For the Vienna Wohn-Ticket, one thing matters most: an unbroken main residence in Vienna for 2 years. The Meldezettel is exactly the proof of that — and since May 2025 there's an important simplification.
Anyone applying for a Gemeindewohnung (municipal housing) or subsidized housing in Vienna first needs the Wiener Wohn-Ticket — the access authorization issued by Wiener Wohnen / wohnberatung-wien.at. Without this ticket, you can't apply for a city-owned apartment.
To get the Wohn-Ticket, applicants must prove that they have been registered with a main residence in Vienna continuously for at least 2 years. That's exactly what's recorded in the Central Residents' Register (ZMR) — and that's exactly what the Meldezettel is the starting point for: every registration, re-registration and de-registration you submit to the authorities is recorded there.
New rule since May 1, 2025: Previously, this main residence had to exist continuously at the same address. Since the reform, it's enough for the 2 years of main residence to have existed continuously anywhere in Vienna — even if you moved within the city. The only thing that matters is that there's no gap: every move must be re-registered on time, without your main residence being registered elsewhere (or nowhere) in between.