Retirement, handing over the business or a switch to a different legal form: these often mean deregistering the trade. Deregistering a trade in Austria (Gewerbe abmelden) legally means surrendering the trade licence (Zurücklegung der Gewerbeberechtigung). It is free of charge and generally possible at any time, but it cannot be undone once the authority has received it.
This article explains what the surrender means, when a trade licence ends in other ways and how deregistration differs from a dormancy notice. It then walks step by step through deregistration, online and in Vienna, and covers the notifications to the SVS, the tax office and the company register. The information comes from the Business Service Portal (USP), the City of Vienna and the Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO).
Key points at a glance:
- Deregistering a trade legally means surrendering the trade licence to the trade authority responsible for the location.
- The surrender is generally possible at any time, costs no fees and becomes irrevocable once the authority receives it.
- It takes effect on the day the notice is received, or on a later day stated in it.
- The SVS is to be informed afterwards, and the tax office too if the whole business activity ends; for sole traders, compulsory insurance ends on the last day of the month in which all trade licences have ended.
- Anyone who only wants a break reports the trade as dormant to the Economic Chamber within three weeks.
Deregistering a trade: what the surrender means
In everyday language people speak of deregistering, while the Trade Regulation Act (Gewerbeordnung, GewO) speaks of surrendering the trade licence. Anyone who wants to surrender a trade has to notify the competent trade authority; only then, according to the USP, is the entry in the Austrian trade information system (GISA) deleted. If the trade is surrendered for the main location, the licences for further premises end at the same time. These rules generally also apply to entrepreneurs from other EU member states who run a trade in Austria.
According to the WKO, the business also has to stop when the trade licence ends, unless a successor has obtained the corresponding licence. Anyone surrendering the trade licence also returns the proof of the licence to the authority, such as an old trade licence certificate (Gewerbeschein), ID cards or credentials.
When a trade licence ends in other ways
The surrender is not the only way a trade licence ends. According to the WKO, the Trade Regulation Act lists further reasons, including:
After a restructuring such as a merger or contribution, the licence that passed to the legal successor ends six months after the entry in the company register if no notice has been made to the trade authority or no managing director has been appointed by then. If a right to continue the business exists, the trade licence only ends when that right ends.
Deregister or report as dormant?
Not every break calls for deregistration. Anyone who only wants to shut down a trade temporarily can report it as dormant and resume it later. The two routes differ clearly:
| Surrender | Dormancy notice | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | End the trade permanently | Not carry on the trade for a while |
| Competent body | Trade authority of the location | Regional Economic Chamber, for some trades the trade authority |
| Deadline | Generally possible at any time | Within three weeks of the start of dormancy, for some trades in advance |
| Withdrawal | Irrevocable once received | Report the resumption within three weeks |
| Trade licence | Ends, the GISA entry is deleted | Remains in place |
| Social insurance | For sole traders, compulsory insurance ends on the last day of the month in which all trade licences have ended | Exemption from health and pension insurance for the duration of the dormancy |
Which route fits depends on whether the activity is to be resumed later. A surrender cannot be withdrawn; anyone who wants to carry on the same trade again later registers it anew. The dormancy notice to the Economic Chamber, by contrast, is only declaratory according to the WKO: it records that a licence that still exists is currently not being used.
Deregistering a trade in six steps
According to the USP, the surrender can be notified informally or with a form, in person, in writing or electronically. The process for deregistering a trade:
This is the trade authority of the location: the district administrative authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft), or the municipal authority in statutory cities. In Vienna it is the municipal district office or MA 63, depending on the trade.
Have the name of the licence holder, the trade wording, the location and the GISA number ready; the GISA number is on the GISA extract.
Decide whether the surrender takes effect on receipt or on a later day; it can also be tied to a condition.
Notify the trade authority of the surrender informally, with a form or online with ID Austria.
Return the old Gewerbeschein, ID cards or credentials to the authority; an official photo ID is part of the documents.
If compulsory insurance ends as a result, report this to the SVS within one month. If the business activity is given up altogether, inform the tax office as well.
Deregistering a trade online
A trade can be deregistered online via the procedure for surrendering the trade licence. According to the USP, the form requires the GISA number of the trade, which appears on the GISA extract and in trade-law decisions and notices, and the company register number or social security number. Sign-in is with ID Austria.
The City of Vienna also offers its own online form. Without ID Austria, the surrender can still be notified in person or in writing; an informal notice is enough if it contains the necessary details.
Deregistering a trade in Vienna
In Vienna, the municipal district office (Magistratisches Bezirksamt) or MA 63 handles the deregistration, depending on the trade. According to the City of Vienna, its online form can only be used with ID Austria or EU Login; an electronic signature of the application is not provided for. In person or in writing, the designation of the trade, the full name of the licence holder and the location are needed.
Documents such as the GISA extract, the Gewerbeschein or credentials have to be returned to the authority in Vienna as well. The notice is free of charge. The city names the closure of a business or retirement as typical reasons.
What applies to the surrender
The surrender is generally possible at any time. The requirement is that there is no restriction on disposing of the trade licence, such as an attachment (Pfändung). What does it cost to deregister a trade? Nothing: according to the USP, no fees or charges apply. Giving up the licence itself costs nothing; court fees only arise when a company name is deleted from the company register.
