Q: What types of entities are registered in the Business Register?

All Austrian companies (e.g. GesmbH [limited liability company], AG [stock corporation]) and partnerships (e.g. OG [general partnership], KG [limited partnership]) and co-operative societies are registered in the Business Register. Foreign legal entities are registered in the Business Register if they operate a branch in Austria.

Q: What is a GmbH?

GmbH is the abbreviation for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung . This type of legal form is the most common among all business entities that are registered in the Austrian Business Register. A GmbH is a company. The share capital is divided into shares representing capital contributions. Capital contributions means the capital subscribed for by the shareholder(s) to form the share capital. Usually, a GmbH 's liability is limited to the capital subscribed for and the shareholder's assets. The shareholders' private assets remain untouched.

Q: What do annual financial statements consist of?

Annual financial statements contain the balance sheet and, depending on the business's size, an income statement as well as a director's or management report , which presents the course of the business, the operating result and the situation of the business. The notes to the annual financial statements explain the accounting and valuation principles. The annual financial statements must give a true and fair view of the financial position and financial performance of the business. Businesses which are liable to render accounts must prepare annual financial statements once a year for the previous business year. For information on the filing of annual financial statements with the Business Register via FinanzOnline visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ).

Question 1

What is the Business Register?

Accepted Answer

Like the German Handelsregister or Companies House in England the Business Register is a public register of the Republic of Austria. All registered businesses are registered there. A Business Register excerpt contains the most important information on businesses that are subject to Austrian business law, such as the name, address, legal form, share capital, persons authorised to represent the company (managing directors, authorised officers), owners and much more.

The following legal entities are registered in the Business Register:

sole proprietors/traders
general partnerships
limited partnerships
stock corporations
limited liability companies
co-operative societies
mutual insurance societies
savings banks
private foundations
European economic interest groupings
Societas Europaea (SE)
Societas Cooperativa Europaea (SCE)
other legal entities registration of which is required by law

Every legal entity is allocated a Business Register number, which consists of numerals plus a check letter.

For more information on the Business Register visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Question 2

What is the Business Register excerpt?

Accepted Answer

The Business Register is a public register. It contains the most important legally relevant facts and legal relationships of businesses and other institutions that are subject to Austrian business law.

The following facts are stated in the Business Register excerpt:

Business Register number (FN)
name
legal form
registered office and the registered office of branches and the business address which is relevant to service of process
short description of the line of business
date of execution of the articles of association or partnership agreement
the name and date of birth of the sole proprietor/trader, authorised representatives, authorised officers and liquidators; in the case of general partnerships, limited partnerships and professional partnerships the name and date of birth of personally liable partners who are not authorised to represent the partnership and of the limited partners (amount of the capital subscribed for) are registered; in the case of limited liability companies and stock corporations the name and date of birth of members of the supervisory board are registered
name and date of birth of the shareholders of a limited liability company plus the capital subscribed for and the amounts paid up
registered capital
certain other legal relationships, such as commencement of the company or partnership, institution of insolvency proceedings, etc.

Example of a Business Register excerpt (in German)

Example of a historical Business Register excerpt(in German)

For more information on the Business Register search visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Question 3

Who is in charge of the Business Register?

Accepted Answer

The Austrian Business Register is kept by the Business Register Courts: Commercial Court Vienna [Handelsgericht Wien] has jurisdiction over Vienna in this regard. The relevant Regional Courts have jurisdiction over the Austrian states. Local jurisdiction principally depends on the place of the entity's registered office/seat

Question 4

Who is allowed to inspect the Business Register?

Accepted Answer

Since the Austrian Business Register is a public register, everyone is allowed to inspect it and to request excerpts and documents.

Question 5

What types of entities are registered in the Business Register?

Accepted Answer

All Austrian companies (e.g. GesmbH [limited liability company], AG [stock corporation]) and partnerships (e.g. OG [general partnership], KG [limited partnership]) and co-operative societies are registered in the Business Register. Foreign legal entities are registered in the Business Register if they operate a branch in Austria.

Question 6

What is a GmbH?

Accepted Answer

GmbH is the abbreviation for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung. This type of legal form is the most common among all business entities that are registered in the Austrian Business Register.

