Decision received
Service starts the deadline running. This checklist guides you through the first steps so that no date and no important document is lost.
A decision by the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, such as a return decision with an entry ban or a residence ban, comes with deadlines. The day of service determines when these deadlines begin. Taking the first steps in an orderly way secures your rights and buys time for a careful review.
This checklist is a guide. It does not replace an assessment of the individual case and is not a prognosis of success. It helps you to proceed in a structured way and to consider the points most frequently overlooked in practice.
It is best to work through the points right after you receive the decision. You can tick off each point; the status is saved on your device. The buttons let you print or reset the list.
0 of 15 points done
01 Secure the service and the decision
The time of service is the starting point for every deadline.
02 Clarify the deadline and suspensive effect
The deadline and the suspensive effect determine how to proceed.
03 Gather the documents
Complete documents make the later appeal easier.
04 Obtain advice in time
The earlier the case is discussed, the more room remains.
What matters legally
Service of the decision starts the appeal deadline running. An appeal against a decision of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum is directed to the Federal Administrative Court. How long the deadline is follows from the information on legal remedies in the decision. In many cases it is four weeks (section 7 para 4 VwGVG); in certain immigration constellations it can be shorter.
If the suspensive effect was excluded (section 18 BFA-VG), the decision may remain effective despite an appeal. In that case it must be examined separately whether to apply for the suspensive effect to be granted. Leaving the country prematurely can affect ongoing proceedings.
These notes do not replace an assessment of the individual case. Which deadline applies in the specific decision and which steps make sense depends on the respective proceedings.
This checklist is a general guide to the Austrian legal position (as of June 2026) and makes no claim to completeness or legal certainty. It does not replace advice in the individual case, is not a finished legal document and not a prognosis of success. The information on legal remedies in the specific decision remains decisive.
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Mag. Mirela Saric
Attorney at law · German and BCS
Mirela Saric assists clients in immigration matters with a clear structure: review the decision, secure deadlines, define the strategy and act quickly. She advises in German and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian.
Entry ban, return decision, a running appeal deadline?
In immigration law, deadlines and the right argumentation decide. Call us directly or send an email, callback within one business day.
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