Austria's government has announced full face veils will be banned in courts, schools and other public spaces.
Police officers, judges, magistrates and public prosecutors will also be forbidden from wearing head scarves under plans drawn up by the country's ruling coalition.
The measure is an attempt to counter the rise of the far-right Freedom Party, which has topped opinion polls for months and whose candidate narrowly lost last month's presidential vote.
The ban will apply to the niqab and burqa, and was agreed by the ruling Social Democrats and centrist People's party.
The agreement reads: "We are committed to an open society, which also presupposes open communication.
“A full-face veil in public places stands in its way and will therefore be banned.”
The coalition said police officers, judges, magistrates and public prosecutors should not wear head scarves so they could appear “ideologically and religiously neutral”.
France became the first first European Union country to ban the niqab and burqa in public places more than six years ago, and Belgium followed shortly after.
Last month, German chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on the full-face veil as she launched her re-election bid for a fourth term in office.
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