A GmbH is a company. The share capital is divided into shares representing capital contributions. Capital contributions means the capital subscribed for by the shareholder(s) to form the share capital.

Usually, a GmbH's liability is limited to the capital subscribed for and the shareholder's assets. The shareholders' private assets remain untouched.

Question 7

What is a sole proprietorship?

Accepted Answer

If a sole person is responsible for the business entity, we speak of a sole proprietorship.

Registration in the Business Register is not mandatory. The only prerequisite is to register the trade with GISA [Trade Information System Austria]. A trade licence will be granted on the basis of which trade activities may be carried out.

Sole proprietors are liable for any debts of the business entity with all of their assets. This also includes private assets.

Question 8

Are sole proprietorships registered in the Business Register?

Accepted Answer

In principle, registration of a sole proprietorship is done on a voluntary basis. However, if a sole proprietorship generates revenues of more than EUR 700,000 in two consecutive years each, or more than EUR 1,000,000 in any year, registration in the Austrian Business Register will become mandatory.

In the case of voluntary registration the entity is not required to prepare balance sheets.

Question 9

What is a Business Register Number?

Accepted Answer

Every business entity that is registered in the Austrian Business Register is assigned a Business Register Number (FN). The Business Register Number consists of a maximum of six digits and one check letter. Even if changes are recorded for a legal entity in future (e.g. change of address, name, legal form, etc.), the Business Register Number will remain the same. The Business Register Number will remain even after an entity has been cancelled, so that historical excerpts from the Business Register and documents of cancelled entities may be retrieved as well.

Question 10

How long does the registration process take?

Accepted Answer

An entry in the Business Register will take about 6 to 8 weeks until it is registered. It actually depends on several factors, such as the workload of the competent Business Register Court, on whether a new entity has been established (and is thus registered with the Business Register for the first time) or on whether a change is made with an entity that already exists.

Question 11

What do annual financial statements consist of?

Accepted Answer

Annual financial statements contain the balance sheet and, depending on the business's size, an income statement as well as a director's or management report, which presents the course of the business, the operating result and the situation of the business. The notes to the annual financial statements explain the accounting and valuation principles.

The annual financial statements must give a true and fair view of the financial position and financial performance of the business. Businesses which are liable to render accounts must prepare annual financial statements once a year for the previous business year.

For information on the filing of annual financial statements with the Business Register via FinanzOnline visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ).

Question 12

What is a balance sheet?

Accepted Answer

A balance sheet is part of the annual financial statements of a business. The assets side of a balance sheet must state the fixed assets and the current assets, and the liabilities side must state the equity capital, the provisions, the liabilities and the accruals and deferred income and the items must be classified.

Question 13

Are annual financial statements published in the Business Register?

Accepted Answer

Companies (e.g. GmbH) and concealed companies (e.g. GmbH & Co. KG) are required to file annual financial statements (including notes and a management report) with the competent Business Register Court not later than nine months after the balance sheet date. The exact scope of the documents to be filed will depend on the size of the company.

The documents are published by the Austrian Business Register and may be inspected by everyone because of the public nature of the Business Register.

Question 14

In what case do annual financial statements contain an income statement?

Accepted Answer

The income statement contains a classification of income and expenses; the profit or loss and the profit or loss for the year must be stated separately. Besides the balance sheet the income statement is a material part of the annual financial statements; however, publishing the same is not always compulsory. In this regard multiple factors play a role, such as the amount of the balance sheet total, the amount of revenue or the number of employees.

Overview of the documents that must be submitted depending on the size of a company.

Question 15

What is the deadline for the preparation of annual financial statements?

Accepted Answer

Business entities that are required to prepare financial statements and primarily defined by specific turnover thresholds must prepare annual financial statements within nine months of the end of the previous financial year.

This does not apply to (without limitation) companies, corporations disguised as a partnership, or private foundations. They must prepare annual financial statements within the first five months and present them to the members of the supervisory board, if such a board exists.

Special legal accounting regulations apply to different types of legal entities, such as insurance companies, cooperative societies, associations, savings banks, etc.

Question 16

What are consolidated financial statements?

Accepted Answer

Consolidated financial statements are the annual financial statements of a group of enterprises.

A group of enterprises is a business association of several legally autonomous business entities which are subsumed under a single management for business reasons. A group consists of a parent and one or more subsidiaries.

