EU/EEA professional qualifications – Equivalence procedure

Provincial governor (Landeshauptmann^{German text})

For the application for recognition and its enclosures as well as for the execution of the application no stamp duty and federal administrative charges are payable.

No special deadlines need be observed.

If the requesting party intends to exercise a trade subject to the recognition procedure, it will primarily be the recognition procedure that will be applied rather than the equivalence procedure.

Professional qualifications obtained in a Member State of the EU/EEA or in Switzerland can be recognised in Austria in order to provide proof of qualification as required for the exercise of regulated trades. If the recognition procedure cannot be applied to the trade in question, authorities will be obliged under Sections 373d and 373e (only refers to the planning of buildings) of the Gewerbeordnung 1994 (GewO 1994) to verify on a case-by-case basis how and to what extent a foreign certificate is equivalent to an Austrian certificate of formal qualification (i.e. the so-called "assessment of equivalence" within the equivalence procedure).

The equivalence of professional qualifications attained in the home country or country of origin will be recognised upon request by an official decision issued by the Provincial Governor of the competent Austrian Land (state). This decision, however, does not involve any entitlement to exercise the trade^{German text}. To this end the requesting party must obtain a valid trade licence from the authority competent for the location.

• Sections 373d and 373e of the Gewerbeordnung 1994 (GewO 1994)
• Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications

Online procedure:
GISA EU/EEA Qualifications - Request

• Submission of request
• Where required, request for information from the competent authority in the home country or country of origin
• Issue of official decision

As a rule, the procedure lasts roughly four months.

The following copies of documents must be attached to the request:

• Official identification with photo
• For equivalence of all trades:
  • Proof (issued by the competent authority) of qualification attained in the home country or country of origin: Certificates of formal qualification or training
  • For trades not regulated in the Member State of origin: document supporting professional experience in the trade (full-time employment) of at least one year during the last ten years
• For equivalence of planning buildings additionally:
  • Certificates of professional qualification attained in the home country or country of origin that allow for automatic recognition in accordance with Directive 2005/36/EC

• Qualification from Member States of the EU/EEA or Switzerland including the entitlement to exercise the trade in the country of origin
• For the equivalence of all trades:
  • The professional qualification attained in the home country or country of origin does not differ substantially from the Austrian proof of qualification (assessment of equivalence). In the case of substantial differences the equivalence will be recognised under the condition that an adaptation period or an aptitude test is completed.
• For the equivalence of planning buildings additionally:
  • The professional qualification attained in the home country or country of origin has to allow for automatic recognition in accordance with Directive 2005/36/EC.
• For the equivalence of production of pharmaceutical products and toxins additionally:
  • The professional qualification must reach a minimum level in accordance with Directive 2005/36/EC.