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Are Austria's online notaries the most modern in Europe?

Picture of Alexander Gugler

Alexander Gugler

COO/CFO | Co-Founder
Austrian notaries are frontrunners in online digitisation.

In Austria, it is possible to establish companies, buy or sell real estate, or certify powers of attorney completely digitally, remotely, and online. This is made possible not only by the favorable legal framework, but also by Austria's notaries, who - not only since spring 2020 - are among the most modern notaries in Europe.

Since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, online notary appointments have been possible in Austria

For more than two years now, it has been possible for Austrian notaries to offer (almost) all notarial services online and digitally. This makes Austria a pioneer in this field. Hardly any other European country is taking such a courageous path as Austria - in hardly any other European country are notarial services available online as extensively as in Austria.

However, this pioneering role in digitization can only succeed credibly if online notarizations and online notarial deeds are not only legally, but also actually possible. Austria's notaries' offices implement this every day and thus make a decisive contribution to Austria as a business location.

The Austrian notary's office is experienced in dealing with digital solutions

Even before Corona and the associated creation of the legal framework for online notarial records, Austria's notaries were among the most modern notarial offices in Europe. Since 2000, all Austrian notaries have been working with cyberDOC, the electronic document archive of the Austrian notarial profession. The notaries have thus brought the archiving and delivery of documents into an electronic age. To put it in perspective: This is the year in which the cult cell phone Nokia 3310 was introduced for the first time and "Anton Aus Tirol" was number 1 in the charts.

The online GmbH formation as the first use case

Already since 2019, the Austrian notary's office has enabled the online formation of GmbHs. Austria thus became the first EU member state after Estonia to have a possibility to form a GmbH digitally and online that is compatible with the EU Digitalisation Directive. Most member states (including the important economies of France and Germany) still do not offer this option; despite the expiry of the transposition deadline.

Austria thus has the most modern notaries in Europe. Combined with the right legal framework, this makes Austria the clear frontrunner and role model in the field of online notarial acts and online notarisation.

More on this topic Digitisation in Austria also here.

Further information on e-governance can also be found in here.

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