While the annual financial statements present a separate business entity, the consolidated financial statements consolidate the business activities of all group companies to be included.

Question 17

What documents and deeds does the Business Register contain?

Accepted Answer

austrian-registers.com gives you the option to search for all official documents of a registered business available directly in the Business Register Database of the Republic of Austria. Besides the Business Register excerpt this includes all annual financial statements and balance sheets that were filed electronically. Furthermore, you will find other documents such as articles of association or partnership agreements, minutes and much more.

Question 18

What is the Business Register Database?

Accepted Answer

In the Business Register Database you can carry out online searches regarding Austrian businesses. The Business Register is the official database of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Anyone can carry out a search in the Business Register Database. The Business Register serves the purpose of recording and disclosing facts which must be registered according to business law regulations. A Business Register excerpt contains up-to-date information about the registered office, managing director(s), the capital of a business, power of Prokura, shareholder(s)/partner(s), transformation, merger, spin-off, articles of association and much more.

The Business Register contains authentic data. The Republic of Austria, specifically the Commercial Court concerned with which the registration was made, is liable for accuracy of the entries. The applicant is liable for incorrect applications or failure to file applications.

The entry is made at 0:00 hours on the day following the decision of the Commercial Court for the legal entity. That means that the database is updated daily.

The Business Register Database has applied

from 1991: for sole proprietors/traders, commercial partnerships, professional partnerships
since 1993: for limited liability companies, stock corporations, cooperative societies, mutual insurance societies, savings banks, private foundations

Question 19

Where do I find historical Business Register data?

Accepted Answer

The Business Register Database contains all cancelled and current registered businesses since 1991 or 1993 to date. Should you require documents from before this period, please visit the economic history online portal of the Compass-Verlag called ZEDHIA (zedhia.at), where you can find business information dating back until 1868.

Question 20

What is a GISA excerpt?

Accepted Answer

The Austrian Business Licence Information System (GISA) is a public register of the Republic of Austria. It contains the data of all businesses that have applied for a trade licence. A GISA excerpt contains the following information: trade licence, holder of the trade licence, description of the trade, the location(s), the managing director(s) under trade law.

Question 21

What is the Trade Information System GISA?

Accepted Answer

The "Trade Information System Austria" (GISA) was launched on 30 March 2015. In addition to standardised keeping of data this new Austria-wide central trade register has created standardised trade processes that may be kept online throughout Austria.

As a matter of principle, all commercial activities that are not prohibited by law are entered into the Austrian Business Licence Information System, provided that they are subject to applicability of the Austrian Trade Code [Gewerbeordnung] 1994, the Austrian Goods Transportation Act [Güterbeförderungsgesetz] 1995 or the Austrian Act on Charter Transportation [Gelegenheitsverkehrsgesetz].

Contrary to entries in the Business Register it is neither important whether the trader has a certain economic significance (e.g. size or structure of the business or tax payments) nor do entries in the Central Trade Register have a constitutive effect.

Question 22

How can I have data in official documents amended?

Accepted Answer

For amendments in the Business Register please contact the competent Commercial Court.

For amendments in the GISA (trade data) please contact the competent municipality or the competent district government authority [Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde/BH].

Amendments to official documents may not be carried out by clearing offices or HF Data.

Question 23

What is the Land Register?

Accepted Answer

The Land Register is a public register of the Republic of Austria. All plots of land and rights in rem to the same are registered in the Land Register (e.g. title, condominium ownership, liens, building rights, servitudes, easements). A Land Register entry is usually done by a lawyer or notary. A Land Register excerpt consists of three parts: the A Sheet (Property Sheet), the B Sheet (Title Sheet) and the C Sheet (Charges Sheet with pre-emptive rights or liens of the banks and others).

For more information on the Land Register visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Question 24

What is a Land Register excerpt?

Accepted Answer

A Land Register excerpt provides information about who is the registered owner of the property and what encumbrances are registered.
The main register is divided into cadastral areas (KG). There is a folio for every Land Register unit (i.e. the property to which entries refer), which is unambiguously marked with a folio number (EZ) in a cadastral area.

