Austria attracts foreign investors from all over the world and among the most sought investment industries are: banking, trading and information technology. The legislation also favors the opening of new companies and foreign investors can benefit from a transparent and flexible company registration process with the help of our company formation specialists in Austria.
Quick Facts | |
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Types of companies | Sole proprietorship General partnership Limited partnership Private limited liability company Public company |
Minimum share capital for LTD Company | EUR10,000 – half must be paid upon registration |
Minimum number of shareholders for Limited Company | 1 |
Time frame for the incorporation (approx.) | 5 weeks |
Corporate tax rate | 23% |
Dividend tax rate | 27,5% |
VAT rate | 20%, a reduced rate of 10% also applies to certain goods |
Number of double taxation treaties (approx.) | 92 |
Do you supply a registered address? | Yes |
Local director required | No |
Annual meeting required | Yes |
Redomiciliation permitted | Redomicilation of EU and EEA companies is permitted |
Electronic signature | Yes |
Is accounting/annual return required? | Yes |
Foreign-ownership allowed | Yes |
Any tax exemptions available? | 25% reduced rate on dividend income for Austrian companies |
Tax incentives | – Minimum share capital for startups is set at 10,000 euros. – Foreign tax credits are also available. – Research and development incentives. |
For those who want to start a business in Austria, our local company formation agents have prepared all the information necessary for them to get started.
Our partner accountants in Austria are ready to provide your business with professional services. With packages tailored according to your unique business needs and number of employees in Austria, your business will benefit from full compliance with the tax laws in force and you will have a clear picture of the financial status of your business. We also offer bookkeeping and payroll services.
Types of companies in Austria
The Company Act is the main law which provides for the establishment of a business in Austria. The first step for company formation in Austria is to choose a legal entity from the ones mentioned below:
- the sole proprietorship or sole trader which is the simplest form of starting a business in Austria;
- the limited liability company which can be private or public and is the most employed type of company;
- the partnership which is suitable for those who want to create small and medium-sized businesses;
- the subsidiary, branch and representative offices which are business forms available for foreign companies interested in entering the Austrian market.
Our company formation agents in Austria can offer information on the legislation applicable when starting a business in this country.
The sole trader in Austria
The sole trader is the simplest form of doing business in Austria and it can be established by natural persons only. There are no share capital requirements for those who want to set up this business form, however, they will need to register their trade name with the Companies Register in Austria and obtain certain licenses with the authorities.
If you want to open a company in Austria, our local advisors can help you choose a business form that suits your activities.
The limited liability company in Austria
The limited liability company in Austria can take two forms:
- the private company, shortly known as the GmbH, which must be formed by at least one shareholder who cannot trade the company’s shares on the stock exchange and which requires a minimum share capital of 10,000 euros;
- the public company, shortly known as the AG, which also requires at least one shareholder and a minimum share capital of 70,000 euros; compared to the GmbH, the AG can trade its shares on the stock exchange.
The company registration process for both types of companies follow the same steps.
Partnerships in Austria
There are four types of partnerships which can be registered by foreign investors interested in company formation in Austria. These are:
- the general partnership;
- the limited partnership;
- the dormant partnership;
- the civil law partnership.
No matter the type of partnership investors want to set up, at least two founding members are necessary. Also, there are no share capital requirements for this business form.
The company formation procedure in Austria is quite fast no matter the type of legal entity you want to register.
Setting up a branch office in Austria
The branch office is one of the options foreign companies can use to create a presence on the Austrian market. The Austrian company will totally depend on the parent company, which means that all the decisions related to the management of the branch will be taken by the head office. The Austrian branch will complete the activities of the parent company for which it must obtain the necessary licenses and permits.
Among the advantages of the branch office in Austria, we remind the following:
- it can be established rapidly with the Austrian Trade Register;
- the parent company will be liable for the local branch office’ obligations;
- the requirements for setting up such an establishment are minimum;
- the foreign company is allowed to open a corporate bank account in Austria;
- the branch office in Austria can be completely owned by the foreign company.
Our company registration representatives in Austria can help with the registration of a branch office.
Opening a subsidiary in Austria
Another business form available for foreign companies is the subsidiary. Compared to the branch office, the subsidiary is an independent entity, usually registered under the form of a limited liability company. As such, it can take its own decisions and will be treated as a local company in the Austrian market.
The Austrian subsidiary offers similar advantages as the branch office.
If you want to open a company in Austria and operate it as a subsidiary, you can use the limited liability company as a local structure.
We invite you to watch a short video about company formation in Austria:
Documents for starting a company in Austria
Foreign and local investors must provide the following set of documents for company formation in Austria:
- passports or IDs which must be notarized, depending on the shareholders’ nationality;
- the company’s statutory documents which are represented by the Memorandum and Articles of Association;
- a lease contract which proves the local address the company will have in Austria;
- information about the company’s managers or directors, such as the passport or ID copies;
- information about the share contribution of each shareholder.
The business owners must also open a bank account where the initial capital will be deposited.
The documents mentioned above must be filed with the Trade Register in order to obtain the company’s Certificate of Incorporation. Then, the company must register for tax and VAT purposes. You can rely on us for guidance in preparing the necessary paperwork if you want to start a business in Austria.
Company formation timeline in Austria
Foreign investors seeking to open companies in Austria are usually interested in knowing how much the process takes. Our Austrian company formation consultants have prepared a timeline which estimates the time to consider for each procedure.
This timeline implies:
- the business name reservation takes a few hours and can be completed online;
- the drafting and notarization of the company’s statutory documents can take up to 2 days;
- the processing of the documents by the Trade Register can take approximately 6 days;
- the opening of the corporate bank account can take up to one day;
- obtaining the clearance from the Economic Chamber will take one day;
- the registration with the tax authorities can take up to two weeks;
- the application for the business license takes less than one day.
Our agents also mention that Austria is one of the friendliest countries in Europe when it comes to opening a company from scratch. Also, one of the lengthiest procedures – that of creating the bank account – takes a short time to complete in Austria.
FAQ related to company incorporation in Austria
Our company formation advisors in Austria have also answered a few of the most usual questions asked by our clients:
Yes, it is quite easy to open a company in Austria, as the company registration process is completed in a matter of days.
Your presence is not necessary when opening a company in Austria if you grant us the power of attorney to represent you.
Yes, the company must have a local address in an Austrian city. We can assist with virtual office services for this purpose.
The standard corporate tax rate in Austria is 23%.
If you have other questions or simply need company formation services in Austria, please feel free to contact us.
For more details about how you can open a company in Austria or in other European countries such as Serbia, you may contact our specialists in company formation. If you are interested in other jurisdictions, we can put you in touch with our foreign partners, such as LawOfficeMalaysia.com.