Moving from Austria to Vietnam (2026): Complete Guide

Moving from Austria to Vietnam means closing out your life inside the EU customs and tax system while opening a file with a Vietnamese state that treats your household goods, pets and money very differently depending on the visa or residence status you arrive with. This guide is for Austrian residents — Austrian nationals, EU citizens registered in Austria, or foreign nationals holding an Austrian residence permit — relocating to Vietnam for work, study, marriage or retirement. It covers both halves of the move: what Austria requires of you as you deregister and export your household, and what Vietnam requires of you as you import your life into the country, plus a short note on moving the other way.

Key takeaways

• Austria’s customs administration operates under the Bundesministerium für Finanzen (BMF); export declarations are filed through Austria’s electronic customs system e-Zoll (bmf.gv.at).
• You must deregister your Austrian residence (Abmeldung des Wohnsitzes) with your local registration office (Meldebehörde), within three days of giving up the home — it’s free and can be done online, by post or in person (oesterreich.gv.at).
• Ending unlimited Austrian tax liability can trigger Wegzugsbesteuerung (exit tax) on unrealised gains in securities and company shares under §27(6) EStG 1988 — for a move to non-EU Vietnam the tax generally falls due within one month of departure unless you arrange security for deferral, unlike an automatic EU/EEA deferral (RIS – EStG §27).
• Carrying cash or bearer instruments worth €10,000 or more out of the EU must be declared to Austrian customs (BMF cash controls); Vietnam separately requires declaration of cash above USD 5,000 or VND 15,000,000 on entry or exit — confirm the current figures with Vietnam Customs before you travel (Vietnam Customs).
• Duty-free import of your household goods into Vietnam is only available if you hold qualifying long-term status (work permit, temporary residence card, investor/marriage visa) — a tourist visa does not qualify you as someone "relocating residence" under Article 45 of Vietnam’s customs decree (Decree 08/2015/ND-CP).
• Personal gifts and non-commercial items above a modest per-consignment value become dutiable on arrival in Vietnam under the country’s general duty-exemption rules for personal effects and gifts — the exact threshold is revised from time to time, so confirm it before shipping high-value items as "gifts" (Vietnam National Trade Repository — duty exemption for imports/exports).
• Pets need Vietnamese Department of Animal Health clearance (microchip, rabies vaccination, veterinary health certificate) on the Vietnam side (SPS Vietnam); Austria itself imposes no separate export permit for pets leaving the country, so the real work is getting the certificate Vietnam requires and, later, meeting Austria’s own third-country re-entry rules (BAVG).
• Importing a used personal car into Vietnam is tightly restricted and administratively heavy, and rarely worth pursuing for a household move — check current conditions with a licensed broker before committing to it (Vietnam National Trade Repository).

1. Your Vietnamese visa status decides your customs treatment

Vietnam does not give duty-free household-goods treatment to anyone who simply shows up. Under Decree No. 08/2015/ND-CP, which governs customs procedures for "movable assets," duty-free import of used household belongings is reserved for people who can prove they are ending a period of residence abroad and genuinely relocating — Article 45 ties this to valid proof of your legal status in Vietnam, such as written accreditation of your work or residence (Decree 08/2015/ND-CP). In practice this means your shipment is cleared against your work permit, temporary residence card (TRC), investor visa or marriage-based residence status issued by Vietnam’s immigration authorities — not against a short-stay tourist e-visa. The Vietnam Immigration Department, operating under the Ministry of Public Security, issues and manages these categories through its national portal (xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn). Line up your work permit or TRC application before your shipment arrives: customs brokers in Vietnam routinely hold containers in bonded storage (with demurrage charges) while a client’s residence paperwork catches up, because the import declaration cannot be finalised without it.

2. The Austria export side

Customs authority. Austria’s customs administration sits inside the Bundesministerium für Finanzen (BMF) (bmf.gv.at/customs). Export declarations for shipments leaving the EU are filed through e-Zoll, Austria’s national electronic customs platform for import, export and transit declarations (BMF e-Customs). For a household-goods move, your moving company or its customs broker files this export declaration on your behalf using your inventory and passport/visa details for Vietnam.

Declaration thresholds. Under EU customs rules, a formal electronic export declaration is required once the consignment’s value reaches roughly €1,000 or its weight reaches 1,000 kg; below that, a simplified oral or "by conduct" declaration can apply to non-commercial goods. In practice, any full household shipment to Vietnam exceeds both thresholds, so a standard AES (Automated Export System) declaration through e-Zoll is the norm, not the exception.

Deregistering your residence. You must deregister your Austrian home address — the Abmeldung des Wohnsitzes — with the Meldebehörde (your Gemeinde or Magistratisches Bezirksamt), within three days of giving up your main residence. It is free, requires only ID and doesn’t need a landlord signature, and can be done online via ID Austria, by post, or in person (oesterreich.gv.at). Skipping this step leaves your Hauptwohnsitz active on paper, which complicates everything downstream — tax residency, health insurance, vehicle registration.