Every folio is composed of three parts ("Sheets"):

A Sheet – Property Sheet
B Sheet – Title Sheet
C Sheet – Charges Sheet

Example of a Land Register Excerpt (in German)

For more information on Land Register excerpts visit oesterreich.gv.at

Question 25

Who is in charge of the Land Register?

Accepted Answer

The Austrian Land Register is kept by the District Courts. It is a public register where plots of land and the rights in rem to the same are registered. Everyone may inspect the register and request excerpts and/or documents.

Inter alia, the size, location and owners of condominiums and plots of land are registered.

Question 26

What information does the Property Sheet contain?

Accepted Answer

What information does the Property Sheet (A Sheet) contain?

The A Sheet is the part of the Land Register excerpt which is called the Property Sheet. The Property Sheet is made up of an A1 Sheet and an A2 Sheet.

The A1 Sheet states all plots of land, including their plot number, which belong to the property.

The A2 Sheet states all rights in and public-law restrictions on title to plots of land. Here changes will be entered as well by adding or cancelling plots of land.

Question 27

What information does the Title Sheet contain?

Accepted Answer

The B Sheet is the part of the Land Register excerpt which is called the Title Sheet.

All owners of the property, including the amount of their share (in fractions), are registered. In addition, the document constituting the basis for acquisition of title will be referenced in any case. The document itself is deposited in the so-called collection of documents. Every interest is marked in the B Sheet by a consecutive number.

Question 28

What information does the Charges Sheet contain?

Accepted Answer

The C Sheet is the part of the Land Register excerpt which is called the Charges Sheet.

It provides information on the charges and encumbrances (e.g. liens or mortgages, prohibitions to sell, pre-emptive rights, rights to resell, etc.) linked with title to the property shares.

Such charges or encumbrances may relate to the entire property or are attributed to specific interests.

If title is transferred, the charges and/or encumbrances of the former owner of the share concerned will pass to the new owner unless they are cancelled from the Register.

Question 29

When is a person registered in the Land Register?

Accepted Answer

Upon purchasing or selling a house, an apartment, a heritable building right or plot of land you will be registered in the Land Register. The necessary recording of the transaction is usually made by a notary; notarial certification of the purchase contract is mandatory. Only after the entry has been made will the ownership situation including all rights and duties be official.

Question 30

How long does the registration process take?

Accepted Answer

Processing of an entry in the Land Register by the District Court may take between a few weeks and several months. In the case of a legal dispute it may theoretically even take several years for the entry to be made (e.g. in the case of inheritance disputes).

The documents required for an entry to be made in the Land Register are usually prepared by a notary. First of all, however, the notary will need all necessary certified documents and must verify the authenticity of the signatures. Only after all prerequisites are fulfilled may the Land Register entry be made.

Question 31

What are the rights associated with registration in the Land Register?

Accepted Answer

Title, condominium ownership, liens, building rights and different types of servitudes, easements and land charges may be registered in the Land Register.

Such rights may be acquired by registration in the Land Register.

Annotations are used to show certain circumstances, i.e. legally relevant facts.

Question 32

What documents and deeds does the Land Register contain?

Accepted Answer

austrian-registers.com gives you the option to search for all official documents of a property available directly in the Land Register Database of the Republic of Austria. Besides the Land Register excerpt this also includes all electronically recorded purchase agreements, certificates of pledge, contracts of donation, declarations of cancellation and much more.

Question 33

Are purchase contracts published in the Land Register?

Accepted Answer

The collection of documents forms aer part of the Land Register, i.e. also the purchase contract. Since the Land Register is a public register, everyone may inspect the purchase contracts and other documents or deeds.

Question 34

What is a simultaneous liability?

Accepted Answer

Simultaneous liability means that a loan (a mortgage) is secured by at least two properties.
In the case of a simultaneous mortgage, several properties are concurrently liable for the full outstanding loan amount.
If necessary, the bank can have all those properties auctioned off.
This is a lien that is registered in the Charges Sheet (C Sheet) of the land register excerpt.

Question 35

What is the Land Register Database?

Accepted Answer

You may carry out online searches of the Land Register (kept by the District Courts) and of the cadastre (plans, kept by the surveying offices) in the Land Register Database. The Land Register Database links the data of both sectors.

The Land Register Database is an Austria-wide central register set up by the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying and kept by the District Courts and the surveying offices.

