Forming a GmbH in Austria costs EUR 3,599 for our full-service formation package, plus official charges paid directly to the Austrian state and the acting notary. The share capital itself — a minimum of EUR 10,000, of which EUR 5,000 must be paid in cash before registration — is not a cost: it becomes the company's own working capital once the GmbH is registered. This page separates what we charge from what Austria charges, so the total is clear before you commit.
Package №1 — Company Formation
Full-service GmbH formation in Austria. The package includes every step from name reservation to delivery of the completed company folder.
Included Services
- Company name reservation
- Business address for 1 year
- Bank account for capital deposit (minimum EUR 5,000)
- Business bank account
- Accountancy services (initial setup)
- Chamber of Commerce startup confirmation
- Commercial court registration
- Wiener Zeitung publication
- Capital transfer tax (1%)
- Court fees
- Notarial deed
- Trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung)
- Authority liaison and correspondence
- Articles of Association (Gesellschaftsvertrag)
- Notarial presentation
- Ministry of Justice registration
- Commercial court presentation
- Director appointment minutes
- First board meeting minutes
- Government licence fee
- Certificate of incorporation
- Share certificates
- Professional company folder
- FedEx / DHL international delivery
Our Fee and Austria's Official Charges
The EUR 3,599 fee above is what Law Support charges for the formation; Austria's own charges are separate and paid to different recipients. Day one costs about EUR 9,049 in transfers plus the notary's tariff — but only EUR 4,049 of that is money spent. The largest single transfer is the share capital, and it ends up in the company's own account:
- Share capital — cash, before registration EUR 5,000
- Law Support formation package EUR 3,599
- Firmenbuch registration fee approx. EUR 450
The table below separates the two sides, using figures confirmed as of July 2026.
| Paid to | What it covers | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Law Support | Formation service package | EUR 3,599 (fixed) |
| Commercial court (Firmenbuch) | Registration of the new GmbH | approximately EUR 450, as of July 2026 |
| Notary | Notarial deed of formation | Set by the statutory Notariatstarifgesetz tariff, based on the share capital — the acting notary confirms the exact figure |
| Your own company | Share capital (becomes working capital) | EUR 10,000 minimum, of which EUR 5,000 must be paid in cash before registration |
The EUR 10,000 is not a fee at all: once the GmbH is registered, the deposited capital belongs to the company as working capital. Only EUR 5,000 has to be in the account before the Firmenbuch will register the company; the rest can be called up later. The notary's fee is not freely negotiable — it follows a statutory tariff — so ask for a written figure before signing, rather than assuming it matches the court fee.
The NeuFöG Exemption: Paying Less If You Qualify
The Neugründungs-Förderungsgesetz (NeuFöG) waives specific government charges for a genuinely new business, so the official-charges row above does not always apply in full. Where a formation qualifies, NeuFöG exempts the Firmenbuch court fees tied to the new registration, the federal stamp duties and administrative fees the formation directly causes, and — for the month of formation plus the following 35 months — certain employer social-insurance contributions once the company has staff.
To qualify, the business must be a genuinely new operating structure: NeuFöG does not apply to a change of legal form or to taking over an existing business, which is why buying a shelf company does not qualify. The founder also must not have run a comparable business, in Austria or abroad, in the previous five years. Qualifying founders confirm this on the official NeuFö2 form, filed with each authority involved — the Firmenbuch court, the tax office, and the health insurer.
NeuFöG waives government fees and stamp duties; whether it also reduces the notary's own professional fee is not settled here, so confirm that point with the acting notary. Full detail on scope and conditions is published by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.
What Is Not Included and What Adds Cost
The EUR 3,599 package covers formation only; non-resident founders — most of our clients — typically add costs for documents that have to cross a border first. Not included: certified translations of documents not already in German; an apostille or consular legalisation for documents issued outside Austria; international courier for original signed documents; a sector-specific trade licence for regulated trades (reglementierte Gewerbe) needing proof of qualification beyond the standard trade registration in the package; and the extra paperwork for a second shareholder or director — signatures, identification, and, for a corporate shareholder, a certificate of incorporation from its home register.
The package includes the registered business address for one year only; renewing it afterwards is a separate charge. Corporate bank account arrangements beyond the standard capital-deposit account, and the nominee and virtual-office services below, are priced separately too.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Company Business Management | On request |
| Nominee Services (annual) | EUR 2,599 |
| Virtual Office (annual) | On request |
| .at Domain Registration (annual) | On request |
| Solicitor (hourly rate) | On request |
| Bank Account Opening | On request |
All prices are quoted in euros and exclude VAT where applicable. For a detailed quote, contact us with your requirements.
New Formation Versus a Shelf Company: Total Cost
A new GmbH formation and a shelf company purchase reach the same result — a registered Austrian GmbH ready to trade — by different cost routes. The table below compares the two directly.
| Item | New formation | Shelf company |
|---|---|---|
| Our fee / purchase price | EUR 3,599 | EUR 11,800 – EUR 19,200 |
| Firmenbuch fee | approximately EUR 450 | included in the transfer arrangement |
| Notary | statutory tariff, quoted separately | notarised share transfer agreement |
| Share capital | EUR 10,000 minimum (EUR 5,000 cash upfront) | already paid in — see each listing |
| Company history at completion | none — newly incorporated | dated from 1995 to 2013, depending on the company chosen |
| Time to a trading company | after Firmenbuch registration; processing time varies by court and case complexity | 5 to 7 business days for the ownership transfer |
The package price plus the approximate Firmenbuch fee already comes to less than half of even the least expensive shelf company on this page, before the notary's fee is added. The shelf route earns back its higher price only when the registration date itself is worth paying for.
When a Cheaper Route Is Enough
Austrian law allows a GmbH to be formed without a formation agent, and it is honest to say so on a pricing page. A single founder who is both sole shareholder and sole director can file a simplified electronic formation through the Unternehmensserviceportal without a notary appointment for the deed — though it needs an ID Austria electronic signature, which non-resident founders rarely already hold, and it covers only the initial formation, not later changes to the Articles of Association. A founder already in Austria with a single-owner structure should ask a notary what this route costs before paying for a full package.
Two other cases are worth naming plainly. If a specific registration date matters more than price — a tender with a minimum company age, for instance — a shelf company reaches that outcome in days rather than through a formation timeline, even though it costs more upfront. And if you genuinely qualify for the NeuFöG exemption above, the official-charges side of this page shrinks; our package fee itself does not change, since it is a service fee rather than a government charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a GmbH in Austria?
Our formation package is EUR 3,599. On top of that, Austria's own charges add approximately EUR 450 in Firmenbuch court fees plus a notary fee set by statutory tariff, and the company needs EUR 10,000 in share capital, of which EUR 5,000 must be paid in cash before registration. The capital is not spent — it becomes the company's own working capital once registered.
Is a notary required to form a GmbH in Austria?
Yes, for almost every formation. Austrian law allows one narrow exception — a single founder who is both sole shareholder and sole director can use a simplified electronic route without a notarial deed appointment — but it requires an ID Austria electronic signature and covers only the initial formation, not any later change to the Articles of Association.
What is the minimum share capital for an Austrian GmbH?
EUR 10,000, effective since 1 January 2024. At least EUR 5,000 of that must be paid in cash before the Firmenbuch will register the company; the remaining balance can be called up later.
Are Austria's official government fees included in the EUR 3,599 package?
No. The package is our service fee. The Firmenbuch registration fee (approximately EUR 450), the notary's fee, and the share capital itself are separate, go to different recipients, and are not paid to us — see the fee breakdown on this page.