Staffing Agency License (Ueberlassung von Arbeitskraeften)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade (reglementiertes Gewerbe)
- Qualification: Entrepreneur exam + specific professional competence
- Security deposit: Required (Kaution per AUeG)
- Registration cost: Free (€0) at the Bezirksverwaltungsbehoerde
- Additional law: Arbeitskraefteueberlassungsgesetz (AUeG)
- Note: Cross-border leasing has extra EU notification requirements
What Does This Trade Cover?
The staffing agency trade license covers labor leasing — supplying temporary workers to other businesses:
- Temporary staffing and worker placement at client companies
- Labor leasing (Arbeitskraefteueberlassung) across industries
- Project-based workforce supply for construction, logistics, industrial work, etc.
- Managing employment contracts for leased workers
- Cross-border worker supply within the EU/EEA (with additional notification duties)
Security Deposit (Kaution)
Under the AUeG, staffing agencies must provide a security deposit to protect leased workers’ wage claims. The deposit amount depends on the number of workers typically leased and must be lodged with the competent authority before operations begin.
Key Legal Obligations
- Equal treatment: Leased workers are entitled to comparable pay and conditions as permanent staff at the client company
- AUeG reporting: Regular reporting duties to the Zentrale Koordinationsstelle (ZKO) for posted workers
- Record keeping: Detailed records of all leasing arrangements, worker assignments, and durations
- Occupational safety: Both the staffing agency and the client share responsibility for workplace safety
Qualification Requirements
- Entrepreneur exam (Unternehmerpüfung) or equivalent education
- Professional competence in labor law and social insurance matters
- Individual assessment (§19 GewO) with proof of relevant management experience
- Qualified manager (§39 GewO) who holds the required qualifications
Vollstaendige deutsche Version →
Related Guides
Qualification: how to prove it
Arbeitskräfteüberlassung is a regulated trade under §94 Z.65 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 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
- 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 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.65 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.