Butcher Trade License (Fleischer)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade (Handwerk)
- Qualification: Master exam (Meisterpruefung)
- Registration cost: Free (€0)
- Exam fees: Covered by the federal government since July 2023
- Start immediately: Yes, upon registration
- Also needed: EU food hygiene compliance (HACCP)
What This Trade Covers
- Meat processing and production (sausages, ham, cured meats)
- Retail sale of meat and meat products
- Slaughtering (requires EU-approved facility)
- Catering with meat products (limited — for full catering see Gastgewerbe)
Food Safety Requirements
- HACCP: Mandatory food safety management system
- EU Regulation 853/2004: Hygiene rules for meat processing
- Veterinary inspection: Required for slaughter operations
- Traceability: Full documentation from farm to customer
- Allergen labeling: EU Regulation 1169/2011
Market Trends
Regional quality, organic meat, and transparent supply chains are strong differentiators against supermarket meat counters. Many butchers now offer online ordering and home delivery as additional revenue streams.
Vollstaendige deutsche Version →
What this licence additionally covers
§ 150 (4): „Den Fleischern (§ 94 Z 19) stehen auch folgende Rechte zu: 1. das Zubereiten von Fleisch, Fleischwaren und Geflügel in einfacher Art, von Brotaufstrichen, belegten Brötchen und von Salaten, 2. die Verabreichung der in Z 1 genannten Speisen mit den üblichen kalten Beigaben in einfacher Art in den dem Verkauf gewidmeten Räumen, 3. der Verkauf von warmen oder angerichteten kalten Speisen im Umfang der Z 1 und 2, 4. der Ausschank von nichtalkoholischen Getränken und Bier in handelsüblichen verschlossenen Gefäßen in den dem Verkauf gewidmeten Räumen.“
Qualification: how to prove it
Fleischer is a regulated trade under §94 Z.19 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the master craftsman exam (meisterprüfung).
- Examined by: Meisterprüfungsstelle WK
- Exam modules: 5
- Exam fee: €0 — exam fees are covered by the federal government
If you cannot sit the exam, these routes are open to you:
- Individual assessment under §19 GewO
- Gewerberechtlicher Geschäftsführer mit Meisterprüfung
Registering the trade
- Cost: Free — registration itself carries no fee
- Where: District administrative authority (Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde)
- Decision within: max. 3 months
- Typically takes: 1-5 Werktage (bei vollständigen Unterlagen)
- Start trading: immediately on registration — you do not have to wait for the decision
You can register in these ways:
- Online via GISA (the trade register)
- Online via USP (the business service portal)
- In person at the authority
Who may register
- Minimum age: 18
- Citizenship or residence: Austria, EU, EEA or Switzerland
- Clean record: no disqualifying convictions (checked by the authority)
Documents to bring
- Photo ID
- Master craftsman certificate (Meisterprüfungszeugnis)
- Criminal record certificate
Terms shown in German are the ones printed on the Austrian forms — you will meet them exactly like this at the authority.
Where to go, by province
| Province | Competent authority |
|---|---|
| Carinthia | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Klagenfurt/Villach |
| Upper Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Linz/Wels/Steyr |
| Burgenland | Bezirkshauptmannschaft |
| Vorarlberg | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Bregenz |
Sole trader, GmbH, or partnership?
Trade law does not prescribe a legal form — but it does draw one line. Under § 9 (1) GewO, legal entities and registered partnerships (GmbH, OG, KG) may hold a trade licence, but they „must have appointed a managing director (§ 39)“ — a named person who carries the qualification and the legal responsibility for the trade. As a sole trader you are that person yourself.
Whether a GmbH pays off financially depends on profit, drawings, SVS contributions and allowances. There is no general profit threshold, and that question belongs to a tax adviser, not to this page.
Running this trade alongside a job
Nothing in Austrian law forbids running a trade as a side business. Two things about social insurance are regularly misremembered, and both cost money.
- The obligation follows Chamber membership, not profit. Under § 2 (1) 1 GSVG compulsory SVS insurance attaches to membership of the Economic Chamber, which you acquire with the trade licence itself. It therefore applies in a year in which you make no profit at all.
- There is an exemption — but only on application. § 4 (1) 7 GSVG lets very small businesses be exempted while turnover and income stay under the limits it refers to. Nothing happens automatically: without the application, the obligation stands.
If you are employed, check your employment contract separately for a secondary-activity clause — that is a matter between you and your employer, not trade law.
Legal basis: GewO 1994 §94 Z.19 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.