Incorporate a fresh Austrian GmbH and no one asks where you live. Register a branch of your existing non-EU company instead, and Austria suddenly wants a resident representative standing behind it — the same founder, two different structures, two different rules.
A GmbH can be established by a single founder — a legal entity or an individual, including a foreigner who doesn't reside in Austria — with no requirement for Austrian citizenship or residency on shareholders or directors.
An Austrian-registered entity gives founders a credible base in the DACH region, with strong trade links across both Western and Central Europe.
Austria has digitalized much of GmbH formation — company name verification, Articles of Association submission, Firmenbuch registration, and tax number issuance can now largely be handled online, including digital notarial authentication for signatures.
Founders from outside the EU/EEA with no Austria-based contact often choose to incorporate a fresh GmbH specifically to avoid the resident-representative requirement that a branch office of their existing company would trigger.
The registered office rule itself is simple. The real decision is which entity structure you're registering it for.
Every company registered in the Firmenbuch (Commercial Register) must have an Austrian business address serving as its official registered office (Geschäftsanschrift). This address, along with the company's purpose and capital structure, must be stated in the notarized Gesellschaftsvertrag (Articles of Association).
A GmbH requires a minimum of €10,000 in share capital, with at least €5,000 paid in cash into an Austrian bank account before registration completes. An AG (public stock company) requires €70,000 and at least two founders, against a GmbH's single-founder minimum.
| New GmbH subsidiary | Branch office (Zweigniederlassung) |
|---|---|
| No residency requirement for shareholders or the managing director | For companies based outside the EU/EEA specifically, a "permanent representative" residing in Austria must be appointed |
| Separate Austrian legal entity, with its own liability shield | Not a separate legal entity — economically independent but legally part of the foreign parent |
| Minimum capital applies (€10,000 for GmbH) | No minimum capital requirement, but annual submission of the parent's translated balance sheets to the Commercial Register court is mandatory |
This split is specifically about EU/EEA membership: a branch of an EU/EEA company doesn't trigger the resident-representative requirement, while a branch of a non-EU/EEA company does — which is exactly why many non-EU founders choose the GmbH subsidiary route instead.
Founding documents must be notarized by an Austrian notary. For founders who can't be physically present, remote registration by power of attorney is possible, with video verification and electronic signature via eIDAS or BankID, plus apostille for documents originating outside the EU.
Vienna's dominance reflects provider density and banking access more than any legal distinction between Austrian states.
Austria's capital and default choice for most foreign-founded companies, with the deepest concentration of notaries and registered-office providers experienced with remote incorporation.
A common lower-cost alternative, particularly for tech and engineering-sector businesses given the city's technical university presence.
We only list a provider once we have a confirmed partnership — no placeholder links.
We haven't finalized a partnership with a provider serving Austria yet, so rather than point you to a dead link, we're leaving this section empty until one is confirmed. Providers with live, working links are currently on our United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia guides.
Wherever you end up incorporating, you'll eventually need a bank account — Dukascopy Bank accepts international clients for a multi-currency account without requiring you to be physically present in Switzerland.
Dukascopy Bank SA is regulated by FINMA (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority), and deposits are protected under Swiss depositor protection up to CHF 100,000. This is a banking product, not a virtual address service — review account fees, minimums, and suitability for your situation independently before opening an account. vaddress.net may earn a referral commission if you sign up through this link.
No — a GmbH can be fully owned and directed by a non-resident foreigner, whether an individual or a legal entity, with no Austrian residency requirement.
The requirement applies specifically to branch offices of companies based outside the EU/EEA. A fresh GmbH subsidiary, by contrast, carries no residency requirement at all — which is exactly why many non-EU founders choose to incorporate rather than open a branch.
Yes — remote registration by power of attorney is possible, using video verification and electronic signatures via eIDAS or BankID, with apostille required for documents from outside the EU.
At least €5,000 of the €10,000 minimum share capital must be paid in cash into an Austrian bank account before registration completes.
No — a branch office has no minimum capital requirement of its own, since it isn't a separate legal entity, but it must submit the foreign parent's translated balance sheets to the Commercial Register court annually.