The Land Register is a public register, where all plots of land and rights in rem to the same are registered (title, condominium ownership, liens, building rights, easements, servitudes, land charges, etc.).

The boundary cadastre is a public institution kept by the surveying offices that serves as binding evidence of the plots' boundaries and the purpose of disclosing certain factual conditions of the plots (e.g. situation, size and type of use).

For more information on the Land Register Database visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Question 36

What is a cadastral area (KG)?

Accepted Answer

Cadastral areas (KG) are those parts of the surface of the earth which are defined as such in the cadastre.

Usually, political communities/municipalities include one or more cadastral areas.

In order to clearly identify every cadastral area, it is given a name and a number, e.g. cadastral area of Schwechat 05220.

Question 37

What is a folio number (EZ)?

Accepted Answer

In the Land Register every folio is clearly marked by a folio number (EZ) per cadastral area. One folio may include one or more plots of land owned by specific persons.

The folio number is always printed on the official Land Register excerpt.

Question 38

What is a plot number (GST-NR)?

Accepted Answer

A plot of land is that part of a cadastral area which is defined as such in the cadastre by a plot number.

The plot number (GST-NR) is always stated on the official Land Register excerpt.

A Land Register excerpt may also include several plot numbers.

Question 39

What is a plot of land?

Accepted Answer

A plot of land is a demarcated part encompassed by a boundary line, which demarcates the plot of land from adjacent plots of land. Only by boundary lines is the wide, undivided surface of the earth transformed into plots of land.

Plot boundaries are imaginary lines defined by surveying which separate one plot of land from another.

In particular in residential areas plot boundaries are marked by the owner by visual markings or fencings.

Question 40

What is the journal?

Accepted Answer

The Land Register Court stamps incoming applications for registration in the Land Register by a received stamp that includes the date and time. The filings are registered in the journal and marked by a journal number (TZ).

Accordingly, applications for changes received are registered in the journal. Once the changes have been made they can be seen in the Land Register excerpt.

Question 41

What is the journal number (TZ)?

Accepted Answer

Land Register entries have a so-called journal number.

That number (e.g. 2316/2021) refers to the document or deed related to the Land Register entry.

This is to facilitate inspection of the relevant document or deed (purchase contract, condominium contract, loan agreement, etc.) in the Land Register's collection of documents.

Question 42

What is a Superädifikat?

Accepted Answer

A Superädifikat is a building or structure that is not supposed to remain on the plot of land permanently. It is established by the builder and the owner agreeing that the owner of the land will not acquire title to the structure to be erected.
This means that the owner of the erected building is a person other than the land owner.
Normally, a Superädifikat is limited to a term of 70 to 100 years.

(Contrary to a building right) a Superädifikat is no separate part of a Land Register folio. A Superädifikat can be seen from the document register.

Example:
Someone builds a bathing hut on a lakeside property. However, the plot is owned by the municipality.
This constitutes an exemption from the principle that the land owner holds title to everything that is built on the plot of land.
In this exceptional case title to the plot and title to the building are held by two different persons.

Question 43

What is the document register?

Accepted Answer

The document register is a separate register of the Land Register where Superädifikate are recorded.
Entries in the document register are voluntary.
In the past the register was kept as a paper register and since 1 June 2022 it has been available digitally.
All Superädifikate that existed before that date remain accessible in hard copy only. This means that only new Superädifikate are available digitally (since 1 June 2022).

Question 44

How can I have information in the Land Register amended?

Accepted Answer

The District Courts is responsible for amendments in the Land Register. Applications for amendments to an entry in the Land Register are usually done by a lawyer or notary.

Amendments to official documents may not be carried out by clearing offices or HF Data.

Question 45

What are the advantages of easy?

Accepted Answer

By means of easy firmenbuchgrundbuch.at offers Business Register excerpts, annual financial statements / balance sheets, Land Register excerpts, purchase agreements and other documents from the Business Register, the Land Register or the Trade Register GISA online and instantly.

Your benefits at a glance

No registration required
Instant download of the documents (PDF)
Payment by Credit card, PayPal, EPS, SOFORT (direct bank transfer), Giropay and Apple Pay
Perfect for irregular demand
Secure shopping: online shop that has been awarded the Austrian E-Commerce quality label

Question 46

How do I order and pay in the shop?

