BCAUNTERNEHMENSBERATUNG
Law library / UGB

Austrian company law

Business Code (UGB)

The code that governs the company register, the company name and commercial agency — including how a foreign company registers an Austrian branch.

Unternehmensgesetzbuch (UGB), dRGBl. S 219/1897, in der geltenden Fassung

8 selected sections · English side by side with the current German text · German text as of 30 October 2026 · translation edited by Alexander Baranov

The UGB is the general code for businesses in Austria. For founders and foreign companies the sections that matter most are the ones on the company register (Firmenbuch), the company name (Firma) and its mandatory legal-form suffixes, how a foreign entity registers an Austrian branch, and Prokura — the broad commercial signing authority.

Each section below shows the English and the German side by side, paragraph by paragraph; the German text is copied from the official consolidated version (RIS) and our English is an unofficial working translation.

In practice: Austrian branch registration · Company formation · Corporate structuring.

Company register

§ 8Entry in the company registerEintragung§ 12Austrian branches of foreign entitiesInländische Zweigniederlassungen ausländischer Rechtsträger

The company name (Firma)

§ 17The company name: definitionFirma — Begriff§ 18Requirements for the company nameEigenschaften der Firma§ 19Mandatory legal-form suffixesZwingende Rechtsformzusätze§ 29Distinguishability of the company nameUnterscheidbarkeit der Firma

Prokura (commercial authority)

§ 48Grant of ProkuraErteilung der Prokura§ 49Scope of ProkuraUmfang der Prokura
Unofficial translation, information only. Only the German text is legally binding. This is not legal advice. Selected provisions, not the complete Act.