So beantragen Sie Asyl in Österreich

We will help you prepare your asylum application and can accompany you to the police if needed and if we have the capacity.

After you apply for asylum, you will usually be sent to a reception center run by the BBU (Federal Agency for Care and Support Services). There you receive basic social care (“Grundversorgung – GVS”).

Thanks to our advocacy work, every BBU facility now has one or more LGBTIQ liaison officers. We are happy to connect you with them. If you’re not yet in touch with us, you can ask the LGBTIQ liaison officers to contact us on your behalf.

Someone from our Queer Base social counseling team will then arrange a meeting with you. This usually takes place at Queer Base, and we organize your travel tickets and overnight accommodation if needed. Together with one of our interpreters, we’ll discuss your needs and how we can support you.

We offer the same first counseling to LGBTIQ refugees who are already in the basic care system (“Grundversorgung – GVS”) of any Austrian federal state.

Together with our partners (Diakonie Lares, tralalobe, Volkshilfe, and ASBÖ), we have created safe accommodation options for LGBTIQ people in Vienna’s basic care system. The City of Vienna has agreed to accept queer refugees into their system since February 2015.

You can only be transferred to Vienna after you have been admitted to the asylum procedure (have received your “white card”).

For a transfer to Vienna, we need various documents and commitments, which we will organize for you if possible. The federal or state government must then approve the transfer. This can take time, and we cannot predict if it will go through and exactly how long the procedure takes.

After you’ve been admitted to the asylum procedure in Austria, the next major step is your interview at the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA).

Before this interview, there are important things you can do:

If you haven’t mentioned being LGBTIQ yet

Sometimes people don’t have the courage at first to speak openly about their sexual orientation or gender identity at the police. This often happens because of shame, fear, or discomfort with interpreters.

If this happened to you, make an appointment with us. Our legal advice team will write a statement for you to add this information to your case.

During your asylum procedure, you will be asked about your life in Austria. It’s helpful if you have contact with the LGBTIQ community. We can help you with this.

Queer Base Café: Every Thursday, queer refugees and their friends meet up. The community is diverse, and depending on your needs, there are activities, events, and much more.

Why community matters: Many of us have always had to live in hiding and couldn’t talk to anyone about our feelings, sexuality, or gender identity. The Queer Base community helps you feel less lonely and isolated. Here you can finally arrive as your whole self. Queer Base is the place where you can finally be free.

Contact us immediately when you receive the invitation! Our legal advice team will:

• Prepare the interview with you in detail
• Collect all evidence that could be helpful
• Accompany you to the interview as your legal representative if possible and if you wish

After the interview, we will write a statement if necessary, and then we hope for a positive decision.

Planning to apply for asylum at the airport? Please read our detailed information in the [Asylum FAQ](#) and contact us in advance if possible.”

Congratulations! Now you can begin building your life in Austria. Here’s what happens:

Legal status:

Housing:

Work and income:

Next steps:
We encourage you to:

Come to us as soon as possible!

We will refer you to free legal advice we cooperate with:

• Diakonie
• Caritas
• BBU legal advice

  What happens next:

• The legal advice center will write an appeal
• Your case goes to the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG)
• We usually don’t represent you in court, but we support you with evidence
• Our social counseling remains available to you

  A long asylum procedure can be very stressful. It’s important to take care of your mental health. We’re here for coming-out discussions, relief conversations, or just to listen.

In exceptional cases, a revision can be filed with one of Austria’s two highest courts. This must be done by a lawyer and involves fees.

For detailed information about the asylum system in Austria, including legal procedures, Dublin regulations, and your rights, please see our comprehensive [Asylum in Austria – FAQ](#).