Insurance in Austria for newcomers, expats and retirees – independent advice in English.
POINTNER finanz: We check what you already have, compare cover and premiums across Austrian insurers and tell you honestly what you need – and what you do not. Advice by phone, video call or WhatsApp, in English; most of it can be arranged before you arrive. If something happens, we handle the claim with you.
POINTNER finanz since 2006 · broker since 1998 · in insurance since 1994 · ★ 5.0 on Google, 25 reviews · read them all
How we work ↓You always speak to the broker himself – Rudolf Adlmanninger. No call centre, no lead portal.
Among others, these are the insurers we compare for you:
In short: POINTNER finanz is an independent insurance broker based in Ried im Innkreis in Upper Austria, advising clients across the country by video call and telephone — in German and in English. We work with people moving to Austria or newly arrived, and the questions are almost always the same: health cover, the insurance evidence a residence application needs, the car, the flat and liability — and what to arrange before you arrive. Independent means we are not tied to any insurer: we compare suitable policies from the insurers we work with and explain our recommendation. There is no separate fee for our advice; if you take out a policy through us, we receive commission from the insurer, normally included in the premium — and our advice sometimes ends with “you do not need this”. Most of it can be arranged before you land, and health insurance is where to start.
Who are we, and how do we work?
POINTNER finanz is a small brokerage in Ried im Innkreis, Upper Austria, roughly an hour from Salzburg and Linz, run by its two partners, Rudolf Adlmanninger and Renate Pointner. Rudolf Adlmanninger has worked in insurance since 1994 and has been a licensed insurance broker since passing the Austrian broker examination in 1998; POINTNER finanz itself has existed since 2006. The firm holds a trade licence as an insurance broker and is entered in GISA, the public Austrian register of intermediaries — the statutory details are in our broker information.
In practice, almost all of our advice happens online. A first call takes 15 minutes by telephone or video; a full consultation takes 30 minutes on a shared screen, where you watch the terms and the premiums change as we adjust them. Nothing is delegated to a call centre and we do not pass your enquiry to other advisers: you speak to the person who will handle your file. Clients rate us 5.0 out of 5 on Google across 25 reviews — you can read them all. And if you would rather sit at a table with someone, the office in Ried is open for that.
Which insurance topics do we cover for people new to Austria?
Six topics come up again and again – here is what each one involves, each with its own guide in English. If you would rather not read, the fastest route is a short call, and we will tell you exactly what applies to you.
Health insurance in Austria
Compulsory cover, the e-card and ÖGK self-insurance at €565.25 a month – and which private policy a residence permit needs. The page to read first, whichever passport you hold.
Red-White-Red Card and residence permits
Which insurance evidence your permit application needs — bridging cover until your job starts, or comprehensive private cover — and in which order to arrange permit and policy. We advise on the insurance, not on immigration law.
Retiring in Austria
S1 forms for pensioners whose home state remains responsible for their healthcare (EU, EEA, Switzerland, UK) – and what applies without one. Your right to live in Austria is checked separately, including any permit UK nationals need after Brexit.
Student health insurance
The reduced ÖGK student rate (€78.84 a month in 2026) against private cover for newcomers from €51 a month – plus what a student residence permit asks you to prove.
Car insurance in Austria
Third-party liability before registration, importing your own car, the NoVA tax and your licence – plus the §57a roadworthiness test Austrians call the Pickerl.
Home contents and liability insurance
Austrian home contents insurance usually includes personal liability – the cover that matters most in day-to-day life here. If you own a dog, check that it is specifically insured: several federal states require dog liability cover.
Moving to Austria: what has to happen in the first 90 days?
The deadlines below are the ones with legal consequences. They are short, and two of them start before you arrive.
- Before you travel — residence permit (third-country nationals): as a rule, first applications are filed at the Austrian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, and evidence of health insurance covering all risks and paying out in Austria goes in with the application. What that evidence is depends on the permit: with an employment contract, bridging cover until your job starts can suffice; without one, comprehensive private cover. This item decides your timeline, so start with it.
