Austria Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify an Austrian Business

TL;DR. Austria’s Firmenbuch is searchable free of charge through the JustizOnline portal without an account or Austrian identity. Basic company name and status checks cost nothing. A certified extract (Firmenbuchauszug) costs EUR 9.50 (approximately USD 10.30). Ordering certified extracts requires registration for an online signature method, which creates friction for foreign buyers. Documents are in German.

What is the official Austria business registry?

Austria’s commercial register is called the Firmenbuch. It has been fully electronic since the early 1990s and is governed by the Firmenbuchgesetz (FBG), the Austrian Commercial Code (Unternehmensgesetzbuch, UGB), and the GmbHG (law on limited liability companies). The statutory basis for mandatory registration is the UGB, which requires all commercial enterprises with a turnover above the threshold to register.

The register is maintained by the courts of first instance (Landesgerichte and Bezirksgerichte designated as Firmenbuchgericht) across Austria’s nine federal states. Coordination and public access sit with the Federal Ministry of Justice (Bundesministerium fur Justiz) via the JustizOnline portal at justizonline.gv.at.

JustizOnline is the official gateway for both free name searches and paid certified extract ordering. It connects to the live Firmenbuch database held across the network of regional courts. The WebERV system (electronic legal communications system) is the underlying infrastructure that notaries and attorneys use to file directly.

Entity types covered by the Firmenbuch include: GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, private limited company), AG (Aktiengesellschaft, public company), OG (offene Gesellschaft, general partnership), KG (Kommanditgesellschaft, limited partnership), EU (Einzelunternehmen registered above threshold), SE (Societas Europaea), and branches of foreign companies. Cooperative societies (Genossenschaften) have a separate but linked register.

Registration data coverage goes back to the 1990s for electronic records. Pre-electronic paper records are held at local courts.

Austria participates in the EU Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), enabling basic cross-border company data access through the European Business Register network.

What can you search?

The free search at JustizOnline returns company entries across all Austrian regional courts simultaneously.

Free search (no account required):

• Search by company name (full or partial), FN number (Firmenbuchnummer), or registered seat
• Returns: company name, FN number, legal form, registered court, registered seat, and current status (aktiv, gelos cht for struck off)
• Director names and registered agent are visible in the summary record
• Basic legal form and capital information are shown without payment

Paid certified extracts (account registration required for electronic delivery):

• Firmenbuchauszug (certified extract): the official legal extract reflecting the current state of the register entry, including all current directors, share capital, company purpose, and any pending proceedings
• Historischer Auszug (historical extract): the complete chronological history of changes to the company record
• Beglaubigte Abschrift (notarially certified copy): available from the relevant court for purposes requiring wet-signature certification

The Firmenbuch does not hold beneficial ownership data. Austria’s UBO register is maintained separately under the Wirtschaftliche Eigentuemer Registergesetz (WiEReG) at wiereg.bmf.gv.at. Access to UBO data is restricted to obliged entities (banks, auditors, notaries) and parties with a documented legitimate interest.

What is NOT in the Firmenbuch:

• Financial statements (small and medium GmbHs have limited disclosure obligations; AG financial accounts are in the Firmenbuch portal and Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek’s company database)
• Credit history or payment behavior
• Shareholder registers beyond the disclosed share capital structure

How much does it cost?

EUR/USD conversion used: 1.085 (approximate, May 2026; verify at point of purchase). Payment on JustizOnline accepts credit card, EPS direct debit (Austrian banking standard), and PayPal. No Austrian bank account is required for credit card or PayPal payment.

Note: the EUR 9.50 fee applies to electronic certified extracts ordered through JustizOnline. Pricing was set by federal ordinance and is uniform across all courts.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Free name searches require no account or Austrian identity. The search function at JustizOnline is publicly accessible without registration.

Ordering a certified Firmenbuchauszug electronically requires registering for an account and completing identity verification. Austrian residents typically use Handysignatur (mobile phone signature) or Burgerkarte (citizen card). Foreign users can register directly on JustizOnline using an email address and passport-based identity verification through the EU-standard eIDAS framework. The process involves submitting identity documents via the portal.

For compliance buyers outside Austria who cannot complete the eIDAS registration, the practical alternatives are: ordering through a local data supplier (see section below) or requesting a paper certified copy directly from the relevant court by post with payment.

No Austrian tax identification number or company registration is required from foreign buyers to access the free search. Local ID is not required.

Is the website in English?

Partially. JustizOnline provides basic English navigation on the main landing page and the search interface. Selecting English from the language toggle gives an English-language search form and results listing.

