Pregnancy in Austria

Mother-child booklet in Austria

Have you already heard other people talking about the famous “Mutter-Kind-Pass”? It is a document in the form of a booklet that typically all pregnant women in Austria obtain. So, how does it work?

During pregnancy in Austria, several examinations are scheduled, which are recorded in the mother-child booklet (Mutter-Kind-Pass). The “Mutter-Kind-Pass” is usually issued by the specialist at the first examination.

The following examinations during pregnancy are scheduled:

• five gynecological examinations
• two ultrasound examinations
• one internal examination
• two blood tests

Every pregnant woman in Austria is entitled to a mother-child booklet, regardless of citizenship. In general, the waiting times for examinations are not long by international standards.

In Austria, you can make an appointment directly with a gynecologist without needing a referral from your general practitioner. Within a calendar quarter (the quarters are: January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December), a contracted general practitioner and one contracted specialist per medical specialty can be visited without a referral.

Good to know:

To visit a doctor in Austria, you will need an e-card. Click here to read the important official information on the e-card in English. Basically, if you live in Austria, you must have health insurance. Would you like to know more about this topic? In our article about the health system in Austria you can find out all the details.

Social security net in Austria

For women without health insurance in Austria, who are homeless, for example, there are special facilities in Vienna and other cities where they have the opportunity for counseling and examinations. In addition, there are also many places you can call or visit in person if you feel you need support coping with the new situation of pregnancy.

Examinations during pregnancy and their costs in Austria

All examinations are free of charge for the expectant mother if they are carried out by a contracted specialist of the social insurance institutions. A contracted specialist is called “Vertragsarzt” in German. Here you will find an official list of all active contracted physicians from the social insurance institution (ÖGK).

Of course, you can also choose a private doctor instead.

We would advise you to attend all appointments in order to be able to claim the childcare allowance. You will need the confirmation of the completed examinations when submitting them to your health insurance provider.

Further examinations in Austria — do I have to pay for them?

Special examinations during pregnancy in Austria, such as neck fold measurement or amniocentesis, are covered by health insurance if the doctor orders them.

Medically assisted reproduction in Austria

Austrian law is relatively strict on the subject of medically assisted reproduction (the so-called “artificial insemination”). In Austria, there is the possibility of medically assisted reproduction. But it is only permitted in a marriage or in a cohabitation, in a registered partnership, or in a same-sex cohabitation.

Furthermore, medically assisted reproduction is only allowed if:

• all other possible treatments which are reasonable for the couple to bring about a pregnancy through sexual intercourse have been unsuccessful, or
• sexual intercourse to bring about a pregnancy is unreasonable because of the serious risk of transmitting a serious infectious disease, or
• a pregnancy is to be induced in one of two women living together in a registered partnership/cohabitation.

Good to know:

Surrogacy is not allowed in Austria.

Maternity protection in Austria

Maternity protection begins as soon as you have informed your employer of your existing pregnancy—which has to be confirmed by a doctor. By law, the employer should be notified immediately after receiving confirmation of pregnancy from the gynecologist.

Then, the employer makes a notification to the Labour Inspectorate, and you also receive a copy of this notification.

Certain activities are prohibited for the pregnant woman during the period of maternity protection. In particular, this concerns work while standing or so-called piecework. If the working conditions cannot be changed accordingly, the pregnant woman must be released from work with continued payment of her salary.

In summary, as an expectant mother, you are not allowed to work in Austria during the last eight weeks before childbirth and at least the first eight weeks after.

Good to know:

Maternity protection in Austria applies regardless of citizenship, duration of employment and working hours.

Protection against dismissal for pregnant women in Austria

Women who are pregnant and are employed for an indefinite period of time are generally protected against dismissal from the time they become pregnant. The employer, therefore, should be informed as soon as possible. This generally applies until four months after the birth. If you are in a fixed-term employment relationship, the protection against dismissal usually extends over the period until eight weeks before childbirth (the protection period).

The employment ban in Austria

During the period of the employment ban, female employees will receive the so-called "Wochengeld" (maternity allowance) for at least 16 weeks in total. You have to apply for this allowance at the health insurance fund at least 12 weeks before the calculated date of birth.

You will receive the weekly allowance from the health insurance fund (your “Krankenkasse”, for example, ÖGK, SVS, BVAEB). During this period, the employer does not have to pay salary or wages.

Good to know:

If there is multiple births, a premature birth, or one that had to be performed by cesarean section, the ban on employment is extended to 12 weeks after giving birth.

Parental leave in Austria

The period of parental leave in Austria starts after the time of the employment ban. Employees that live together with the child are entitled to parental leave until the child reaches the age of two.

Did you know?

