Austrian integration exam (ÖIF) and citizenship test explained

Austria has two main tests for immigrants. The ÖIF integration exam (Integrationsprüfung) tests German and knowledge of Austrian values in one sitting: level A2 fulfils Module 1 of the integration agreement, level B1 fulfils Module 2, which you need for long-term residence (“Daueraufenthalt – EU”) and, as a rule, for citizenship. It costs €176 at ÖIF venues, and in 2025 only about half of all attempts passed (A2: 48%, B1: 49%). The citizenship test (Staatsbürgerschaftsprüfung) has 18 multiple-choice questions on democracy, Austrian history and the history of your federal state; your state government runs it. Both tests are in German.

This is an independent study site. We are not the ÖIF or a government body; you register and apply through the official offices only.

Which exam do you need?

Your situation	Requirement	Exam
First residence permit, e.g. family member or Red-White-Red Card plus	Module 1 within 2 years	ÖIF Integrationsprüfung A2
Long-term resident – EU (Daueraufenthalt – EU)	Module 2 when you apply	ÖIF Integrationsprüfung B1
Austrian citizenship	German under Module 2 (B1) and the citizenship test	B1 + Staatsbürgerschaftsprüfung
Red-White-Red Card	Module 1 counts as fulfilled	none for Module 1

Instead of the exam, some school and training qualifications also count; details are on our German pages for A2 and B1.

The ÖIF integration exam

Part	A2	B1
Reading	4 parts, 20 items	5 parts, 25 items
Listening	4 parts, 15 items	4 parts, 20 items
Writing	1 text, choice of 2 topics, 3 guiding points	1 longer text, task A or B, 4 guiding points
Values and orientation	18 questions, 40 minutes	18 questions, 40 minutes
Speaking	individual exam, 3 parts	exam in pairs, about 16 minutes, 3 parts

At B1 the written part, including the values test, takes 140 minutes without breaks.

How you pass:

• A2: you must pass all subtests and the values part.
• B1: you need B1 in speaking and B1 in one of the other two areas (listening/reading or writing), plus the values part.
• Values part: at least 25 of 45 points.

There are no partial passes today: if you fail, you repeat the whole exam, as often as you like.

Booking: either through an ÖIF-certified course provider or, for exam dates at ÖIF venues, online with the ÖIF at least 3 weeks ahead (payment at least 10 days before the exam). Course providers set their own prices; one provider in Upper Austria charged €236 for B1 in 2026. Bring a valid photo ID. Results normally arrive within 15 working days as a digitally signed certificate by e-mail. Details in German: dates and registration and values part.

The Austrian citizenship test

• 18 questions: 6 on democracy, 6 on Austrian history, 6 on your federal state;
• 4 answers per question, 1 to 3 of them correct; partial points are possible, but one wrong tick gives zero for that question;
• 2 hours, no aids;
• pass with at least half of the points in each area, or two thirds of all points;
• unlimited retakes; you get the date at least eight weeks in advance.

Try our free practice test in English with 15 questions and explanations, or the German version with 18 questions.

Citizenship: main requirements and fees

• Residence: as a rule 10 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence, 5 of them with a settlement permit; 6 years in some cases, for example with German at B2 level, as the spouse of an Austrian citizen or as an EEA citizen.
• German at B1 (Module 2) and the citizenship test.
• Income: regular own income at the level of the reference rates in § 293 ASVG, averaged over 36 months within the last six years.
• Clean record and, as a rule, giving up your previous citizenship within two years of the assurance of citizenship.
• Fees: €163 for the application plus €1,448 (standard case) or €1,126 (e.g. the 6-year routes) for the grant, plus a state fee. In Lower Austria the state fee is €169 to €1,317 depending on income. Details in German: costs of citizenship and all requirements.

What changes in 2027 (draft law)

Status on 13 November 2026: the government’s draft Integrationspflichten-Gesetz (152/ME) finished public consultation on 12 November 2026. It is planned to enter into force on 1 January 2027 but has not yet been passed by parliament.

• A mandatory three-year integration programme (German, values, work) for refugees, people with subsidiary protection, displaced persons from Ukraine and other groups, with fines for refusal.
• A new values and orientation exam at the end of the values course.
• B1 and B2 certificates may be at most five years old when you apply.
• For the 6-year citizenship route with B2, only the ÖIF B2 Integrationsprüfung will count.
• Digital exams with the option to repeat only the written or the oral part once within eight weeks: by 31 December 2027 for B1 and B2, by 31 December 2028 for A2.

Read more in German: Integrationsprogramm 2027 and Werte- und Orientierungsprüfung.