Alcohol regulations in Austria

Licences needed

Trade registration for food/spirit manufacturing (freies Gewerbe: Erzeugung von Lebensmitteln) and Tax Warehouse Authorization (Steuerlagerinhaber / Brennereibewilligung)

Authority

District administrative authority (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat) for trade registration; Customs Authority Austria (Zollamt Österreich) for excise distillery approval

Documents

Commercial register excerpt (Firmenbuchauszug), identity documents, clean criminal record certificate, technical distillery layout and equipment specifications, metering/seal plans, proof of operational reliability, and excise tax guarantee

Fees

Trade registration is free or subject to nominal administrative charges (~€50–€150), often fee-exempt under NeuFöG for new businesses; customs authorization requires posting a financial security bond proportional to tax liability

Time to obtain

Trade registration is immediate upon complete notification; customs tax warehouse authorization typically takes 1 to 3 months

Who can import

Any registered commercial business entity with a valid EU Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number; imports under duty suspension require Registered Consignee (Registrierter Empfänger) or Authorized Warehousekeeper status

Licences or registrations

EORI number; EMCS (Excise Movement and Control System / SEED) registration for duty-suspended shipments; electronic customs system (e-zoll) access

Authority

Customs Authority Austria (Zollamt Österreich)

Documents

Single Administrative Document (SAD / e-zoll declaration), commercial invoice, transport documents (bill of lading / CMR), Certificate of Origin, packing list, and electronic administrative document (e-AD / ARC) if moving under EMCS

Fees

EORI registration is free; customs declaration processing charges depend on the customs broker/agent; excise security bond required for duty suspension

Time to obtain

EORI issuance takes 1 to 5 business days; customs clearance typically clears within hours to 2 business days upon arrival

Required

no

Process

No pre-market brand or label registration, product notification, or lab pre-approval exists for distilled spirits in Austria or the EU (unlike US COLA); operators self-certify compliance with EU and Austrian food laws, subject to post-market surveillance

Authority

Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) and provincial food inspection authorities (Lebensmittelaufsicht)

Documents and samples

None required prior to marketing; technical product specifications and lab analyses must be kept on file for inspection audits

Fees

None

Renewal

Not applicable

Time to obtain

Immediate (no waiting period required prior to market entry)

Importer of record established in the EU with a valid EORI number is mandatory; no state import monopoly exists (open commercial market); each shipment requires an electronic customs declaration (SAD) and EMCS entry for duty suspension; physical excise strip stamps or banderols are NOT required in Austria; non-EU spirits require proof of origin and must comply with EU spirit definitions

0% (duty-free) for most commercial distilled spirits under HS heading 2208 (e.g., whisky, vodka, rum, gin, brandy) originating from WTO member states under the GATT zero-for-zero spirits agreement; small specific duties apply to a few select tariff lines such as certain neutral agricultural ethyl alcohol

Alkoholsteuer (excise duty) is €1,200 per 100 liters of pure alcohol (€12.00 per liter of 100% vol pure alcohol), with statutory small-distillery reductions of 54% (€648/hl of pure alcohol) up to 400 liters; standard Value Added Tax (Umsatzsteuer) is 20%

Private retail system with no state retail monopoly; spirits are sold across grocery supermarkets, specialist wine and liquor shops, department stores, and licensed gastronomy venues (bars, clubs, restaurants); shop operating hours follow the Austrian Opening Hours Act (generally Mon–Fri 06:00–21:00, Sat 06:00–18:00, closed Sundays), while hospitality venues follow municipal/provincial closing times (Sperrstunde)

Allowed; e-commerce and direct delivery of spirits are fully legal provided strict age verification (minimum 18 years) is conducted at purchase and physical delivery (couriers must inspect photo ID); cross-border B2C distance sellers must register with Austrian Customs and remit Austrian alcohol excise duty under the EU distance selling regime

Compliant with EU Regulation 2019/787 and EU Regulation 1169/2011: legal sales denomination, nominal volume (ml/cl/l), alcohol by volume (% vol), name/address of EU producer or importer, lot/batch number ('L'), allergen declarations (e.g., sulfites, nuts, gluten); mandatory text must be in German (or easily understood multi-language); general health warnings or physical tax stamps are not required in Austria

Permitted with legal restrictions under the Audiovisual Media Services Act (AMD-G), ORF Act, Act Against Unfair Competition (UWG), and the self-regulatory Austrian Advertising Council (Österreichischer Werberat) code: advertisements must not target minors, depict minors consuming alcohol, associate alcohol with driving, physical or sexual success, nor claim therapeutic properties or encourage immoderate consumption

Directly governed by Regulation (EU) 2019/787: minimum ABV is 40% for Whisky/Whiskey; 37.5% for Vodka, Gin, and Rum; 36% for Brandy/Weinbrand; 35% for fruit spirits (Obstbrand/Obstler); 37.5% for London Gin; 96% for agricultural neutral ethyl alcohol

No dry municipalities or prohibition territories exist nationwide; specific local public space alcohol consumption bans (Alkoholverbote) are enacted at municipal discretion in designated transit or high-density plazas (e.g., Vienna Praterstern); alcohol possession and consumption are prohibited in schools and correctional facilities

• Adoption of BGBl. I Nr. 62/2026 enacting a statutory increase of the base alcohol excise duty (Alkoholsteuer) from €1,200 to €1,560 per 100 liters of pure alcohol, taking effect on January 1, 2027.
• Full implementation and domestic rollout of the digitized EMCS (Excise Movement and Control System) requirements for duty-paid commercial cross-border movements pursuant to EU Directive 2020/262.
• Strengthened enforcement of mandatory technical and courier-level age verification (minimum 18 years for spirits) for online grocery and alcohol delivery platforms under state youth protection regulations.

Austria is an affluent, open market with strong consumer interest in premium craft spirits, single-cask whiskies, high-end rums, and artisanal agave spirits. Exporters benefit from a tariff-free regime under HS 2208, zero pre-market label approval hurdles, and streamlined access via established private retail and gastronomy channels.

• Zollamt Österreich (Customs Authority Austria / Federal Ministry of Finance)
• Bundesministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit, Pflege und Konsumentenschutz (BMSGPK)
• Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit (AGES)
• Kommunikationsbehörde Austria (KommAustria) / RTR

1. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS) - Alkoholsteuergesetz 2022 (AlkStG 2022)
2. Unternehmensservice Portal (USP) - Alkoholsteuer
3. Bundeskanzleramt Österreich - Jugendschutz in Österreich
4. EUR-Lex - Verordnung (EU) 2019/787 über Spirituosen
5. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) - Austria Alcohol Beverage Import Requirements