Free business licences in Austria explained
- Marta Srebrakowska
- Jun 27, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 24
In this article:
Free business licence
From all the types of self-employment in Austria, self-employment with a free business licence is probably the most common type.
Owning a business licence brings the right to carry out certain commercial activities.
To acquire it, one has to fulfil requirements related to residence, age, criminal record, and more.
The important fact is that whether you need a business licence or not depends on the nature of your job, not on your income. A free business licence is required for those working independently, who occupy themselves with a professional activity listed HERE (if, after going through the list, you’re still not sure whether you fall under the business licence obligation, consider calling the WKO or scheduling consultations with a business consultant).
Examples of professions that fall under the requirement of obtaining a free business licence are:
digital marketer,
translator - in some cases a profession on the list mentioned above (for example translation - there are different types of translation) might, in fact, belong to the category of new-self employment or require a regulated business licence, therefore if you have doubts just ask the Chamber of Commerce by email, phone call, or personal visitation (often communication in English is possible),
web developer,
software developer,
professional photographer,
IT project manager,
proofreader.
Registering a free business licence is normally related to an annual fee of around € 100,- (depending on the profession) - this is a fee for membership and advocacy of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce known as the WKO.
