So Austria has changed its systems for online logins to remove all the legacy options, without telling anyone, which means I have to get round to getting the ID Austria app, something for which the online system won't give me an appointment until June despite the fact the place I'd need to get the appointment has open public office hours on a regular basis and it's a sub-ten-minute job.
(quiet screaming intensifies)
@JubalBarca If you had a Handy-Signature you should be able to convert that into the basic version of ID Austria online, I think - pretty sure I did that. The full version is particularly annoying to get for non-citizens as we have to go to one of a limited number of police stations to do it.
@JubalBarca Here you go - maybe this link? https://www.a-trust.at/en/products/qualified_e-signature_services/handy-signatur/
@JubalBarca Oh - and if you're here under Article 50 you should have already acquired permanent residence as a result of being here for over 5 years or more so all you need to do is get a new A50 card. They can't deport you.
@m Thanks - I never had a handy-signatur sadly so I do need to get it done at the local police station.
And yes, I'm sure the A50 bit ought to be straightforward but I know other Brits have had issues with getting offered the wrong alternative card and similar, and I need to wrap my head around what I need for proof of insurance in case they demand paper versions of that, etc
@JubalBarca To be honest? I wouldn't worry about any experiences other Brits have had. My rule when dealing with Behörde is to assume they'll want everything including the things they "may" want. Take copies of all those documents with you and just be ready to hand them over one by one when asked for. Proof of insurance can be had from the Krankenkasse - a Versicherungsnachweis is the universal term.
I first adopted the policy above when exchanging my driving licence after moving here from Switzerland and it's worked pretty well for me.
@JubalBarca this must be very frustrating. I did mine quite a while ago, but I suspect if you turn up when they first open, you’ll be able to get it done immediately.
@dch It's very unclear from everything online whether you can just turn up without an appointment... If it was something other than an Austrian government organisation I'd be more inclined to drop by on the offchance, but it isn't and I really wouldn't be able to deal well with anyone getting arsey with me which is about a 50/50 chance at most Austrian government offices (and my experiences with my local police office have made me less rather than more confident in them on such matters).
@JubalBarca I’m not a native German speaker but I have been here for 14 (!) years now, and if you need a hand dealing with this I’m happy to help out either via phone or in person.
@dch Thank you, that's very kind! I'm going to enquire tomorrow whether I can get any help with some of this via my employers, and if not I'll let you know :)
@JubalBarca if you had the app, you could make a faster appointment via the app.
@stefan_hessbrueggen I wish I was laughing rather than crying at the absurdity but it's all actually extremely stressful. :/
And I have to get my residency permit renewed/upgraded in the next bit too, and I'm only quarter-jokingly weighing up resigning my job and moving back to the UK in preference to that stress load.
@JubalBarca I understand, I worked myself abroad with a visa regime. Experiences I don't miss.
