Register a Company in Austria as a Non-Resident

Yes, you can form an Austrian company without living in Austria. The most common legal form, the GmbH (limited liability company), requires 10,000 euros in share capital since the 2024 reform, of which at least 5,000 euros must be paid in cash. What you cannot skip is a registered office address in Austria: a real physical address, not a PO box. This guide walks through the requirements, documents and timeline for non-resident founders. Last updated June 2026.

Can non-residents form a company in Austria?

Yes. Neither shareholders nor managing directors of an Austrian GmbH need to be Austrian citizens or residents. Founders from the EU, the EEA and third countries can hold 100 percent of the shares and manage the company from abroad.

What changes for non-residents is the practical side, not the legal one. You will need to identify yourself before an Austrian notary, open a bank account for the capital deposit, and maintain an address in Austria where official mail reliably reaches you. Each of these steps is solvable remotely with the right setup, but they need planning before you start, not during the notary appointment.

How much capital does an Austrian GmbH need?

Since 2024, the minimum share capital of a GmbH is 10,000 euros, and at least 5,000 euros of it must be paid in cash before registration. The previous minimum of 35,000 euros is history, which cut the entry cost for foreign founders substantially.

The cash portion goes into an Austrian bank account opened for the company in formation, and the bank confirms the deposit for the commercial register, called the Firmenbuch. On top of the capital, budget for notary fees for the formation deed, register fees and, if you do not speak German, certified translations of your documents.

What address do you need to register a company?

Every Austrian company needs a registered office address in Austria, and it must be a serviceable physical address where official documents can be delivered. A PO box does not qualify, and an address that exists only on paper creates problems with the register, the tax office and banks.

Non-residents typically rent a business address. The business address in Vienna from 1010 Works puts your company at Seitenstettengasse 5/37 in Vienna's first district, two minutes on foot from Schwedenplatz with the U1 and U4 metro lines. It is a staffed, real location: incoming mail is accepted, scanned to you digitally or picked up in person Monday to Sunday. Plans start at 49 euros per month plus VAT on annual billing, or 59 euros monthly, and are cancellable every month. Which address requirements apply at each formation step is covered in our company formation guide.

What are the steps to register a GmbH from abroad?

The core sequence is: notarial formation deed, capital deposit, commercial register filing, then tax registration. In practice, non-resident founders work through this list:

• choose the company name and check it against existing register entries
• have the articles of association drawn up and signed before an Austrian notary
• open a bank account for the company in formation and deposit at least 5,000 euros in cash
• file the application to the commercial register (Firmenbuch)
• register with the tax office for a tax number and, if needed, a VAT number

After the notary appointment, the commercial register entry typically takes days to a few weeks, depending on the court and the completeness of your file. If you want the entire formation handled remotely as a package, including coordination of notary, bank and register, our sister service euincorp.com specialises in exactly that for international founders.

How do you run the company from abroad after formation?

With a virtual office setup: your registered address receives the mail, you get scans the same day, and important documents can be forwarded EU-wide. The virtual office in Vienna covers this: the Premium plan at 129 euros per month on annual billing (149 euros monthly, plus VAT) includes EU-wide forwarding, acceptance of RSb registered letters via postal power of attorney, and 4 hours of meeting room use per month for the days you are in Vienna.

Official Austrian mail is the part to take seriously. Tax office letters have deadlines, and missing them costs money. A staffed address with same-day scanning means a deadline letter from Vienna reaches you in Lisbon or Singapore within hours, not weeks.

Conclusion

Forming an Austrian company as a non-resident is a defined, repeatable process: 10,000 euros share capital with 5,000 paid in cash, a notarial deed, a bank deposit and a commercial register filing. The one piece of infrastructure you need from day one is a serviceable registered office address in Austria. At 1010 Works, that address sits at Seitenstettengasse 5/37 in Vienna's first district, from 49 euros per month, with mail scanning and monthly cancellation. Start with the business address in Vienna and the formation itself becomes the easy part.