Before you start

Meldezettel
Passport or EU national ID
Residence title, for third-country nationals
Student enrolment confirmation, if claiming a student account

Step-by-step

1
Register first — the bank verifies your address against the register
Austrian branches ask for the Meldebestätigung specifically. A tenancy contract or a utility bill will usually not do. This is the practical reason the three-day registration deadline matters far beyond immigration.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Compare the monthly fee before you pick a bank
Kontoführungsgebühr varies by a wide margin between packages at the same institution, and free student accounts have age and enrolment conditions that expire. The Arbeiterkammer publishes the only neutral fee comparison and it is free to use.
OnlineWho: You
3
Open in branch, especially if you are non-EU
Video identification works for many EU citizens. Third-country nationals with a new residence title are more often asked to attend in person with the physical card. Take the Meldezettel, passport and permit together and it is one visit.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
4
Expect the credit card to be a separate application
The Bankomatkarte issued with the account is a debit card. A true credit card is a separate product with an annual fee and an income assessment, and a new arrival on probation is often declined at first — keep a card from your previous country alive meanwhile.
In personWho: You
5
Set up the recurring payments the Austrian way
Rent, Betriebskosten, insurance and the ORF-Beitrag household media levy run on Dauerauftrag or SEPA direct debit. Austrian online retail leans on EPS bank transfer rather than cards, so get online banking working early.
OnlineWho: You
6
Carry cash
Buschenschanken, market stalls, small Gasthäuser and many practices are cash-only or cash-preferring, and rural Styria more so than the city. Bank-branded ATMs are free to use; the independent machines around the old town are not.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Meldezettel
Passport or national ID
Residence title, for third-country nationals
Home-country tax identification, for CRS declarations
Enrolment confirmation, for a student account

Things most newcomers don’t know

Paying for a current account is normal here, and Graz's student packages come with expiry conditions.

Austrian banks have not followed the German and Spanish move to free current accounts, and the same bank sells accounts at very different monthly prices for near-identical functionality. In a city where a sixth of the population is a student, the cheap accounts are aimed at students and quietly convert to paying packages when enrolment ends or an age limit passes. Diarise the date rather than discovering it on a statement.

Source: Arbeiterkammer bank-fee comparison

The register, not the lease, is what proves your address to a bank.

Austrian anti-money-laundering practice keys identity verification to the central population register, so branches want the Meldebestätigung. That makes registration the true first step in the sequence — bank, phone contract, health card and residence procedures all wait behind a document you cannot obtain without your landlord's signature.

Source: community-reported; FMA guidance

Debit and credit cards are separate products with separate approval.

The Bankomatkarte arriving with your account is a debit card and covers essentially all domestic use. A credit card requires its own application, an income assessment and an annual fee, and probationary employment often means a refusal at first. Since some international bookings and car hire genuinely require a credit card, keeping a foreign one active through your first months is the simple answer.

Source: community-reported

Styria is more cash-oriented than Vienna, and the Buschenschank is the clearest example.

The wine taverns south of the city, weekly markets, small Gasthäuser and a good number of medical practices take only cash, and rural Styria is markedly more cash-based than the capital. Carrying €50 in notes is unremarkable. There is an ongoing national debate about entrenching a right to pay in cash, but as of August 2026 it remains a proposal rather than law — plan around the practice, not the politics.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Attempting to open an account before the Meldezettel exists.
Taking the first package offered without comparing the monthly fee.
Letting a student account silently convert to a paying one when enrolment ends.
Assuming the debit card is a credit card and failing a booking that needs the latter.
Using independent old-town ATMs and paying a fee on every withdrawal.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.