Our Bible Schools are shorter than 90 days, so if you don’t necessarily need a visa in order to attend Bible School.

Important: Visa regulations can change. Please always check with the Austrian embassy or consulate in your country for the most up-to-date and specific information regarding your visa requirements.

Short-Term Stays (under 90 days)

Austria is part of the Schengen Area, which allows free movement within certain European countries.

• If you are a citizen of a Schengen country, you do not need a visa

• If you are from a country outside the Schengen Area, you typically need a Schengen visa for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period

• Citizens of countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and many others do not need a visa for stays up to 90 days for tourism, business, or family visits

• Important: During this visa-free period, you cannot work or study at an accredited institution. (Tauernhof is not accredited, so this does not affect your Bible School attendance.)

Longer Stays (over 90 days)

If you plan to stay in Austria for more than 90 days or plan to travel before or after Bible School, you may need to apply for a long-term visa (Visa D, which is valid for 6 months if you ask for it).

• Visa D is generally valid for 90 to 180 days depending on your application, documentation, and financial means

• As Bible School is less than 90 days, you would need to have (proof of) accommodation within Austria for at least 90 days in order to be obtain a Visa D

• The embassy may require proof of your purpose and credibility of your plans

• Visa D allows for extended stays and is not limited to a single location or reason

Special note for Canadian Citizens

Thanks to a bilateral agreement between Canada and Austria, Canadian citizens can extend their 90-day Schengen visa-free period by an additional 90 days while in Austria.

• This extension allows Canadians to travel in the Schengen area before coming to Tauernhof

• Before completing the initial 90-day Schengen stay, Canadians must enter Austria and declare their intention to stay longer to the Austrian border guard or the provincial police

• It is helpful to get a stamp upon arrival showing your entry into Austria or the Schengen Area

• After the extended stay, Canadians must leave Austria directly to a non-Schengen country (travel through other Schengen countries to depart is not allowed)

Because of limited space and for traveling convenience, we suggest that you bring only what is essential. Here is information to help you know what to bring.

An essential item for Upward Bound is a pair of Mountaineering Boots, please note: regular hiking boots are not sufficient. Proper footwear is your most important piece of safety gear while in the mountains. Quality Mountain Boots will reduce the likelihood of slips, trips, and falls. Your boots must have strong ankle support, a ¾ shank, VibramTM or equivalent soles, and compatible with Semi-Automatic crampons. If you don’t have the required boots, we strongly recommend buying them at the beginning of Upward Bound in Austria. We will take you to a local shop and help you buy the right boots.

We suggest you bring easy-care clothes that can be put in a tumble dryer. You can label your clothes for easier identification. Our clothing standards require students to maintain a general neatness in appearance.

The electrical current in Austria is 220 Volts AC 50Hz, so if you intend to bring any electrical

appliances, you may need to bring a voltage converter as well as an adapter plug.

Because food intolerances are unfortunately becoming more common, we are not able to accommodate all special dietary requests due to limitations in space and staff capacity.

If needed, we can provide meals that are vegetarian, gluten-free, or lactose-free. However, please note that all dishes may still contain traces of nuts, gluten and lactose.

You must have your own health and accident insurance coverage that is valid in Europe for the entire duration of your stay. Please bring a copy of your current insurance card or similar proof with you. If you require medical treatment while in Austria, non-European residents will generally need to pay for treatment upfront and then claim reimbursement from their insurance provider.

Please note that many insurance policies do not cover rescue or evacuation costs. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you also have sport and accident insurance, including coverage for helicopter rescue and emergency evacuation. The Austrian Alpine Association would cover the latter. It is however important to know that the insurance coverage is valid worldwide during the first eight weeks of any journey abroad. The rescue itself is always included.

Additionally, we advise to get cancellation insurance to cover trip cancellations, lost luggage, and other travel-related risks.

While at Tauernhof, you generally won’t need extra money, except for additional snacks, sightseeing or outings like day trips or skiing. Optional weekend outings like city tours and hikes are offered, but their costs are not included, they typically cost around 15 Euros each.

Occasionally, we offer optional outreach trips, in which case you would need to budget accordingly.

Remember to budget for your travel to and from Tauernhof, as well as any extra travel plans. Austria can be expensive, but you can conveniently withdraw cash from local ATMs using a debit or credit card with a PIN.

Please do not plan to leave Tauernhof before the conclusion of the course.

Please note that it is not possible to stay at Tauernhof before or after the dates of the course. If you arrive earlier in Schladming or wish to stay in Schladming after the course has ended, you must arrange your own lodging at a guesthouse or hotel in town.

If your families and friends intend to send you a package during your stay in Europe, they should know and take into consideration the following:

During the past years, the Austrian Government has changed their policies and regulations pertaining to customs. This has had enormous implications for our Bible School students, as the receiving of packages from outside the EU-area is now subject to the payment of custom fees. This includes both simple care packages from home as well as the sending of personal luggage to Tauernhof prior to the beginning of the semester. Students will have to pay a customs fee upon receiving the packages/goods from the delivery service. The fees are absurdly high and, in combination with regular postage, often times defeat the purpose of sending a package after all. Therefore, we highly encourage students and their families from outside the EU, to refrain from sending packages to Tauernhof Bible School. As mentioned above, this includes sending luggage to Tauernhof ahead of time. Unless packages and/or luggage is sent from within the EU, customs fees are due. Please note that Postcards, Letters and/or regular mail is not subject to customs fees.

Here is the address of Tauernhof:

Tauernhof

Coburgstrasse 50

A-8970 Schladming

Austria

You can reach the registrar by calling +43 3687 22294 14 (dial 011-43-3687-22294 from North America), or by writing to registrar@tauernhofaustria.at. You may receive phone calls during our office hours (CET) only. Please note the time difference, for example Austria is 6 hours ahead of Toronto, and 9 hours ahead of Seattle.