Doctors

General practitioners, specialists and dentists in Austria offer essential healthcare services for your everyday medical and dental needs as well as chronic pains.

House Doctor

A 'Hausarzt' i.e. house doctor (also called a general practitioner or GP) is your first point of contact for most health issues. Here are the steps to finding yours:

1. Check your health insurance

Make sure you're insured (e.g. through ÖGK – Österreichische Gesundheitskasse).

2. Search for a doctor near you

Use the official website: arztsuche.aekooe.at

Choose “Allgemeinmedizin” (General Medicine)
Filter by your postal code or city
Check whether the doctor accepts new patients from the status
Make sure the doctor has Kassenarzt status (accepts public insurance like ÖGK)

3. Book an appointment

Call or email the doctor’s office
Some doctors also accept walk-ins during Ordinationszeiten (office hours)

4. Bring your e-card

When you visit, take your e-card (Austrian health insurance card). If you don’t have one yet, bring your insurance confirmation and photo ID.

5. You don’t need to “register” long-term

In Austria, you’re not assigned to one doctor permanently. You can change your GP anytime by visiting a different one who accepts your insurance. However, it is recommended to stick to a single Hausarzt for streamlined patient interactions.

Specialist Doctors

In most cases, visit a house doctor first. They can examine you and refer you to a specialist if needed.

In some cases (like dermatologists or gynecologists), you can go directly without a referral from your Hausarzt.

Dentists

Dental care in Austria is generally of high quality, but is covered differently by health insurance than general medical care.

Public vs. Private Dental Care

Many dentists (Zahnarzt/Zahnärztin) work as Kassenärzte, meaning they have a contract with public health insurance providers like ÖGK, which mostly will be your insurance.
Public insurance covers basic dental treatments (e.g., check-ups, fillings, simple tooth extractions) but not cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening, implants, or high-end fillings.
If a dentist is private (Wahlarzt), you pay the full cost upfront and can apply for partial reimbursement from your insurance (usually much less than the total amount).

How to Find a Dentist

Use the search tool: https://www.zahnaerztekammer.at/zahnarztsuche
Filter by location (postal code or city) and check the status:
Kassenarzt: accepts public insurance.
Privatarzt: private practice only.

Making an Appointment

Call or email the practice to schedule a visit. Some accept online bookings.
Emergency dental care is available outside office hours through on-call services (Zahnarzt-Notdienst). The schedule is usually published online by the local chamber of dentists (Zahnärztekammer).

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