English
Life Coaching (Lebens- und Sozialberatung)
GewO §94 Z.41 Verified: April 2026
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade
- Qualification: Diploma course (min. 5 semesters, ~750 hours) OR exam
- Cost: Free registration, exam fees covered
- Online consulting: Yes, possible via video call
- ⚠️ NOT psychotherapy! LSB is a trade, not a health profession
Critical: LSB is NOT Psychotherapy
- LSB (§94 Z.41 GewO) = regulated trade. May counsel, NOT treat.
- Psychotherapy = health profession (Psychotherapiegesetz). May diagnose and treat.
- If you suspect a client has a mental health condition, you MUST refer to a psychologist/psychiatrist/psychotherapist.
What You Can Do as LSB
- Life counseling and personal development
- Relationship counseling
- Career counseling and work-life balance
- Stress management and burnout prevention
- Nutritional counseling (non-medical)
What You CANNOT Do
- Diagnose mental health conditions
- Treat psychological disorders
- Prescribe or recommend medication
- Call yourself a psychotherapist or psychologist
Translation Status: UNOFFICIAL
Qualification: how to prove it
Lebens- und Sozialberatung is a regulated trade under §94 Z.41 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the qualification exam (befähigungsprüfung).
- Examined by: Meisterprüfungsstelle WK
- Exam fee: €0 — exam fees are covered by the federal government
If you cannot sit the exam, these routes are open to you:
- Diplomlehrgang Lebens- und Sozialberatung (5+ Semester, ~750 Stunden)
- Individuelle Befähigung bei verwandter Ausbildung + Praxis
- Gewerberechtlicher Geschäftsführer
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 vollstaendigen 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
- Diplomlehrgangs-Zeugnis oder 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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Legal basis: GewO 1994 §94 Z.41 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.
Legally binding: German text of GewO 1994.