Carpenter Trade License (Tischler)
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade (Handwerk)
- Qualification: Master exam (Meisterpruefung)
- Registration cost: Free (€0)
- Exam fees: Covered by government since July 2023
- Start immediately: Yes, upon registration
- Scope: Furniture, interior fittings, wooden constructions
What Does This Trade Cover?
The Tischler (carpenter/joiner) trade license covers:
- Custom furniture design and manufacturing
- Kitchen installations and built-in furniture
- Interior fittings (doors, windows, staircases from wood)
- Wood restoration and repair work
- CNC woodworking and modern production methods
Qualification Alternatives
- Master exam (Meisterpruefung) for carpenters
- HTL diploma in wood technology + 3 years practical experience
- University/FH degree in wood engineering + 2 years practical experience
- Individual assessment (§19 GewO) with proof of extensive experience
- Qualified manager (§39 GewO) who holds the qualification
Vollstaendige deutsche Version →
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Tischler and Zimmermeister?
Tischler makes furniture and interior fittings. Zimmermeister builds load-bearing timber structures like roof trusses.
Do I need CNC machines to start a carpentry workshop?
Not required but increasingly standard. CNC improves precision and efficiency. Many start with manual tools.
One qualification, several trades
Austrian trade law lists this as a verbundenes Handwerk (combined trade). § 94 Z 71 GewO reads, verbatim: „Tischler; Modellbauer; Bootsbauer; Binder; Drechsler; Bildhauer (verbundenes Handwerk)“
What this licence additionally covers
§ 150 (22): „Tischler (§ 94 Z 71) sind unbeschadet der Rechte der Bodenleger auch berechtigt, Beläge am Boden mit Ausnahme von Kunststein-, Naturstein- und keramischen Belägen zu verlegen. Sie sind weiters zur Herstellung von Holzstiegen im Innenbereich von Bauten berechtigt.“
Qualification: how to prove it
Tischler is a regulated trade under §94 Z.71 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the qualification exam (befähigungsprüfung).
- Examined by: Meisterprüfungsstelle WK
- Exam modules: 5
- Exam fee: €0 — exam fees are covered by the federal government
If you cannot sit the exam, these routes are open to you:
- Lehrabschluss Tischler + Berufspraxis
- Individual assessment under §19 GewO
- Appointing a qualified managing director
Registering the trade
- Cost: Free — registration itself carries no fee
- Where: District administrative authority (Bezirksverwaltungsbehörde)
- Decision within: max. 3 months
- Typically takes: 1-5 Werktage (bei vollständigen Unterlagen)
- Start trading: immediately on registration — you do not have to wait for the decision
You can register in these ways:
- Online via GISA (the trade register)
- Online via USP (the business service portal)
- In person at the authority
Who may register
- Minimum age: 18
- Citizenship or residence: Austria, EU, EEA or Switzerland
- Clean record: no disqualifying convictions (checked by the authority)
Documents to bring
- Photo ID
- Certificate of competence (Befähigungsnachweis)
- Criminal record certificate
Terms shown in German are the ones printed on the Austrian forms — you will meet them exactly like this at the authority.
Where to go, by province
| Province | Competent authority |
|---|---|
| Vienna | Magistrat der Stadt Wien, MA 63 |
| Lower Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft |
| Upper Austria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat |
| Styria | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Graz |
| Tyrol | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Innsbruck |
| Salzburg | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Salzburg |
| Carinthia | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Klagenfurt/Villach |
| Burgenland | Bezirkshauptmannschaft |
| Vorarlberg | Bezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Bregenz |
Sole trader, GmbH, or partnership?
Trade law does not prescribe a legal form — but it does draw one line. Under § 9 (1) GewO, legal entities and registered partnerships (GmbH, OG, KG) may hold a trade licence, but they „must have appointed a managing director (§ 39)“ — a named person who carries the qualification and the legal responsibility for the trade. As a sole trader you are that person yourself.
Whether a GmbH pays off financially depends on profit, drawings, SVS contributions and allowances. There is no general profit threshold, and that question belongs to a tax adviser, not to this page.
Running this trade alongside a job
Nothing in Austrian law forbids running a trade as a side business. Two things about social insurance are regularly misremembered, and both cost money.
- The obligation follows Chamber membership, not profit. Under § 2 (1) 1 GSVG compulsory SVS insurance attaches to membership of the Economic Chamber, which you acquire with the trade licence itself. It therefore applies in a year in which you make no profit at all.
- There is an exemption — but only on application. § 4 (1) 7 GSVG lets very small businesses be exempted while turnover and income stay under the limits it refers to. Nothing happens automatically: without the application, the obligation stands.
If you are employed, check your employment contract separately for a secondary-activity clause — that is a matter between you and your employer, not trade law.
Legal basis: GewO 1994 §94 Z.71 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.
Rule-change alerts
Austrian trade rules change through amendments, new regulations and new thresholds. Every day we check the Federal Law Gazette for changes to the Trade Act and its regulations. When one affects this trade, you get an email: what changes, from when, and where it is written. Otherwise we do not write.
First you get one email to confirm. No advertising, no tracking.