Cosmetics Trade License (Kosmetik / Schönheitspflege)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade
- Qualification: Qualification exam — 5 modules (or apprenticeship)
- Cost: Free registration, exam fees covered by government
- Includes: Skincare, makeup, manicure — but not permanent makeup, and nail modelling is a separate free trade
- Tattoo and permanent makeup: both require the extended qualification within cosmetics (§109 Abs 5 GewO)
Where did you obtain your qualification?
For a regulated trade you submit your Befähigungsnachweis (qualification proof) with the registration — the Key Facts above show what counts for this trade.
For a qualification obtained in the EU/EEA or Switzerland, Directive 2005/36/EC gives you the right to a formal recognition or equivalence procedure (Anerkennung/Gleichhaltung). Do this before registering.
For a qualification obtained outside the EU/EEA the recommended path is the individual assessment (§ 19): your training and experience are assessed for equivalence.
Three routes without a formal qualification: individual assessment (§ 19), the qualification exam (exam fees covered by the government since 2023), or a qualified manager (§ 39).
Individual assessment (§ 19) Qualified manager (§ 39) All 4 paths
Services Covered
- Facial and body treatments
- Makeup application
- Manicure — but nail modelling (gel, acrylic, nail art) is its own free trade, named expressly in §162 Abs 1 Z 13 GewO and needing no certificate of competence. Shaping is free, care is regulated.
- Eyelash extensions
- Permanent makeup — only with the extended tattooing qualification (§109 Abs 5 GewO)
- Tattooing (requires extended qualification)
Can I combine with foot care?
Foot care (Fußpflege, §94 Z.23) is a separate regulated trade. You need two separate registrations but can operate both in one studio.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between cosmetics and foot care trades?
Cosmetics covers facial and body beauty treatments. Foot care (Fusspflege) is a separate regulated trade with its own qualification.
Can I do permanent makeup with a cosmetics license?
No — not with the general cosmetics qualification. Austrian law puts permanent make-up on a par with tattooing: §109 Abs 5 GewO states that „tattooing also covers the application of permanent make-up“. It therefore needs the same extended qualification as tattooing, which is a separate examination. Offering it without one means practising a trade without the required licence — an administrative fine of up to €3,600 (§366 Abs 1 Z 1 GewO). Medical procedures are reserved for doctors.
This trade is expressly exempt from the installation permit
Qualification: how to prove it
Kosmetik is a regulated trade under §94 Z.42 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the qualification exam (befähigungsprüfung).
- Examined by: Meisterprüfungsstelle der Wirtschaftskammer
- 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:
- Lehrabschlussprüfung Kosmetiker/Schönheitspfleger
- Studienrichtung Medizin/Humanmedizin/Zahnmedizin
- Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegeausbildung (gehobener Dienst)
- Individuelle Befähigung bei nachgewiesener Praxis + 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, LAP, oder gleichwertige Ausbildung)
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Vienna | MA 63 |
| Styria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Graz |
| Tyrol | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Innsbruck |
| 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.42 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.