Business Consulting (Unternehmensberatung)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade
- Common path: Business degree (MBA, BWL) + work experience
- Alternative: Qualification exam or individual assessment
- Registration: Free (€0)
- Note: IT consulting (pure technical) may be a free trade — check!
Important Distinction
Qualification Paths
| Path | Details |
|---|---|
| University degree + experience | MBA, BWL, or related degree + relevant work experience |
| Qualification exam | Exam fees covered by government since 2023 |
| Individual assessment (§19) | Extensive consulting experience without formal degree |
| Qualified manager | Appoint someone with the qualification |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between business consulting and life coaching?
Business consulting (§94 Z.74) focuses on organizational/strategy topics. Life coaching (Lebens- und Sozialberatung, §94 Z.46) covers personal/psychosocial counseling. Separate licenses.
Can I start a consulting business without Austrian qualification?
Yes, through individual assessment (§19) based on work experience, or by hiring a qualified manager (§39). No Austrian exam required.
Qualification: how to prove it
Unternehmensberatung is a regulated trade under §94 Z.74 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the qualification exam (befähigungsprüfung).
- Examined by: Meisterprüfungsstelle der Wirtschaftskammer
- Exam fee: €0 — exam fees are covered by the federal government
If you cannot sit the exam, these routes are open to you:
- Facheinschlägiges Universitäts-/FH-Studium (BWL, VWL, Wirtschaftsinformatik etc.) + Berufspraxis
- MBA-Abschluss + einschlägige Berufspraxis
- Individuelle Befähigung (§19 GewO) bei nachgewiesenen Kenntnissen
- Appointing a qualified managing director
Registering the trade
- Cost: Free — registration itself carries no fee
- Where: District administrative authority — Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat
- 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
- By post
Who may register
- Minimum age: 18
- Citizenship or residence: Austria, EU, EEA or Switzerland — third-country nationals with a residence permit are also eligible
- Clean record: no disqualifying convictions (checked by the authority)
Documents to bring
- Valid photo ID
- Befähigungsnachweis (Prüfungszeugnis ODER Studienabschluss + Praxisnachweis)
- Bei individueller Befähigung: Detaillierter Lebenslauf + Dienstzeugnisse + Projektliste
- Strafregisterbescheinigung (bei <5 Jahren Aufenthalt in AT)
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 |
|---|---|
| Lower Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft |
| Upper Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Linz/Wels/Steyr |
| Styria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Graz |
| Tyrol | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Innsbruck |
| Salzburg | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Salzburg |
| Carinthia | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Klagenfurt/Villach |
| 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.74 + Unternehmensberatungs-Verordnung . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.