disturbance. Depending on the time of day, longer sunny spells will alternate with thick clouds and short showers throughout Austria. Precipitation will be concentrated in the…

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There has been an increase in manipulated emails circulating that are supposedly sent on behalf of Austrian Lotteries and ask recipients to provide personal information for an alleged prize payout. Cybercrime helpline: Over 2,000 cases handled In these fraudulent messages, which purport to come from Austrian Lotteries, recipients are tricked into disclosing personal information, including bank details, in order to receive an alleged prize payout. Austrian Lotteries provide tips on how to avoid email scams The Austrian Lotteries emphasize that these emails do not come from them and are clearly…

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From January 1, 2026, nursing staff will be able to retire at the age of 60 without any reduction in their pension, as the requirements for the heavy labor pension will be relaxed. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the regulation affects around 1,000 people per year, and the financing is still being worked out. The federal government has now finalized the expansion of heavy labor to include nursing professions, which was announced in the spring. The corresponding regulation was approved by the Council of Ministers via circular resolution,…

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