However, all official documents, including Firmenbuchauszug extracts, are issued in German only. Legal text in the extract follows Austrian legal terminology and is not translated. Director names, company purpose clauses, and registered addresses are recorded in German or the company’s chosen language (German is the default).

Austria participates in BRIS, which allows basic English-language company name and status confirmation through the European Business Register for initial screening.

What’s the turnaround time?

Electronic certified extracts ordered through JustizOnline are delivered instantly. The system generates the PDF and makes it available for download immediately after payment confirmation.

The Firmenbuch is updated continuously. Changes filed by notaries, such as director appointments, capital increases, or address changes, typically appear in the register within 24-72 hours of the relevant court accepting the filing. Commercial changes in Austria require notarial certification before filing, which means there is an inherent delay between a company event occurring and the Firmenbuch reflecting it.

For paper certified copies ordered by post or counter application, turnaround depends on the court’s workload, typically 3-7 business days.

Is there an API?

No public API is available for the Firmenbuch through JustizOnline. The official system does not offer programmatic access for third-party querying.

Austria’s BRIS connection supports cross-border data exchange for EU member state systems but is not a public API for commercial buyers.

Commercial API access is available through local data suppliers such as Compass-Verlag and KSV1870 (see suppliers section). These providers maintain their own databases sourced from the Firmenbuch and offer structured data delivery via API, typically under subscription agreements.

What you legally cannot do

The Firmenbuch data is public record, but use is subject to Austrian data protection law (Datenschutzgesetz, DSG) and EU GDPR. Specific restrictions include:

• Automated bulk extraction of company records or systematic scraping of JustizOnline is prohibited under the portal’s terms of use. The system has rate controls in place.
• Personal data reuse. Directors and other natural persons appearing in the Firmenbuch are data subjects under GDPR. Processing their personal data requires a documented legal basis; Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest) is the most common basis for compliance use, but it requires balancing against the individual’s rights.
• Redistribution of certified extracts. A Firmenbuchauszug carries the issuing court’s official stamp. Presenting a third-party copy as independently obtained is not permitted.
• UBO data misuse. Information obtained from the WiEReG beneficial ownership register is subject to the WiEReG’s specific use restrictions and can only be used for the stated AML/compliance purpose.

Austria’s AML framework is governed by the Finanzmarkt-Geldwasche-Gesetz (FM-GwG) and the WiEReG, implementing EU 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD) requirements. FATF (fatf-gafi.org) assessed Austria in its 2016 Mutual Evaluation and found broadly adequate frameworks, with follow-up progress reports noting improvements. Austria is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026.

Practical tips for foreign users

• Know your FN number format. The Firmenbuchnummer (FN) is the unique identifier for Firmenbuch-registered companies. The format is “FN” followed by a number and a check letter, for example “FN 123456a”. The letter indicates the alphabetical group; it does not indicate legal form or court. The FN number together with the registered court is the definitive identifier.
• UID-Nummer is the VAT number, not the company ID. Austria’s value-added tax number (Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer) follows the format “ATU” followed by 8 digits. The UID-Nummer is a tax identifier, separate from the FN number. For company verification, always use the FN number; the UID-Nummer can be verified separately via the EU VIES system.
• Know the legal form distinctions. An Austrian GmbH has a minimum share capital of EUR 35,000. An AG requires EUR 70,000. An OG is a general partnership where all partners have unlimited liability. A KG is a limited partnership with at least one general partner (Komplementar) and one limited partner (Kommanditist). Legal form affects liability exposure and disclosure obligations.
• Cross-check the WiEReG for UBO. For due diligence beyond the Firmenbuch, check Austria’s WiEReG beneficial ownership register. Access for non-obliged entities requires a documented legitimate interest submitted in writing to the registry.
• Austrian companies in liquidation show a specific status. A company in winding-up shows “in Liquidation” in the Firmenbuch record. The appointed liquidator’s name appears in the entry. A struck-off company shows “geloscht”. Both statuses are visible in the free search results.
• BRIS for quick English-language status checks. For basic name and registration status confirmation in English without navigating the German interface, the EU BRIS portal provides Austrian company data in cross-border query format.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

The German-only documents and the eIDAS registration requirement for certified extracts create practical barriers for foreign users.

• Local data suppliers (see section below): KSV1870 and Compass-Verlag both provide English-language company reports with Firmenbuch data enriched with credit scoring and payment information.
• BRIS portal: The EU Business Registers Interconnection System provides basic Austrian company name and status data in English, free of charge, with no registration. Useful for initial screening but does not deliver certified extracts.
• OpenCorporates: OpenCorporates indexes Austrian Firmenbuch data and provides free basic company records at opencorporates.com, including historical name changes and status. Data is sourced from official feeds rather than real-time Firmenbuch queries.