Accepted Answer

Your order takes 5 steps:
Search - Selection of documents - Shopping cart - Purchase details - Payment

Search for the desired business or property, select one or more documents and place them in the shopping cart. To order with an obligation to pay you must enter your data, at least a valid email address. After clicking on "Order with an obligation to pay" you will be forwarded to our payment services provider PayPal.

After payment the purchased documents including the invoice will be shown to you on a download page. In addition, the link to your download page will be sent to the email address advised by you. Then the purchase process will be completed.

All payments will be processed by our payment service provider Mollie B.V.:

Credit card (VISA, Mastercard)
PayPal
EPS
SOFORT (direct bank transfer)
Giropay
Apple Pay

Question 47

What are the costs of a Business Register excerpt or a Land Register excerpt?

Accepted Answer

With easy each Business Register excerpt or Land Register excerpt costs EUR 15.90 incl. VAT.

Generally the costs will depend on the scope of your search. Each document will be charged separately. The price consists of the court fee and the charges for preparation of the excerpt and includes local value added tax.

Question 48

What is the cost of retrieving annual financial statements?

Accepted Answer

EUR 10.90 each inclusive of VAT (as for all other Business Register documents (e.g. articles of association, minutes, reports and much more)).

Generally the costs will depend on the volume of your search. Each document will be charged separately. The price consists of the court fee and the charges for preparation of the documents. The price also includes local value added tax.

Question 49

What is the cost of retrieving a purchase contract?

Accepted Answer

With the 'easy' subscription model the cost of retrieving a purchase contract is EUR 10.90 each inclusive of VAT (as for all other Land Register documents (e.g. contracts of donation, certificates of pledge and much more)).

Generally the costs will depend on the volume of your search. Each document will be charged separately. The price consists of the court fee and the charges for preparation of the documents. The price also includes local value added tax.

Question 50

Do I have to register to search for information?

Accepted Answer

No, you do not have to register. We need at least your email address for us to send you the download links and the invoice.

Question 51

What documents can I buy in the shop?

Accepted Answer

Via the Business Register search you can purchase Business Register excerpts and up-to-date annual financial statements which are available electronically. Business Register excerpts contain the electronic signature of the justice system; annual financial statements do not. Besides that, other documents from the Business Register (e.g. articles of association or partnership agreements) are offered.
Business Register excerpts are also available in English with only the headings being translated. You can choose the language version of the website in the menu on the top right.

Via the Land Register search you can purchase an up-to-date Land Register excerpt. It is always a complete excerpt including the A, B and C Sheets. Land Register excerpts contain the electronic signature of the justice system. Besides, other documents from the Land Register (e.g. purchase agreements) are available for purchase.
Land Register excerpts and other documents are available in German.

You can exclusively acquire documents from the Austrian registers. Foreign documents (e.g. excerpts from the German Commercial Register) are not available.

The documents are available electronically and will not be sent by post. At the end of the transaction you will receive an email containing the links to your excerpts and/or documents (PDF).

Via the Gisa search you will be directly forwarded to the Austrian Business Licence Information System. There you can retrieve a GISA excerpt free of charge.

Question 52

Can purchased documents be accessed again?

Accepted Answer

After a successful order you will receive a confirmation by email. This contains a download link to the purchased documents, which is available for 30 days. Thereafter it is no longer valid.

Question 53

How is the value added tax calculated?

Accepted Answer

Value added tax is calculated depending on your location. The location is identified using your IP address.

If your location differs from the desired billing country, you may change the location when entering your billing data.

Please note that we cannot subsequently change the value added tax rate for invoices that have been issued already!

For example, a situation might occur where the registered office of your business is in Austria but because of the network configurations in your business it is connected to the internet via a foreign establishment, e.g. in Germany. In that case the value added tax rate would not be 20% for Austria anymore but 19% for Germany because your IP address is a German one.

Since 2015 the EU VAT one-stop shop (OSS formerly MOSS) scheme provides that value added tax of the purchaser's home country must be calculated and printed on the invoice.

For more information on the EU VAT one-stop shop (OSS) go to the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Question 54

Do I enter into a contractual relationship when making a search?

