BCA Austria
BCA Group: Austria
INSIGHTS
You No Longer Need to Fly to Vienna to Incorporate an Austrian GmbH
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For years, one question stopped international founders before they even started: do I really need to fly to Austria just to sign some papers?
Until 2022, the honest answer was: probably yes. Austrian GmbH formation requires a notarial deed — a formal document executed by a public notary — and most notaries required physical presence for the signing. For a founder in New York, Dubai, or Singapore, that meant a transatlantic trip for a signature.
That changed.
That changed.
What Changed in 2022
Since 2022, notarial deeds and signature certifications for Austrian company formation can be completed entirely digitally. The legal basis was established under Austrian procedural reforms that brought the notarial process in line with electronic identification standards.
In practice, this means:
In practice, this means:
- You identify yourself via video call using your passport
- The notary verifies your identity in real time
- You sign the articles of association (Gesellschaftsvertrag) electronically
- The notarial deed is executed and submitted to the commercial court digitally
What It Means for Non-Resident Founders
Faster process.
Scheduling a video notary appointment is considerably easier than coordinating international travel. The notarial step, which used to be a logistics bottleneck, can now happen within days of document preparation being complete.
Scheduling a video notary appointment is considerably easier than coordinating international travel. The notarial step, which used to be a logistics bottleneck, can now happen within days of document preparation being complete.
Lower cost.
A return flight to Vienna, two nights in a hotel, and lost work time added €1,000–2,000 to the effective cost of Austrian incorporation for many founders. That cost is now zero.
A return flight to Vienna, two nights in a hotel, and lost work time added €1,000–2,000 to the effective cost of Austrian incorporation for many founders. That cost is now zero.
More accessible.
Founders in time zones far from Vienna — the US, Southeast Asia, Australia — can now incorporate an Austrian GmbH without the process being physically inconvenient.
Founders in time zones far from Vienna — the US, Southeast Asia, Australia — can now incorporate an Austrian GmbH without the process being physically inconvenient.
What Still Requires Your Attention
Digital notarisation solves the signing problem. It does not solve everything.
Banking still often requires at least one in-person or video KYC session with the bank. Traditional Austrian banks have their own identity verification requirements, separate from the notary process. Video KYC is increasingly available, but not universal across all banks.
Document preparation still requires apostilled certificates from your home country — passport certifications, criminal record certificates, corporate documents for company shareholders. These take time regardless of whether the notary is digital.
The overall process is still 6–10 weeks. Digital notarisation removes one of the most inconvenient steps — it does not compress the entire timeline.
Banking still often requires at least one in-person or video KYC session with the bank. Traditional Austrian banks have their own identity verification requirements, separate from the notary process. Video KYC is increasingly available, but not universal across all banks.
Document preparation still requires apostilled certificates from your home country — passport certifications, criminal record certificates, corporate documents for company shareholders. These take time regardless of whether the notary is digital.
The overall process is still 6–10 weeks. Digital notarisation removes one of the most inconvenient steps — it does not compress the entire timeline.
The Bigger Picture
Austria is not the only EU jurisdiction to have moved in this direction. Estonia has had digital incorporation for years — it's part of why e-Residency became attractive. The difference is that Austria now offers a comparable process for the GmbH, a structure with considerably more credibility for enterprise clients and conventional banking relationships.
For founders who previously ruled out Austria because of the travel requirement, that objection is no longer valid.
For founders who previously ruled out Austria because of the travel requirement, that objection is no longer valid.
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Austria · Germany · company formation for non-residents