Austria’s Tyrol province has extended ID Austria issuance to foreign nationals at three district administrative offices, broadening access to the country’s national digital identity credential beyond the limited number of points where non-citizens could previously apply.
The district offices in Imst, Reutte, and Lienz began issuing ID Austria to non-Austrian nationals on April 1, 2026. Until the change, foreign nationals living or working in Tyrol could obtain the credential only through the provincial police headquarters in Innsbruck, select tax offices, and a small number of municipalities. The expansion adds three Bezirkshauptmannschaften, the regional administrative units that handle a broad range of government services, to the list of authorized issuance locations.
ID Austria is Austria’s national digital identity system, used to access government services including tax filing through FinanzOnline and online services with social insurance providers. The credential functions as a secure digital proof of identity for both in-person and online interactions with public administration.
Appointments are required at the Imst district office and can be booked through Tyrol’s online scheduling portal. No appointment is necessary at the Reutte and Lienz locations.
Tyrol Governor Anton Mattle noted that the province’s ID Austria adoption rate has exceeded the national average, with more than 65 percent of Tyrolean residents now holding the credential, up from roughly 60 percent at the start of the year. Nationally, the adoption rate stands at approximately 61 percent, representing around 440,000 ID Austria users in Tyrol alone.
Digitalization Minister Mario Gerber framed the expansion as part of a broader effort to reduce administrative barriers. The Tyrol Konvent, a provincial reform initiative, lists simplification and digital accessibility as central goals, and the ID Austria rollout was cited as a practical example of how those objectives are being carried out.
The expansion fits within Austria’s sustained push to increase uptake of the national digital identity credential across all population groups. Austria’s government has pursued parallel investments in identity infrastructure, including a 10.8 million euro biometric visa kiosk tender and an extended EU Entry-Exit System contract running to 2029.
Tyrol’s district offices handle a range of public services, from passport issuance to vehicle registration, making them a practical extension point for credential enrollment for the province’s foreign-national residents.
Sources: Land Tirol
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
