Who is behind a company?
People stand behind a company in three roles: the managers who represent it, the shareholders who own it, and the beneficial owners who control it in the end. Two registers answer, with very different access.
The company register: who represents, who owns the GmbH
The company register is public. It shows who represents the company: managing directors, management board, Prokura, with the kind of authority. For a GmbH and FlexCo it also lists the shareholders with their contributions.
For a stock corporation the shareholders are usually not in the register, only a sole shareholder. For an OG and KG the partners are listed, for an e.U. the owner.
The register of beneficial owners
Who controls a company in the end is in the register of beneficial owners (WiEReG), run by the Ministry of Finance. Put simply, a beneficial owner holds more than 25 percent directly or through other companies, or controls the company in another way.
This register is no longer public. Since the ruling of the EU Court of Justice of 22 November 2022, only obliged entities such as banks, lawyers or tax advisers, and people with a legitimate interest under section 10 WiEReG, for example before a business relationship, may look. You apply to the Ministry of Finance.
What you see on our site
Every company page shows name, legal form, seat and address. Signed in, you see the registered functions, meaning managing directors, board and Prokura, with the date since when. We do not show holdings or shares, and no dates of birth.
For shareholders with their contributions you need the official extract from JustizOnline or a clearing office. Beneficial owners are only available through the WiEReG.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the managing director of a company?
That is in the company register. On firmenbuchdaten.at you see the management on the company page after a free sign-up.
Can I see the beneficial owners?
Only with a legitimate interest or as an obliged entity under the WiEReG, on application to the Ministry of Finance. The register has not been public since November 2022.
Who owns a GmbH?
The shareholders and their contributions are in the company register and the official extract. If a shareholder is itself a company, follow its entry.
Is this legal advice?
No. We explain which register shows what. Whether you have a legitimate interest is for the Ministry of Finance to decide.
Read on
Sources
Information only, not legal, tax or investment advice. The law in its current version prevails.
Source: Austrian company register (Firmenbuch), Republic of Austria, represented by the BMJ, open data under CC BY 4.0.