Principal legal forms
Business entities (the entities based on capital pooling)
Limited Liability Company - Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) and Joint Stock Company - Aktiengesellschaft (AG).
The name must end with the abbreviation GmbH or AG.
The authorized capital for GbmH - at least EUR 35,000.
The authorized capital for AG - EUR 70,000.
At least 50% of the authorized capital shall be represented in the account upon registration. The privilege may be used and only 5,000 credited.
An account in the Austrian bank can be opened in any currency, as well as the company's financial statements may be kept in any currency. In Austria, there is no exchange control, except in the case of collecting information for statistical reports. The matters of income taxation repatriated from abroad are regulated by the provisions of double taxation treaties.
International holdings
The tax relief for Austrian holdings is called "Internationale Schachtel Beteiligung" and it provides that the dividends received by an Austrian holding company from abroad and capital gains are to be income tax free if the following requirements are met:
The ownership ratio in the Austrian holding company in a foreign company exceeds 10% and the participatory interest exists no less than a year. Legal form of the Holding Company Joint Stock Company (AG), Limited Liability Company, GmbH, European Society (SE), Partnership (Genossenschaft), savings bank (Sparkasse), insurance non-profit company (Versicherungsverein), a private foundation (Privatstiftung). At least, the management of the company should be carried out from Austria. A foreign subsidiary shall be similar to a local company (a joint stock company or a limited liability company). The participatory interest may be direct or indirect.
In Austria there are also the companies with personal liability of at least one member. An appropriate legal form is selected in every specific case in accordance with your wishes and A goal of your business activity.