- Before you travel — health insurance: confirm how you are covered from your arrival date until Austrian statutory cover begins. If you start a job subject to compulsory insurance, your employer registers you and the e-card follows — you may first need to provide a photograph. Without a job, check family co-insurance, the reduced student rate (€78.84 a month in 2026) or an S1 first, and otherwise decide early between ÖGK self-insurance and a private policy, because of the six-month waiting period.
- Within three days of moving in — register your address: the registration form Austrians call the Meldezettel must be filed with the registration authority within three days of moving into accommodation. Failing to register is an administrative offence with a fine of up to €726.
- Within four months — registration certificate (EU, EEA and Swiss citizens): a stay of more than three months must be registered with the settlement authority within four months of arrival, and a certificate is issued on request. If you are not working here, you have to prove sufficient means and comprehensive health insurance cover. The fee is €44.
- Within one month — your car: once your main residence is in Austria, a vehicle on foreign plates may be used here for one month from the day it is first brought in; one further month is possible with convincing reasons, and no more — a short trip abroad does not restart the clock. Austrian registration requires proof of third-party liability insurance valid in Austria.
- Once you have the keys — home contents and liability cover: Austrian home contents insurance normally includes personal liability, the cover that pays when you cause damage to someone else. It is inexpensive, and it is the one most newcomers overlook.
Sources: oesterreich.gv.at: Registration of a new main residence or ‘secondary residence’, oesterreich.gv.at: EU citizens and Swiss nationals — Application for a registration certificate, oesterreich.gv.at: Driving with foreign number plates and migration.gv.at: Permanent immigration (accessed September 2026)
How does working with us actually go?
- A 15-minute callYou describe your situation — passport, permit, job, arrival date, family. We tell you which rules apply and what is urgent. No charge, and no sales pitch if you do not need anything.
- We sort out your caseWe compare what different insurers offer for your case and check what your existing policies do after the move. On request we go through the terms on a shared screen.
- Quote and applicationYou receive a written quote. Where the product allows it the application runs online — several policies can be taken out before you enter Austria. If needed, we arrange a 30-minute consultation on a shared screen.
Frequently asked questions
Do you advise in English?
Yes. Consultations, quotes, applications and follow-up questions all work in English. Policy documents are often issued in German, depending on the insurer and product — we go through the relevant clauses with you in English and make clear which version is contractually binding.
Can you help me before I move to Austria?
Yes, and that is often the better time. Consultations run by video call across time zones, and some policies — private health cover for a residence permit in particular — can be arranged before you enter the country, so the certificate exists when the authority asks for it.
What does your advice cost?
We do not charge a separate fee for advice. If you take out a policy through us, we receive commission from the insurer, normally included in the premium; the details are in our broker information. It also means we will tell you when the honest answer is that you need nothing.
Do I have to live near your office?
No. We advise clients across Austria by video call and telephone, and most never come to Ried im Innkreis. If you are in the area, or would rather meet in person, the office is there for that.
Which insurance should I sort out first?
Health insurance, in almost every case — it is the one the immigration authority asks about, and the one with a waiting period that can leave a real gap. The car comes next if you are bringing one, because the one-month deadline is short. Home contents and liability cover can wait until you have the keys.
New to Austria? Let us sort out the insurance part
You are dealing with a new authority, a new language and a stack of deadlines at once. Insurance is one part of that stack we can take off you: we compare cover, prepare the applications and tell you the next steps — and 15 minutes is usually enough to establish what you actually need and what you can safely ignore.
“Whenever I need something, he is there quickly and without fuss – and he supports me not only with excellent expertise, but also on a personal level.”
“An insurance broker whose handshake you can rely on! The first port of call for finding your way through the insurance jungle.”
5.0 out of 5 stars on Google, 25 reviews · read them all
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You speak directly to Rudolf Adlmanninger — not a call centre and not a lead portal. Prefer to call? +43 676 322 48 30 (also on WhatsApp – call or message).