Plain-language summaries of changes to Austrian federal law. Generated with AI, updated within hours of each official publication.
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Austria has issued a new regulation setting out how audit firms (Wirtschaftstreuhänder) must pay for the costs of oversight inspections carried out by the audit authority (APAB). The regulation takes effect on 15 August 2026.
The regulation setting out the women's advancement plan (Frauenförderungsplan) for the Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) has been repealed with effect from 12 August 2026 by BGBl. II Nr. 243/2026. Judges, civil servants, and contract staff employed at the Administrative Court are affected.
The President of the Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) issued a new Women's Advancement Plan (Frauenförderungsplan) effective 13 August 2026, replacing the 2024 regulation (BGBl. II Nr. 171/2024). It sets binding measures and statistical targets to increase the share of women in judicial, managerial, and civil-service roles at the court.
The Federal Arbitration Office (Bundeseinigungsamt) has declared a collective agreement for employees of private adult education institutions to be binding throughout Austria effective 1 July 2026. This makes the agreement's terms apply to all eligible employers and workers in the sector, not just the original signatories.
Section 5(8a) of the Austrian Notary Tariff Act (NTG – Notariatstarifgesetz) has been revised: a single-person GmbH founding declaration that includes provisions on the founding privilege (Gründungsprivilegierung, §10b GmbHG) no longer qualifies for the €500 flat notary fee. Founders who include such clauses will instead pay the standard fee based on half the registered share capital.
The Federal Minister of Justice has adjusted court fees (Gerichtsgebühren) upward based on the March 2026 Consumer Price Index. The new amounts apply to all court filings and official acts where the fee obligation arises after 31 July 2026.
Austria's Railway Crossing Regulation (Eisenbahnkreuzungsverordnung 2012) was amended by BGBl. II Nr. 235/2026, with changes taking effect the day after publication. Railway companies still operating level crossings under old 1961 guard-based approvals face binding review (by 1 September 2034) and upgrade deadlines (by 1 September 2039); crossings on suspended lines are exempt until operations resume.
Bidders and target companies in Austrian takeover proceedings must now submit key documents to the Takeover Commission (Übernahmekommission) for publication on the EU's European Single Access Point (ESAP). The new §§ 30b–30d and amended § 35 take effect the day after publication of BGBl. I Nr. 61/2026 but apply only to information required to be published from 10 January 2030 onward.
Austria has designated a 2.07 km section of the A7 Mühlkreis Autobahn near Linz for automated average-speed enforcement starting 2026. Drivers on this route must comply with posted speed limits; violations will be detected by section-control cameras measuring average speed over the entire zone.
Two new transitional provisions (§ 126 paras 21 and 22) have been added to the Zahnärztekammergesetz (Dental Chamber Act), implementing the Zahnärztequalitätssicherungsgesetz 2026 (Dental Quality Assurance Act 2026). They set out when new duties and repeals take effect for dentists and the Austrian Dental Chamber.
Austria has introduced average speed monitoring (section control) on two sections of the A 14 Rheintal motorway near the Pfändertunnel. Drivers will be monitored for average speed compliance on the inbound Innsbruck stretch (km 1.92–8.65) and outbound Munich stretch (km 8.66–1.90), effective immediately.
Austria has added a new section defining rules for professional truck and bus drivers, including key terms like regulated vehicles, analog and digital tachographs, and regional bus services. The update incorporates EU regulations on road transport working conditions and takes effect August 5, 2026.
Austria has established average-speed enforcement (Section Control) on a 7–8 km stretch of the A 21 Vienna Ring motorway between Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz, effective immediately. Drivers must comply with posted speed limits, as average speed over the entire monitored section will be measured and enforced.
Austria's Federal Ministry of Justice has published an update to the EU's official list of non-cooperative countries and territories for tax purposes, effective 1 March 2026. The list identifies jurisdictions that do not meet international tax transparency and exchange-of-information standards.
Austria's Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs has set the percentage rates for calculating purchasing-power allowances (Kaufkraftausgleichszulagen) for Austrian civil servants and contract staff working at diplomatic posts and international organizations abroad for July 2026. These rates vary by location, ranging from 0% (marked with '–') to 48% (Geneva).
The Dental Quality Assurance Act 2026 (Zahnärztequalitätssicherungsgesetz 2026, BGBl. I Nr. 64/2026) amends the Austrian Zahnärztegesetz (Dental Practitioners Act). Patients are now entitled to receive the first copy of their dental records free of charge, and the threshold requiring a mandatory written treatment-and-cost plan is set at 70% of the average net monthly wage.
Austria's Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research has set the new payment amounts for student aid (Studienbeihilfe), self-supporting student aid, and degree-completion scholarships for the 2026/27 academic year, and the earning limit for calendar year 2026. These changes take effect on 1 September 2026 for most provisions and 1 January 2027 for the earning limit.
The Bundesfinanzierungsgesetz (Austrian Federal Financing Act, BFinG) is amended to expand ÖBFA's (Austrian Federal Financing Agency) powers: it may now issue and self-hold government bonds, arrange collateral in inter-governmental finance deals, and fulfil new mandates for research funding and CO₂ certificate auctions. Austrian federal states (Länder) and social-insurance carriers retain full discretion over whether to use ÖBFA's services.
BGBl. II Nr. 225/2026 amends the Austrian Toy Safety Regulation 2011 (Spielzeugverordnung 2011) by inserting a comprehensive new Annex 2 (Anlage 2) that transposes EU Directive 2026/192 of 29 January 2026. Toys still meeting only the old version of Annex 2 may continue to be placed on the market until 28 August 2026; full compliance with the updated rules is mandatory after that date.
A new provision (§89r) in Austria's Court Organisation Act (Gerichtsorganisationsgesetz/GOG) requires courts to store protocol data — log records of who queried the land register (Grundbuch) or commercial register (Firmenbuch) — for exactly three years and then delete them. The rule takes effect on the day after publication of BGBl. I Nr. 62/2026 and also applies to data already stored.