Timing matters. The surrender takes effect on the day the authority receives the notice. A later day can be named, as can a condition, for example the handover of the business to a successor. Once received, the notice is irrevocable. Deregistering a trade retroactively is not provided for in the information from the USP and the City of Vienna, so it pays to plan the desired date in good time.
After deregistering: the SVS, the tax office and the company register
With the surrender, the trade has ended, but deregistering a trade also means notifying other bodies. According to the USP, anyone closing a sole proprietorship informs the Social Insurance Institution for the Self-Employed (SVS), the tax office, the Firmenbuch where applicable and, if there are employees, the employees’ social insurance.
For sole traders, compulsory health, pension and accident insurance ends on the last day of the calendar month in which all trade licences have ended. Changes that lead to the end of compulsory insurance have to be reported to the SVS within one month; as a rule, the trade authority informs the SVS of the surrender anyway.
Anyone giving up their business activity altogether along with the trade informs the competent tax office. The notice, together with the necessary documents, can be made in person, by post, by fax or via FinanzOnline.
Sole proprietorships entered in the company register (Firmenbuch) apply to the competent company register court for the company name to be deleted. The competent court is the regional court for the seat of the business, in Vienna the Commercial Court of Vienna and in Graz the Regional Civil Court. The application can be made informally in writing with a certified signature and the reason, or fully online without certification via the form for sole traders. Court fees apply for the filing, made up of a filing fee for the application and an entry fee for the publication.
When the business is carried on
The end of a trade does not always mean the end of the business. If the entrepreneur dies, the heirs can, for example, continue the business according to the USP. Towards the company register, they prove their status as heirs with a final grant of the estate (Einantwortungsbeschluss), and whoever continues the business signs the filing with the company register.
For a handover during one’s lifetime, the condition in the notice helps: according to the City of Vienna, the surrender can be tied to the handover of the business to a successor. The holder’s own licence then only ends when the condition occurs, for example when the successor obtains an equal trade licence; if that person does not obtain it, the notice lapses. The trade licence is a personal right and does not pass with a handover, so the successor needs a licence of their own. Restructurings such as a contribution into a company are different: there the licence passes to the legal successor, who notifies the trade authority of the transfer within six months of the entry in the company register.
The dormancy notice as an alternative
According to the WKO, anyone who stops carrying on the trade for a while reports the dormancy to the competent regional Economic Chamber within three weeks of its start. This can be done informally by email or via the WKO eServices. A dormancy notice for a trade contains at least the name of the licence holder or company, the designation of the trade, the effective date and, by post or fax, a signature; for emails it can be omitted. For some trades, such as real estate agents and managers, insurance intermediaries or master builders, the dormancy has to be notified directly to the trade authority, and in advance. Chimney sweeps report a dormancy of more than two months to the district administrative authority six weeks beforehand.
Only the trade licence holder can report dormancy, or for companies the body authorised to represent them: for partnerships the personally liable partner, for a GmbH or AG the management or the board. An authorised representative can also file the notice; for written dormancy notices, the original power of attorney has to be enclosed. For lawyers, tax advisers, accountants and auditors, a reference to the power of attorney granted is enough.
While dormant, the trade may not be advertised, offered or carried out. In return, the licence holder is exempt from health and pension insurance for the duration of the dormancy; these two branches end on the last day of the month in which the dormancy begins. If the trade is dormant for a whole calendar year, the basic chamber contribution (Grundumlage) is payable at no more than half.
Trade law and social insurance differ on deadlines. According to the WKO, a dormancy notice reaching back further than three weeks is not permitted under the Trade Regulation Act. Towards social insurance, the exemption reaches back up to 18 months before the notice, provided no activity subject to compulsory insurance was carried on and no benefit was drawn from the respective branch, health or pension insurance, during that time. The resumption also has to be reported within three weeks.
In short: deregistering a trade means surrendering the trade licence to the trade authority, free of charge, generally at any time and irrevocably once received. A break only needs a dormancy notice to the Economic Chamber within three weeks.
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Frequently asked questions
How is a trade deregistered in Austria?
By notifying the surrender to the trade authority of the location, informally, with a form or online with ID Austria. Name, trade wording, location and GISA number belong in the notice.
What does it cost to deregister a trade?
Nothing. No fees or charges apply to the surrender. Court fees only arise when a company name is deleted from the company register.
Can a trade be deregistered online?
Yes, via the online procedure with ID Austria. It requires the GISA number and the company register number or social security number.
When does the deregistration take effect?
On the day the authority receives the notice. A later day or a condition can be stated.
Can the deregistration be withdrawn?
No. Once received by the authority, the notice is irrevocable. Anyone who wants to carry on the trade again later registers it anew.
What else has to be reported after deregistering?
If compulsory insurance ends, this has to be reported to the SVS within one month. If the business activity ends entirely, the tax office has to be told as well. If the business is in the company register, its deletion has to be applied for too.
How does it differ from a dormancy notice?
A dormancy notice only pauses the trade, and the licence remains in place. It goes to the Economic Chamber within three weeks, while the surrender goes to the trade authority.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. The rules mentioned are based on the Trade Regulation Act and the Commercial Social Insurance Act (GSVG) and on information from the Business Service Portal, the City of Vienna and the Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO); for a specific case, the trade authority, the SVS and the tax office are the right points of contact. Payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., 21 rue Glesener, Luxembourg, L-1631, Luxembourg, an Electronic Money Institution authorized and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, Luxembourg, under the register number W00000015.
