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Business Meetings & Business Visa

Advisory on business visits and commercial activities not requiring work permits

Third-country nationals visiting Austria for short-term business activities may enter on a Schengen business visa (Visa C) or visa-free (for visa-exempt nationalities) without requiring work permits under specific legal exemptions. We advise whether your planned activities qualify for visa-only entry or require full work authorization.

Business activities without work permits

Austrian law provides two distinct exemptions from work permit requirements for business visitors. For both exemptions, you only need a Schengen Visa C (or visa-free entry) – NO work permit required.

Business Meeting Exemption (AuslBG)

What You Need: Schengen Visa C for visa nationals (or visa-free entry for visa exempt nationals)

Duration: Maximum 4 days

Permitted Activities:

High level Business meetings with clients or partners
Conferences and trade fairs
Site visits and inspections
Urgent “task force” activities
Meet & Greets

Critical Restriction: No services of any kind may be provided to clients in Austria. Activitiesmust be purely passive and cannot be carried out by local employees.

Whether the exemption applies must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Austrian authorities interpret these exemptions very narrowly.

When work permits are required

What You Need: Visa D (work visa) + Work Permit from AMS

Work permits and residence permits are mandatory when:

Activities exceed 4 days duration (also for passive business meetings)
Performing actual work or services for Austrian clients
Periodic and repeated activities over weeks or months
Any activity constituting regular employment
Rendering services as a sales representative (not just concluding contracts)

How we help

Legal Exemption Assessment

We evaluate your planned activities against available exemptions determining whether visa-only entry is permitted or work permits required.

Activity Classification

We clarify the distinction between passive business meetings, sales representative activities, and actual work requiring full authorization.

Invitation Letter Review

We review invitation letters ensuring they accurately describe business activities and align with legal exemption requirements.

EVE Coordination

We guide Austrian companies through Electronic Guarantee Letter (EVE) submission at police stations and provide ID numbers for visa applications.

Schengen Stay Tracking

We provide our Tracker Checker tool to monitor your days spent in the Schengen area, ensuring compliance with the 90/180-day rule. The tool provides daily overviews of days spent and days remaining in a rolling 180-day period, helps plan future trips, and tracks visa D or residence permit expiry dates.