There are two main routes to registering your 1-person limited liability company in Austria. But once you get a positive decision from the company register (Firmenbuch) that your limited liability company has been successfully registered, your (paper) work is unfortunately, not yet done. There are still three important steps you’ll need to take before you can go full speed ahead with your business.
To complete the entire GmbH company registration process you need to
- Acquire any required Business License(s)
- Set up your Social Security registration for the Managing Director
- Register with the Tax Office
In comparison to company registration process in other countries, the extra steps required by the Austrian system can often lead to pitfalls for international founders. We put together a 20 item checklist for international business owners to get ahead of the potential obstacles coming their way.
Get your copy of these 20 common pitfalls that international founders face whilst setting up a GmbH in Austria
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The next 3 steps after registering your 1 person GmbH:
Acquire required Business license(s)
Depending on your business purpose, your company will likely need a business license, so it can actually operate. There are two types of business licenses in Austria – free ones (meaning anyone can obtain them), and regulated ones (in order to obtain them, the managing director has to meet specific educational and professional requirements).
Although the main point of having a LLC is to separate the company from the owner in terms of liability, a business license is always issued to a physical person.
So, that person should meet the requirements for the license.
In the case where your company needs a regulated business license – also known as qualified business license, it is strongly advised to start the process for obtaining one before you register the company. Obtaining a regulated business license is not a fast or easy task. Getting your qualified qualifications recognised for the purpose of a regulated business license is a complex matter. And, if you are based in Vienna, it is also a slow process to complete (expect to wait between 4 and 7 months before the appropriate office decides on your application).
Set Up Social security registration of the managing director
If the company needs a business license, the managing director is compulsory insured with the social security fund for the self-employed (the notorious SVS), even if they don’t get compensated for their work as a managing director.
Managing directors of LLCs that do not require a business license are compulsory insured if they get paid for their work and that payment exceeds the social security contribution threshold for the respective year (EUR 6.221,28 for 2024, EUR 6613,20* for 2025).
*Please note : at the time of writing, the exact amount for 2025 has not been officially confirmed yet.
The sole shareholder-managing director of a GmbH is treated as a self-employed person for the purposes of social security and income tax. The monthly social security contribution is 28% of your profit from that activity.
Register with the Tax Office
The company requires a tax number. To get it, the managing director must correctly fill out and submit
- two forms – Verf15 and Verf26
- the opening financial balance
- a copy of the articles of association
- a company register excerpt.
Your GmbH is set up : the end is the beginning
Now, finally, after all these steps are completed, your company can start operating!
It’s a marathon of a process – requiring patience, strategic planning, and expertise into how the Austrian system works. That’s a lot for business owners to figure out and manage on top of the core focus of their business.
We’ve helped many business owners set up their business, by taking over the headache, stress and confusion of the Austrian system and allowing the owners to spend their time and energy and skills on building a successful and profitable business.
We can support you, too and move the process along quicker than you can say Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung.