Funeral Services (Bestattung)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade — Zuverlaessigkeitsgewerbe!
- Special: Requires pre-approval before starting
- Qualification: Qualification exam
- Registration cost: Free (€0)
- Start immediately: NO — must wait for official decision
- Requirement: 24/7 availability expected
What This Trade Covers
- Body collection and transport
- Preparation and laying out of the deceased
- Funeral planning and organization
- Cremation arrangements
- Cemetery administration assistance
- Grief counseling referrals
Regional Differences
Funeral regulations vary significantly by Austrian state (Bundesland). Cemetery regulations, burial timeframes, and ecological burial options (tree burials, meadow burials) differ across regions. Some states are more progressive with alternative burial forms than others.
Qualification Alternatives
- Qualification exam (Befaehigungspruefung) for funeral services
- Individual assessment (§19 GewO) with extensive experience
- Qualified manager (§39 GewO)
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Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the funeral trade a reliability trade?
Due to the sensitive nature and public trust required, authorities verify personal reliability and financial standing before approval.
Are ecological burials allowed in Austria?
Regulations vary by Bundesland. Some states allow tree burials and meadow burials, others are more restrictive.
Qualification: how to prove it
Bestattung is a regulated trade under §94 Z.6 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the qualification exam (befähigungsprüfung).
- Examined by: WK
- Exam fee: €0 — exam fees are covered by the federal government
If you cannot sit the exam, these routes are open to you:
- Relevant training plus practical experience
- Individual assessment under §19 GewO
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.
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.6 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.