ID Austria setup: register, link the app and fix common snags

Who can get ID Austria, and what do you need?

ID Austria is Austria's electronic proof of identity and has replaced the former Handy-Signatur (mobile signature). It is free of charge. You must be at least 14 and either hold Austrian citizenship or have a sufficient link to Austria, typically through a job or business there. An authority checks your identity in person; nobody can do this on your behalf.

• Official photo ID: a passport or national identity card.
• A smartphone running at least Android 12 or iOS 16, locked with fingerprint, face recognition or a device passcode.
• A second internet-connected device, such as a laptop or tablet.
• If you are not Austrian: a current passport photo (unless you have already supplied one for an Austrian e-card) and proof of your link to Austria, such as a registration certificate (Meldebestätigung), a student card or a letter from your employer.

On Android, the screen lock must not be a swipe pattern and needs at least four characters that are not a simple sequence such as 1234. Rooted devices cannot use the app. Without a suitable phone, you can use a FIDO security key on a computer, a signature card with a card reader, or the ‘A-Trust Signatur’ app.

Where do you register, and how long is ID Austria valid?

Non-Austrians register at a Landespolizeidirektion (regional police headquarters) or a tax office (Finanzamt) in Austria.

Validity runs from the day registration is completed, and Austrian citizens can extend online for a further five years. After a switch from Handy-Signatur, the remaining term of that certificate applies.

Tip: Had a Handy-Signatur that an authority registered? You can switch online to full-function ID Austria without a new appointment. Otherwise, only the basic function is available online: it still uses SMS codes, offers fewer features and cannot be renewed.

What happens at the office, and what do you do at home?

1. The authority checks your identity and gives you a printout with an activation code (Freischaltcode) and a revocation password (Widerrufs-Passwort). Keep it safe.
2. You give your mobile number only so that an SMS code (TAN) can be sent, and you read the code out to the official. The authority does not store the number.
3. At home, on your second device, open A-Trust's registration page and sign in with the activation code and revocation password.
4. Enter your contact details, choose a username, a signature password (Signatur-Passwort) and your own revocation password, and accept the required consents.
5. Enter the new SMS code and choose your authentication factor, usually the app.

You have three months to complete this part. If you miss the deadline or lose the printout, you have to register at an authority again.

How do you link the ‘ID Austria’ app?

The app is your second factor for confirming log-ins and signatures. Keep both devices side by side, as the registration page shows a QR code. The official guide is in German, so the steps below do not quote its button labels.

According to the operator, biometric data are stored in encrypted form in a secure area of your phone and never leave the device.

An example: Niamh registers as a newcomer in Vienna

Fictional example: Niamh from Cork has moved to Vienna for a new job and registered her main residence there. At the Landespolizeidirektion she shows her Irish passport, a recent passport photo, her registration certificate and a letter from her employer. She files the printout next to her laptop.

That evening she completes registration and links the app. A week later, a log-in request fails to appear. She fetches pending signatures manually in the app and realises she had switched off notifications. With her main residence in Austria, her ID Austria is valid for five years.

New phone or lost phone: how do you keep access?

For a new smartphone, you link the app again. If your ID Austria came from a converted Handy-Signatur, your username is your mobile number.

Phone lost or stolen

Use ‘Log out of all devices’ on the same page. This signs you out of every device, browser and web application linked to your ID Austria. You can link again whenever your mobile number is stored and you can receive texts on it, or if you have another authentication factor. To prepare in advance, see how to prepare an emergency plan for a lost phone.

Tip: Changing phone and number at the same time? Link the app first, while your old phone and old number still work.

Approval not arriving or password forgotten: what helps?

When you log in or sign, the app sends a notification and you confirm with fingerprint, face or passcode. If nothing arrives, use the app's option to fetch pending signatures and check that notifications are allowed; the app also checks your phone's date and time. Full-function ID Austria no longer accepts SMS codes for log-ins and signatures, because it has to meet higher EU-wide security standards.

Forgotten your signature password? You can reset it in the app's account settings: you request a one-time password, which arrives in your government mailbox (Mein Postkorb), enter it in the app and choose a new password. This works only if the app is linked, your main residence is in Austria and you are registered for electronic delivery, which you can do during the process with an email address. Otherwise, the one-time password can be sent by registered letter (RS-Brief) to your main residence in Austria, or a registration authority can help you regain access. For anything else, contact the ID Austria Service Center.

Renewal reminders and fake texts: how do you tell them apart?

Fraudsters exploit expiry dates. In April 2026, Watchlist Internet reported fake texts about an expiring ID Austria certificate, linking to a fake renewal site that asked for log-in, bank or card details. As many certificates genuinely expire (Watchlist Internet expected about 300,000 between May and August 2026), such texts seem plausible. Authorities do not send texts with renewal links: open id-austria.gv.at or a-trust.at yourself.

If you entered data on a fake page, Watchlist Internet advises contacting your card provider, calling your bank at once if you entered online banking details, contacting ID Austria or A-Trust support, and reporting the incident to the police. For your other accounts, see what to do after entering a password on a fake site.

Using ID Austria outside Austria

You can use Austrian web services from abroad, and other EU countries must recognise ID Austria for their public services at the highest assurance level. It is not a travel document. Regulation (EU) 2024/1183, in force since 20 May 2024, also requires every EU country to provide at least one European Digital Identity Wallet within 24 months of the relevant implementing acts; its use is voluntary and free for individuals. See EU Digital Identity Wallet: what it does and when it arrives. Switzerland is not in the EU, so these rules do not apply there automatically.