Freight Forwarder License (Spediteure)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade (reglementiertes Gewerbe)
- Qualification: Entrepreneur exam + specific professional competence
- Registration cost: Free (€0)
- Core activity: Organizing freight transport (not driving trucks yourself)
- EU dimension: Can arrange cross-border shipments within the EU
- Note: Distinct from Güterbeförderung (carrier/haulage trade)
What Does This Trade Cover?
The freight forwarder trade license covers the organization and management of goods transport on behalf of clients:
- Arranging and coordinating freight shipments by road, rail, air, or sea
- Selecting carriers, negotiating transport contracts, and optimizing routes
- Customs clearance and handling of import/export documentation
- Warehousing and interim storage as part of the forwarding chain
- Multimodal transport coordination (combining truck, rail, ship, air)
- Digital freight management and logistics platform operation
Digital Logistics Trends
The freight forwarding industry is increasingly digital. Austrian forwarders are adopting:
- Digital freight platforms: Online matching of shippers and carriers
- Track & trace systems: Real-time shipment visibility for clients
- Electronic customs: E-Zoll integration for faster border processing
- Carbon reporting: CO2 emission tracking per shipment as sustainability becomes a competitive factor
Qualification Requirements
- Entrepreneur exam (Unternehmerprüfung) or equivalent higher education
- Professional competence in logistics, transport law, and customs regulations
- Relevant education (e.g., Speditionskaufmann apprenticeship) + practical experience
- Individual assessment (§19 GewO) with proof of extensive logistics management experience
- Qualified manager (§39 GewO) who holds the required qualifications
Vollstaendige deutsche Version →
Related Guides
Qualification: how to prove it
Spedition is a regulated trade under §94 Z.63 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the qualification exam (befähigungsprüfung).
- Examined by: 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
- Appointing a qualified managing director
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
- Certificate of competence (Befähigungsnachweis)
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Vienna | Magistrat der Stadt Wien, MA 63 |
| Lower Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft |
| Upper Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat |
| 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.63 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.