Austria is so fabulous and I wish it could be easier to work out how to become part of this economy but it is a mixed up jumbled up bag of colourful treats and sour lollies that you don’t know what you are going. to get.

So as part of my family re unification Visa I need to have as we know, completed my A1 German and I thought that was all I needed but no I also need to have health insurance which I thought was as simple as walking down to the OGK Health Insurance Fund which is right near the train station and signing a few forms and voila health insurance but not the case at all.

The OGK https://www.gesundheitskasse.at/cdscontent/?contentid=10007.882986&portal=oegkportal Is the Austrian public system health insurance and it is mandatory for all Austrian citizens, however you can only get this through employment and they whack a huge 39% chunk out of your pay onto this health insurance. This covers you for all health care over here, as well as the pension, and other services. I can’t simply sign a form and get this as I need to be employed in Austria and then my employer takes care of this.

Let’s say I wanted to get employment in Austria - ah well I can’t because I don’t have my family re-unification Visa so it is not an easy solution.

So I asked to speak to a higher authority who spoke English and we had a very interesting conversation that I would need my Australian Employer to sign up with the Austrian OGK to then manage payment of the Health Insurance and tax, which my employer is not going to do or there is perhaps the option that I can pay this myself.

I thought great, ok I will pay it myself so what do I need to do. Well the Health Insurance is based on your income and how much you earn but you can ask for an exemption for a reduction and then that opened up a whole new can of worms.

I thought that working from home in Austria for a company in Australia wouldn’t be complicated but there is a Double Tax law between Austria and Australia that I now need to get information on and understand the implications.

I have sent a letter off to the tax department here - https://finanzonline.bmf.gv.at/fon/ to ask for more information on what I need to do.

So hoop 1 - I need to learn German A1 and I am booked in to start my course on Monday 8th.

Hoop 2 - I need a police check - will be doing this shortly

Hoop 3 - I need Health Insurance - I am looking into getting Private Health Insurance to secure my Visa and then will go on the OGK social system after this.

Hoop 4 - Double tax law - I am arranging a Certificate of Residency through the Australian ATO to prove my main tax status is in Australia and then requesting for an exemption of tax in Austria, but the tax department still thinks that I will need to pay some tax in Austria. Joyful for me I will have to do 2 tax returns.

Hoop 5 - Finding out the requirements of how I can register to be part of the social insurance.

I almost think that this just isn’t worth it but then I have enrolled the kids in school and promised them a year over here and I really am enjoying the lifestyle so I am going to do everything I possibly can to work out this system and how I can integrate myself into it.

I have an appointment with an Austrian Accountant next week who can hopefully explain all of this better and alleviate my concerns.

It’s certainly an interesting mind set when I feel like the rooms keep changing. Just when I figure out where I am, the walls move or a new door appears, and I have to start again. Sometimes it feels like I’m going in circles, like those weird staircases that go up but never really get anywhere. But I think that’s just how life works, it doesn’t always go in straight lines. I’m learning that it’s okay not to know everything, and that even when things don’t make sense, I can still keep going.

Double Tax hoops and Health Insurance making my head spin

Exquisite Hallstatt

Gaisberg Mountain and Watching the Paragliders Launch