Tax residency exit. Unlimited Austrian tax liability ends once you deregister your Hauptwohnsitz and shift your center of vital interests abroad. If you hold shareholdings or securities, this can trigger Wegzugsbesteuerung — exit taxation on unrealised capital gains under §27(6) EStG 1988, generally at the 27.5% KESt rate applied to gains as of the departure date (RIS – EStG §27). Moves within the EU/EEA qualify for automatic deferral until the asset is actually sold; a move to Vietnam, a non-EU/EEA country, does not — the assessed tax is generally due within one month of departure unless you arrange security (Sicherheitsleistung) with the tax office to defer it. Get tax advice before you leave if you hold meaningful securities or company shares — Austrian real estate is not subject to this exit tax. Finally, file your last Austrian income tax return for the year of departure — the Finanzamt will assess it on a part-year basis.

3. Ports, gateways and realistic transit times

Austria is landlocked, so there is no Austrian seaport your container leaves from directly. Household shipments are trucked from your home (commonly Vienna, Graz, Linz or Salzburg) to a European seaport for containerisation — typically Koper (Slovenia) or Trieste (Italy) for Adriatic routings, or Hamburg or Rotterdam for North Sea routings via larger consolidation hubs. Vienna’s own port, Hafen Wien, is a Danube river port used for barge and regional freight, not for intercontinental container sailings. For air freight or accompanied baggage, Vienna International Airport (VIE) is the standard departure gateway, with Vietnam-bound cargo typically routed via a hub (Frankfurt, Doha, Istanbul or similar) to Hanoi (Noi Bai) or Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat).

These transit estimates are freight-industry planning figures, not official government data: sea freight from a European hub port to Ho Chi Minh City or Hai Phong typically runs roughly 30–45 days door-to-door once trucking, sailing and Vietnamese customs clearance are included; air freight typically runs roughly 5–10 days including consolidation and clearance. Actual timing depends on carrier schedules, transshipment routing and how quickly your Vietnamese residence paperwork clears customs on arrival.

4. The Vietnam import side

Vietnam’s household-goods import runs through the General Department of Vietnam Customs, under the Ministry of Finance, using the electronic VNACCS/VCIS customs declaration system. Before your shipment can be cleared as duty-free "movable assets" under Article 45 of Decree 08/2015/ND-CP, you (or your appointed customs broker, acting on a Power of Attorney) submit a customs declaration together with: your passport showing a valid entry stamp, your work permit or TRC (or equivalent long-term status), a detailed English-language packing list/inventory, and the shipping document (bill of lading or air waybill) (Decree 08/2015/ND-CP; customs declaration procedure via Vietnam Trade Portal). Vietnam Customs also expects you to request and keep a stamped arrival record confirming your unaccompanied-baggage status — do this before you leave the airport or port area, as it isn’t issued automatically.

Duty-free allowances. Ordinary personal effects (clothing, toiletries, items for personal use) generally clear duty-free. Gifts and other non-commercial items above a modest per-consignment value become subject to import duty and VAT on the excess, under the general exemption rules for imported/exported goods administered by Vietnam Customs (Vietnam National Trade Repository — duty exemption procedure). The exact monetary threshold is periodically revised, so have your broker confirm the current figure rather than relying on an older number. New, high-value electronics and luxury goods inside your shipment are the most common trigger for extra duty assessment — an itemised, honestly valued inventory avoids delays at inspection.

5. Pets

Leaving Austria. Austria does not impose a separate export permit or export quarantine for pets leaving the country (BAVG). What actually matters on the Austrian side is making sure your pet’s documentation meets Vietnam’s entry requirements before you fly, since it’s the destination country’s rules — not Austria’s — that govern what you need to enter. Inside the EU, a pet passport with proof of microchip and current rabies vaccination is the baseline standard document (Your Europe – travelling with pets); for a non-EU destination like Vietnam, have your vet issue the export health certificate Vietnam’s authorities require instead.

Entering Vietnam. Import of dogs and cats is regulated by Vietnam’s veterinary authority, the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture, which also serves as Vietnam’s WTO SPS enquiry point (SPS Vietnam). Expect to need: a microchip, a current rabies vaccination, and a government-endorsed veterinary health certificate issued shortly before travel, plus advance notice to the receiving airport’s animal quarantine station (Noi Bai in Hanoi or Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City). Vietnam’s animal-health circulars are updated periodically, so confirm current requirements with the Department of Animal Health or your pet-relocation agent close to your travel date rather than relying on older circular numbers.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles. Importing a used personal car into Vietnam is subject to strict conditions on the vehicle’s age, prior registration and ownership history, administered jointly by Vietnam Customs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Vietnam National Trade Repository). In practice, shipping a personal car from Austria to Vietnam is rarely economical once freight, duty and registration costs are added up — most relocating households sell in Austria and buy locally in Vietnam instead.

