Austria introduces ‘Wien auf Zeit’ police recruitment model

A new Austrian police recruitment initiative titled ‘Wien auf Zeit’ (Vienna for a Time) allows applicants from various federal states to volunteer for five years of service in Vienna. A key feature of this model is the guarantee that officers can return to their home states after their five-year term.

The first applications are scheduled to begin in December 2026, with the first trained officers expected to be available in Vienna by December 2028. This program is intended as an additional, voluntary option and does not replace regular recruitment processes in states like Carinthia or Styria.

In Styria, police officials noted that while the state already has enough applicants to select the best candidates, the program provides a secondary opportunity for those who narrowly miss direct admission. Additionally, the model aims to reduce waiting lists for existing officers seeking transfers between federal states, with at least 10 percent of those recruited through this initiative being designated to move to other states.