Austria company search: Firmenbuch (justizonline.gv.at)

TL;DR. Austria’s Firmenbuch is reached via JustizOnline. https://justizonline.gv.at is online, titled JustizOnline and served in German by the Bundesministerium fur Justiz, but it builds its search in the browser, so the search screen cannot be read from the page as delivered. No extract fee and no payment method is published there, so fees in this guide are unknown rather than free; confirm at source. firmenbuch.at is a HF Data commercial site (titled Firmenbuch Osterreich, footer (c) 2026 HF Data Datenverarbeitungsgesellschaft m.b.H.) and is not WiEReG; its prices are not official. wiereg.bmf.gv.at no longer resolves.

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 online and titled JustizOnline, but it builds its search in the browser, so the free name search, FN lookup and director fields it offers could not be read from the page as delivered; confirm at source.

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.

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?

JustizOnline (the search builds in the browser):

The page as delivered is the JustizOnline loader rather than a results page. Free-search fields such as company name, FN number, registered seat, status aktiv/geloscht and directors have been reported historically, but none of them could be confirmed here; confirm at source.

Paid extracts: no price for a Firmenbuchauszug, a Historischer Auszug or a court copy is published on JustizOnline; confirm at source.

WiEReG is not firmenbuch.at. https://www.firmenbuch.at, titled Firmenbuch Osterreich - Offizielle Firmenbuchsuche & Auszuge, is a HF Data commercial site: its footer reads “(c) 2026 HF Data Datenverarbeitungsgesellschaft m.b.H. Schonbrunner Strasse 231, 1120 Wien”. It is not WiEReG, and its prices are not official. The named WiEReG host wiereg.bmf.gv.at no longer resolves. No beneficial ownership fields could be confirmed on JustizOnline.

What is NOT in the Firmenbuch (legal scope):

• Financial statements (small and medium GmbHs have limited disclosure obligations)
• Credit history or payment behavior
• Shareholder registers beyond the disclosed share capital structure

How much does it cost?

JustizOnline publishes no extract fee, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. No payment methods, card, EPS or PayPal, are named on the page either, and HF Data’s prices at firmenbuch.at are not official fees.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Account rules for the search form could not be confirmed, because the search builds in the browser. Handysignatur, Burgerkarte and eIDAS routes have been reported historically; confirm at source.

Is the website in English?

The page is served in German under the title JustizOnline, and it carries no English navigation. English coverage on the search screen itself could not be confirmed. Official extracts, when issued, are in German.

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

What’s the turnaround time?

Unknown. JustizOnline publishes no turnaround time, and the page as delivered does not produce an extract; confirm at source.

Is there an API?

No public API is published on JustizOnline.

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). Those are not official JustizOnline fees.

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.
• 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. WiEReG use restrictions apply wherever that register is reachable. wiereg.bmf.gv.at no longer resolves, and firmenbuch.at is HF Data, not WiEReG.

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. Austria is not on the FATF grey list.

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. Those statutory minima are not JustizOnline extract fees.
• firmenbuch.at is not WiEReG. It is an HF Data commercial site, and wiereg.bmf.gv.at no longer resolves.
• JustizOnline builds its search in the browser. The page as delivered is a loader rather than a search form.
• BRIS for quick English-language status checks. For basic name and registration status confirmation in English, the EU BRIS portal provides Austrian company data in cross-border query format. That is a separate route from JustizOnline.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

The browser-built search and the absence of published official fees 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. Their prices are not official JustizOnline fees.
• BRIS portal: The EU Business Registers Interconnection System provides basic Austrian company name and status data in English, with no JustizOnline account. Useful for initial screening but does not deliver certified extracts.
• OpenCorporates: OpenCorporates indexes Austrian Firmenbuch data and provides basic company records at opencorporates.com. Data is sourced from official feeds rather than from JustizOnline directly.
• HF Data’s firmenbuch.at is not a substitute for JustizOnline or WiEReG.

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?

JustizOnline builds its search in the browser, so this guide does not walk through a search screen it could not read, and whether a free no-account name search is offered is not confirmed here; confirm at source.

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.

Where do I find beneficial ownership information for Austrian companies?

Not at firmenbuch.at, which is an HF Data commercial site, and not at wiereg.bmf.gv.at, which no longer resolves. No public beneficial ownership search could be confirmed, and HF Data’s prices are not official WiEReG or Firmenbuch fees.

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. An AG (Aktiengesellschaft) is the public company form with a minimum share capital of EUR 70,000. Those capital minima are company-law figures, not extract fees, and JustizOnline publishes no extract fee.

Is Austria on the FATF grey list?

No. Austria is a FATF member and is not on the FATF grey list. 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.

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. It does not replace the JustizOnline search and does not deliver certified extracts.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: JustizOnline (justizonline.gv.at, titled JustizOnline, which builds its search in the browser); firmenbuch.at (HF Data Datenverarbeitungsgesellschaft m.b.H., not WiEReG); wiereg.bmf.gv.at, which no longer resolves; Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice (justiz.gv.at); FATF (fatf-gafi.org); EU 5AMLD (Directive 2018/843/EU).