Cash and money. Leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash or bearer instruments (or the equivalent in another currency) must be declared to Austrian customs before departure (BMF – cash controls). On the Vietnam side, entering or leaving with more than roughly USD 5,000 (or equivalent) in foreign currency, or more than VND 15,000,000, requires a separate declaration to Vietnamese border customs — keep the stamped declaration form, as you’ll need it to legally take the same cash back out later; confirm the current thresholds with Vietnam Customs, as these are periodically revised (Vietnam Customs).

Things people forget. Cancel or transfer Austrian utility, insurance and phone contracts tied to your Hauptwohnsitz before deregistering, since some providers require the Meldezettel as proof of move. Keep a certified copy of your Abmeldung and your final Austrian tax assessment — Vietnamese immigration and, later, Austrian re-entry processes sometimes ask for both. And build in slack for Vietnamese customs inspection of your shipment: goods arriving without a matching valid TRC or work permit on file are routinely held in bonded storage, generating demurrage costs that are entirely avoidable with paperwork sequencing.

How Flyto handles your Austria to Vietnam move

Flyto runs the Austria and wider European side of your move with our own offices, warehouses, crews and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, backed by a carefully vetted network of partner carriers and customs brokers for the legs and destinations we don’t cover in-house. On the Vietnam side, we work with trusted local partners on the ground in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City who handle customs clearance, last-mile delivery and, where needed, pet and vehicle logistics — so you get one point of contact in Austria while local expertise handles Vietnamese regulation on arrival.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Vietnamese work permit before shipping my household goods?
Not necessarily before shipping, but you generally need a qualifying long-term status (work permit, TRC, or equivalent) in place before Vietnamese customs will finalise the duty-free import of your goods, since Article 45 of Decree 08/2015/ND-CP ties duty-free "movable assets" treatment to genuine relocation of residence (Decree 08/2015/ND-CP).

Is deregistering my Austrian address mandatory if I’m only moving for a year or two?
Yes — any change of primary residence, including a move abroad, must be reported to your Meldebehörde within three days (oesterreich.gv.at). It’s separate from, but linked to, whether you remain an Austrian tax resident.

Will I owe Austrian exit tax even if I don’t sell any shares?
Wegzugsbesteuerung can be triggered by the move itself — it taxes unrealised gains at the point your right to tax them ends, not at an actual sale (RIS – EStG §27). It only applies if you hold securities or company shareholdings, and Austria’s tax office will accept security (Sicherheitsleistung) to defer collection; it does not apply to Austrian real estate.

Can I bring my dog or cat without any quarantine in Vietnam?
Quarantine is typically avoided if your pet’s microchip, rabies vaccination and health certificate are valid and complete on arrival, but you must still notify the destination airport’s animal quarantine station in advance and meet the Department of Animal Health’s current documentation requirements (SPS Vietnam).

What happens if my shipment arrives in Vietnam before my residence card is issued?
Vietnamese customs generally holds the container in bonded storage until your TRC or work permit is on file, and demurrage charges accrue during that wait — so sequence your visa/TRC application to land before or very close to your shipment’s arrival.

Moving from Vietnam back to Austria — what changes?
The customs treatment flips: Vietnam’s export side follows Decree 08/2015/ND-CP for movable assets leaving Vietnam, and re-entering Austria (or the EU) as a returning resident allows duty-free import of used household goods that you owned and used abroad for at least six months, provided you re-register your Austrian residence and your prior residence abroad meets the twelve-month test. Pets moving into Austria from Vietnam need a non-EU-country veterinary health certificate arranged well before travel, since Austria treats re-entry from a third country as the point where documentation is actually checked (BAVG).

Sources

• BMF – Customs (overview)
• BMF – e-Customs (e-Zoll, export declarations)
• BMF – Cash controls (EU €10,000 rule)
• oesterreich.gv.at – Deregistering your residence (Abmeldung des Wohnsitzes)
• RIS (Rechtsinformationssystem) – Einkommensteuergesetz 1988, §27
• BAVG – Bundesamt für Verbrauchergesundheit, animal import/export in travel
• Your Europe (europa.eu) – Travelling with pets and other animals in the EU
• Vietnam Customs (customs.gov.vn)
• WIPO Lex – Vietnam Decree No. 08/2015/ND-CP (customs procedures, incl. movable assets, Article 45)
• Vietnam Immigration Department – National portal on Immigration
• Vietnam Trade Portal (Ministry of Industry and Trade) – Customs declaration registration procedure
• Vietnam National Trade Repository (vntr.moit.gov.vn) – Tax exemption for exported/imported goods
• SPS Vietnam (Ministry of Agriculture) – WTO SPS enquiry point / animal quarantine authority