Do I need a trade licence (Gewerbe) in Austria?
Usually yes. If you work self-employed in 24-hour care in Austria, you normally need the free trade ‘Personenbetreuung’. It's standard in the industry — and easier than it sounds.
- you provide care self-employed (the most common case)
- you're placed via an agency but work on your own account
- you care for several clients / households
- you're permanently employed by the agency (rare in 24h care)
- you only help out briefly and aren't self-employed
How to register the Gewerbe
At the district administrative authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat) or online via the Unternehmensserviceportal. You need a Meldezettel, ID/passport and possibly a criminal-record extract from your home country. The registration itself is free of charge.
With the trade registration you become a mandatory member of the SVS (social insurance for the self-employed). This gives you health, accident and pension insurance. Reduced minimum contributions apply at the start.
With the trade you automatically become a WKO member. The professional group for personal care advises you free of charge — also in several languages.
Many agencies help with the trade registration or even handle it — some also pay the SVS contributions. Watch for these benefits in the listings and ask actively.
See listings with Gewerbe/SVS support