Having just arrived from London to escape the rainy cold winters of the UK to spend the winter skiing in the Austrian Alps, I was lucky enough to move straight into an apartment found by a friend. Therefore, being blissfully unaware of the puzzling property renting process in Austria.

Since 2011 Austria has introduced the Red White Red Card which allows workers who meet certain criteria from non-EU countries, to live and work in Austria with the intention of permanently settling here.

There are no restrictions on the amount of currency you may bring in; medication must be for personal use only. Alcohol and tobacco are not restricted, although large amounts may be questioned. Coats, fur and leather shoes made of protected animals will need special authorisation. Before first registering your car in Austria, you must pay a tax (the NOVA) based on the standard fuel consumption of vehicles at the local tax office.

Austria, otherwise known as Österreich in the German language simply means the ‘Eastern Kingdom/Empire‘. German is the official language in Austria and also the predominant language, other languages spoken in Austria include: Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Turkish, Polish and Hungarian. The seat of government is located in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna which makes Vienna de facto capital city; Vienna is also the largest city in Austria.

There are 9 states in Austria, namely: Styria, Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Tyrol, Carinthia, Vorarlberg, Salzburg, and Burgenland. The beautiful city of Vienna is Austria’s capital and one of the major cities in the country. An important fact about Austria is that it is one of the twenty-seven member states in the European Union. Austria joined the European Union in 1995. Effectively this means that travelling and moving to Austria from another European country will be unrestricted. This is a great advantage because it means that Europeans can cross the Austrian border with less turmoil and difficulty. Furthermore, you can update yourself with interesting facts about Austria and learn about this beautiful nation as we proceed further.