In Austria, maternity/parental leave must last at least two months. And you can also extend the maternity leave after a period initially planned or split it.

The parents may not take parental leave for the same child at the same time. Only in the case of the first change, a one-month overlap is allowed.

Good to know:

There is a relatively new Paternity Leave Act, which allows the fathers (or the second parent in same-sex couples) one month of leave after the child is born. The father/second parent has to inform the employer at least three months before the estimated date of birth.

Childcare allowance in Austria

During the parental leave period, childcare allowance can be drawn if the requirements are met. One of the requirements is the “Mutter-Kind-Pass” (mother-child booklet). Parents can choose between five models for childcare allowance. These different systems are quite complex and can be calculated from income or be formed from a lump sum. We advise you to inform yourself in detail about it in order to choose the one that fits you best. The amount of the child benefit subsequently also depends on the age of the child/ren.

In general, the family benefit currently amounts to between 120 and 175 euros per child and month if the child lives permanently in Austria. The total monthly amount of family allowance increases for each child due to the graduation of siblings, and recently there is also a so-called school start allowance of about 100 euros per year.

Pregnancy and childcare in Austria

So, how long, on average, do people living in Austria stay at home with their child before going back to work? And how many men use the possibility to stay home? What can you expect from the individual situation of the parents or other relatives in your child's kindergarten or playgroup? We have a few interesting facts for you.

The average age of mothers at birth in Austria is between 31 and 32 years. In contrast to other European regions, women in German-speaking countries stay at home the longest. The statistics show: In Austria, only 60 percent of women are back to work when the child is two years old. Many women then work part-time. This is mainly not due to the possibilities for childcare but to the image of how the mother should act, i.e., more to cultural factors, as the comparison with other EU countries shows.

• In 2022, the employment rate of women with children under 15 years of age was 78.6%.
• Despite modern legal regulation: In eight out of ten families in Austria, the father does not go on parental leave and never receives childcare benefits.
• The active part-time rate of women with children under 15 years of age is about 73 %
• The active part-time rate of men with children under 15 years of age is about 7 %

(source Statista Austria)

Read also Moving to Austria with children

Giving birth in Austria

The birth of a child in Austria can take place in a hospital, as an outpatient, or at home. You can decide what suits you best—preferably together with your gynecologist.

If you would like to give birth in a hospital, you should register in the maternity ward of the hospital of your choice so that a bed can be reserved for you. At best, this should be done relatively early so that you can choose the hospital yourself. Here is a list of all the possibilities. When you give birth in the hospital, you will have the option of taking a person with you into the delivery room. This could be your partner, a family member, or a friend.

Outpatient birth means that you give birth in the maternity ward of a hospital. However, if there are no complications, you can leave the hospital with your child after only a few hours.

Good to know:

Parents can take advantage of daily home visits by a midwife after the birth, from the day after discharge from the hospital until the 5th day after the birth. Your health insurance in Austria covers the costs of this.

If you would like to have a home birth in Austria, you should choose a midwife to care for you during your pregnancy, at birth and after birth. On the page Hebammen.at you can search for a midwife.

In Austria, you must register your baby's birth within one week. The hospital will automatically register the birth for you at the local register office (“Standesamt”), if you give birth there. 

Recognition of paternity in Austria

Every country applies different laws. How is the situation in Austria regarding paternity?

If a child is born to parents who are not married to each other or if the husband is not the child's father, the natural father can acknowledge paternity by making a personal declaration. In the birth certificate, the father can be indicated only if he voluntarily acknowledges paternity or if paternity has been judicially established. Usually, the acknowledgment of paternity is made on the occasion of the birth announcement.

The easiest way to do this is to go to the registry office (“Standesamt”). There you can also have the birth certificate issued and arrange custody. If you are abroad, you can contact the Austrian representative authority.

There are a few documents to submit. According to the guidelines of the registry office, foreign language documents must be submitted in the original together with a translation certified in Austria.

Read also Getting married in Austria

Citizenship of the child in Austria

Austrian citizenship is not automatically granted at the birth of a child in Austria. If one of the two parents is an Austrian citizen, it is usually granted automatically in the case of the mother and after recognition in the case of the father (if wanted).

The regulations also depend on whether one is married. If you would like to know more about it, you can read our article on visas in Austria.

Advice and help for pregnant women in Austria

Nationwide, you can find counseling centers that offer free and anonymous counseling on a variety of different issues regarding family life. There are over 300 family and partner counselling centers that are funded from the Federal Chancellery budget, Division for Family and Youth. Don't hesitate to get all the information you need.

On this page, you can look for one of the centers. You will be able to find a counseling center (“Familienberatung”) in your region. You can contact it at any time, regardless of the family/partnership situation.