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Hairdresser License (Friseur und Perückenmacher)

GewO §94 Z.22   Verified: April 2026

Key Facts

  • Type: Craft trade (Handwerk) — Master exam required
  • Master exam: 5 modules — free since 1 July 2023 (first and second attempt)
  • Registration: Free (€0)
  • Barber shops: Same license required (falls under Friseur)
  • Start immediately: Yes

Where did you obtain your qualification?

Submit your qualification proof with the registration

For a regulated trade you submit your Befähigungsnachweis (qualification proof) with the registration — the Key Facts above show what counts for this trade.

Qualification Proof — the 4 paths Registration Guide

Start the recognition procedure first

For a qualification obtained in the EU/EEA or Switzerland, Directive 2005/36/EC gives you the right to a formal recognition or equivalence procedure (Anerkennung/Gleichhaltung). Do this before registering.

Qualification Proof Foreigners Guide

Have your qualification assessed

For a qualification obtained outside the EU/EEA the recommended path is the individual assessment (§ 19): your training and experience are assessed for equivalence.

Individual assessment (§ 19) Which path fits — the table

Choose your qualification route

Three routes without a formal qualification: individual assessment (§ 19), the qualification exam (exam fees covered by the government since 2023), or a qualified manager (§ 39).

Individual assessment (§ 19) Qualified manager (§ 39) All 4 paths

Important for Non-German Speakers

Translation Status: UNOFFICIAL This is an unofficial translation. The legally binding version is the German text of the Gewerbeordnung 1994. Official forms and the master exam are in German.

Can I open a barber shop?

Yes, but barber shops fall under the same trade license as hairdressers (Friseur und Perückenmacher / Stylist, §94 Z.22). The master exam or an alternative qualification is required.

Qualification Paths

Deutsche Version →

Related Guides

Registration GuideStep-by-step Qualification ProofHow to qualify CosmeticsRelated trade CostsWhat you pay

Frequently Asked Questions

What exam do I need to open a hair salon in Austria?

The hairdresser trade requires a Master exam (Meisterpruefung). Exam fees are covered by the government since 2023.

Can I rent a chair in someone else's salon instead?

Yes, chair rental (Stuhlmiete) is a common way to start with lower risk while building your own client base.

This trade is expressly exempt from the installation permit

§ 74 (7) GewO with § 1 (1) no. 4 of the 2. Genehmigungsfreistellungsverordnung § 74 (7) allows types of installation to be designated as needing no permit in any case, and the regulation names this trade expressly: „Kosmetik-, Fußpflege-, Frisör-, Massage- und Bandagistenbetriebe“
Not unconditional Two conditions remain, from the same regulation. Operating hours (§ 1 (2)): Mon–Fri 6:00–22:00, Sat 6:00–19:00. And the counter-exceptions (§ 2): mechanical ventilation or heat-transfer parts outside the building envelope take the exemption away — a split air-conditioning unit on the façade is enough.

Qualification: how to prove it

Friseur is a regulated trade under §94 Z.22 of the Austrian Trade Act (GewO 1994). The standard route is the master craftsman exam (meisterprüfung).

  • Examined by: Meisterprüfungsstelle der Wirtschaftskammer
  • 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:

  • Sechs Jahre ununterbrochen einschlägig als Selbständiger oder Betriebsleiter (Weg 2 der Zugangsverordnung)
  • Lehrabschlussprüfung Friseur und Perückenmacher (Stylist) + drei Jahre als Selbständiger oder Betriebsleiter (Weg 3 der Zugangsverordnung)
  • Mindestens zweijährige anerkannte einschlägige Ausbildung + vier Jahre als Selbständiger oder Betriebsleiter (Weg 4 der Zugangsverordnung)
  • Drei Jahre einschlägig selbständig + fünf Jahre einschlägig unselbständig (Weg 5 der Zugangsverordnung)
  • Individuelle Befähigung nach §19 GewO — auch beschränkt auf Teiltätigkeiten, etwa 'eingeschränkt auf Herrenfriseur'
  • Bestellung eines gewerberechtlichen Geschäftsführers nach §39 GewO

Registering the trade

  • Cost: Free — registration itself carries no fee
  • Where: District administrative authority — Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat
  • 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
  • By post

Who may register

  • Minimum age: 18
  • Citizenship or residence: Austria, EU, EEA or Switzerland — third-country nationals with a residence permit are also eligible
  • Clean record: no disqualifying convictions (checked by the authority)

Documents to bring

  • Valid photo ID
  • Meisterprüfungszeugnis (oder individueller Befähigungsnachweis)
  • Strafregisterbescheinigung (bei <5 Jahren Aufenthalt in AT)

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

ProvinceCompetent authority
ViennaMA 63
StyriaBezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Graz
TyrolBezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Innsbruck
CarinthiaBezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Klagenfurt/Villach
Upper AustriaBezirkshauptmannschaft / Magistrat Linz/Wels/Steyr
BurgenlandBezirkshauptmannschaft
VorarlbergBezirkshauptmannschaft / 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.22 . Last reviewed April 2026. This is not legal advice.

Winning customers as a hairdresser Registered, or nearly there? The next problem is a full appointment book — positioning, rebooking, and the profile language that decides whether the neighbourhood can find you. → Read the growth guide
Legally binding: German text of GewO 1994.

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.