Organisation : Business Service Portal
Facility Name : Start A Business Online
Country : Austria
Website : https://startup.usp.gv.at/en/index
How To Start A Business Online in Austria?
Whether you plan to open a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation, we provide you with all the necessary information and services to get you startet successfully.
Related / Similar Facility : BKA Federal Legal Information System (RIS) Austria
Electronic Start-Up
E-start-up is a free service of the USP, which can be used to start up a company online. Founders can carry out the entire start-up process online via the USP. The forms, questionnaires and information required for this are available centrally via the “e-start-up” service in the USP. An exception to this is visiting the bank to open a deposit account. At the same time, founders can either carry out the entire start-up process electronically in the USP or perform individual steps on site at the competent authority and complete the rest electronically.
This offer is currently available for sole proprietors, single-member GmbH or single-member FlexCo. Other legal forms can be set up via a notary. You can start up a single-member FlexCo and a single-member GmbH (by way of simplified start up as per section 9 of the GmbH-Gesetz) only via USP.
Requirements For E-Start-Up
** ID Austria (for start-up via the USP)
** Legal maturity – have turned 18, no adult protection
** Citizenship of a Member State of the EU, EEC or Switzerland or residence permit (under Austrian immigration law)
** Main domicile in Austria
** Lack of ground for exclusion as per the Gewerbeordnung 1994 (GewO 1994)
** Attestation of competence (only for regulated professions)
Requirements for starting up as a sole proprietor:
No special requirements
Requirements for starting up a single-member GmbH or a single-member FlexCo:
** The company has only one member (natural person)
** This person simultaneously holds the role of Managing Director
** The banking process has been completed (capital stock paid in, identity document, specimen signature)
** The standardised articles of association available in the USP is used
** Electronic start-up of a company is not possible in those cases where additional qualifications must be submitted to the commercial register for the purposes of founding the company.
** This concerns companies for a few specific professions, e.g. civil engineering or doctor’s practices with the legal form GmbH.
** Please continue to use the existing start-up options for these companies.
Steps:
Founders create and then log into the start-up account. A valid ID Austria is required for the registration and login process. Founders select a legal form for their company. At present, the legal forms sole proprietor, single-member GmbH and single-member FlexCo can be started up via the USP.
Founders complete the necessary forms to start up the company:
Forms for sole proprietors:
** New business support (optional)
** Business registration
** Financial registration (Verf24)
** Social insurance notification
Forms for single-member GmbH:
** New business support (optional)
** Business registration
** Application for entry in the commercial register
** Tax office notification (Verf15)
** Social insurance notification
Forms for single-member FlexCo :
** Application for entry in the commercial register
Note:
If founders have already completed individual forms via another competent body (e.g. the start-up service of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce), the founder can specify as such in the start-up account so that the form will not need to be completed again via the USP.
After all necessary forms have been completed, these will then be processed by the competent authorities. This process can take a few weeks.
Once the competent authorities have processed the forms and the company has been successfully started up, founders can upgrade from the USP start-up account to a full USP account and complete the foundation process.
Once the start-up has been completed, the founders will be granted automatic access to “Mein USP”, where you can use the services of the USP. These include FinanzOnline, ELDA – the portal for social insurance providers, e-invoicing to the Federal Government.
Forms of Company
If several people wish to run a business together, they usually start a company. It is a legal community established by a partnership agreement (legal transaction). The most suitable form of company in a specific case depends on many factors, such as the size and capital requirements of the business, the planned form of shareholder participation (active involvement or simply providing capital), the intended type of liability (limited or unlimited) and tax considerations.
A partnership [Personengesellschaft] consists of at least two partners who join forces in order to pursue a common objective, and who agree on articles of association to that end. It is also possible to opt for a limited partnership [Kommanditgesellschaft], an general partnership [Offene Gesellschaft], a GmbH & Co KG. or a civil law partnership [Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts]. All of these, with the exception of the GesbR, only come into being once they have been entered in the commercial register.
A corporation [Kapitalgesellschaft] is a legal entity with its own legal personality. It is possible to choose between an stock corporation [Aktiengesellschaft] or a Limited liability company respectively Flexible Company. These only come into being once they have been entered in the commercial register.