Local data suppliers

• Compass-Verlag (compass.at). Austria’s leading commercial business information publisher, with registry data tracing back to the 19th century. Provides credit reports (Kreditauskunfte), company profiles, industry directories, and API-based data delivery for corporate buyers. Widely used by Austrian banks and trade creditors. Covers Firmenbuch data plus commercial and payment history not available in the official register.
• KSV1870 (ksv.at). Austria’s principal credit protection association (Kreditschutzverband), founded in 1870. Provides credit risk scores, payment behavior reports, insolvency alerts, and collections services. KSV1870 is a market reference for Austrian company creditworthiness and is used by most Austrian financial institutions. Offers API-based integration and individual report ordering.
• Bisnode Austria (bisnode.at). Part of the Bisnode/D&B network, Bisnode Austria provides business intelligence reports, credit scoring, and supply chain risk monitoring for Austrian and DACH-region companies. Useful for buyers who need Austrian data alongside coverage of other European jurisdictions through a single provider.
• Creditreform Austria (creditreform.at). Part of the Creditreform European network, providing creditworthiness reports, payment history analysis, and debtor monitoring. Strong presence in the SME segment and cross-border coverage into neighboring DACH and CEE markets.

FAQ

Can a foreign company search Austria’s Firmenbuch without an Austrian identity?

Yes, for the free name search. JustizOnline’s search interface is publicly accessible without any account or Austrian identity document. A foreign buyer can search by company name or FN number and view basic company information at no cost. Ordering a certified electronic extract requires registering an account with identity verification through the eIDAS framework. For buyers who cannot complete that process, local data suppliers offer commercially packaged reports.

What does the FN number mean in the Austrian Firmenbuch?

The Firmenbuchnummer (FN) is the unique identifier assigned to each company at registration. It consists of “FN” followed by a sequential number and a letter suffix (for example, “FN 123456a”). The number is sequential and the letter is a check character. The FN number together with the name of the maintaining court is the legally precise identifier. When verifying an Austrian counterparty, the FN number is more reliable than company name alone, as names can be similar across different entities.

Where do I find beneficial ownership information for Austrian companies?

Austria’s beneficial ownership data is held in the WiEReG (Wirtschaftliche Eigentuemer Register), maintained by the Federal Ministry of Finance. This is separate from the Firmenbuch. Access is restricted: obliged entities (banks, law firms, auditors, notaries) have direct access as part of their AML compliance obligations. Non-regulated parties can request access by submitting a documented legitimate interest. The GDPR Article 10 considerations and 5AMLD implementation mean that general public access to UBO data is not available in Austria without a compliance rationale.

What is the difference between a GmbH and an AG in Austria?

An Austrian GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung) is the private limited liability company form, requiring a minimum share capital of EUR 35,000. It has more limited mandatory financial disclosure compared to an AG. An AG (Aktiengesellschaft) is the public company form with a minimum share capital of EUR 70,000, subject to more extensive annual reporting obligations and supervisory board requirements. AGs must publish audited annual accounts; GmbHs below certain size thresholds can file abbreviated accounts. The legal form is visible in the FN number record and the Firmenbuch extract.

Is Austria on the FATF grey list?

No. Austria is a FATF member and is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Austria’s AML/CFT framework implements EU directives including the 5th and 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directives. For current country status, check fatf-gafi.org.

How do I verify a company’s VAT registration in Austria?

Austria’s VAT number (UID-Nummer) follows the format “ATU” followed by 8 digits. VAT registration can be verified through the EU VIES (VAT Information Exchange System) at ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies. The UID-Nummer is a tax identifier managed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance (Bundesministerium fur Finanzen) and is separate from the Firmenbuch FN number. Both identifiers may appear on Austrian company documents, but only the FN number confirms Firmenbuch registration.

Can I access the Firmenbuch via BRIS?

Yes, for basic company information. Austria participates in the EU Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), which allows cross-border queries returning basic company name, registration number, legal form, and status in English. BRIS is accessible through the European Business Register portal and national e-justice portals. It does not deliver certified extracts; for those, JustizOnline or a local supplier is required.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: JustizOnline / Firmenbuch (justizonline.gv.at), Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice (justiz.gv.at), WiEReG / Federal Ministry of Finance (bmf.gv.at), FATF (fatf-gafi.org), EU 5AMLD (Directive 2018/843/EU).