Accepted Answer

After payment for the search by credit card or any other available payment mode the business relationship with the clearing office HF Data Datenverarbeitungsgesellschaft m.b.H. is terminated. Searches via easy at firmenbuchgrundbuch.at establish no permanent contractual relationship; your data will not be used otherwise or passed on to third parties.

Question 55

What are the advantages of account?

Accepted Answer

By means of account firmenbuchgrundbuch.at offers direct access to the databases of the Republic of Austria: the Business Register Database, the Land Register Database, the Trade Register GISA and, if authorised, the Central Register of Residents (CRR).

Your advantages with account

Direct access to the databases of the Republic of Austria
Expert search with instant access to all available documents (PDF)
Monthly billing
One-off registration fee of EUR 25 (excl. VAT)
Perfect for regular searches or for experts who need these documents for their daily work

Question 56

How do I register for account?

Accepted Answer

You can find the registration form for account on the registration page. Please send the completed and signed registration form to: office@hfdata.at

You will receive all access data from us by email. Billing of the searches is done on a monthly basis.

Question 57

What documents can I download via account?

Accepted Answer

By means of account you can access all official documents that are publicly accessible from the Business Register or Land Register.
Besides the Business Register excerpt this also includes all annual financial statements and balance sheets that were filed electronically. Furthermore, you will find other documents such as articles of association or partnership agreements, minutes and much more.

All official documents relating to a property are available as well. Besides the Land Register excerpt this includes all electronically recorded purchase agreements, certificates of pledge, contracts of donation, declarations of cancellation and much more.

The Trade Register GISA can be accessed via account.
For authorised persons searches in the Central Register of Residents (CRR) are also available.

Question 58

Is there an overview of past searches?

Accepted Answer

In your account account under "Transactions" you have the option to check your searches of the past 365 days at any time and again view the documents you purchased in the last 14 days free of charge. Multiple filters make it easy to find them (date, document, source, etc.).

Question 59

How do I avoid multiple searches that are subject to a charge?

Accepted Answer

The server of the Federal Computing Centre keeps a record of and charges any and all searches. Multiple searches may sometimes lead to unexpected costs. To avoid such costs HF Data recommends that you first check the statistics as to whether a search has been carried out already.

The statistics of your account show all searches which were carried out by you. By clicking on the link you may retrieve the documents free of charge as often as you like. The link is valid for 14 days from the first retrieval of the document.

Question 60

For how long can the documents be retrieved after the search?

Accepted Answer

By clicking on "Account" you will get to your transactions. There you can again view the documents you purchased in the last 14 days free of charge.

Question 61

Can I search for Business Register numbers in GISA?

Accepted Answer

If a search is carried out by Business Register number under the "Search for legal person" rider, it may happen that the legal person cannot be found although the Business Register number is valid.

Please enter the Business Register number including leading zeros and check letters and carry out another search. E.g.: Business Register number "1234a" => "001234a"

Question 62

What is the Central Register of Residents (CRR)?

Accepted Answer

The Central Register of Residents (CRR) is a database of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI). The CRR contains the data sets of all Austrian residents' registration authorities. It is a record of all people (natural persons) who are registered in Austria. The entries are constantly updated in real time by towns and municipalities.

Question 63

Who can apply for access to the CRR?

Accepted Answer

Special requirements must be fulfilled to access the CRR. Access to the CRR for "other persons who are authorised to carry out searches" is regulated in Section 16a (5) of the Austrian Registration of Residents Act [Meldegesetz]. A person or business, a so-called "business partner", must apply to the Ministry of the Interior and substantiate that regular information from the Register of Residents is required for assertion or enforcement of rights or claims on a commercial basis. Professional groups are, e.g., lawyers, notaries, debt collection agencies, facility management firms, banks and insurance companies. HF Data takes care of the submission to the Federal Ministry of the Interior on your behalf.

Further information about the Central Register of Residents (CRR)

Question 64

What is a clearing office?

Accepted Answer

HF DATA is one of several clearing offices of the Republic of Austria and offers you an instant download of online Business Register excerpts or Land Register excerpts at austrian-registers.com. You will receive the documents from the Business Register Database or Land Register Database of the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ).

List of the clearing offices of the Republic of Austria

FAQ on Business Register, Land Register, accesses with easy or account

FAQ Business Register

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FAQ Land Register

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