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Escort work in Austria: how to work legally

In Austria sex work is legal and regulated, but each of the 9 federal states has its own law. Health checks are compulsory everywhere, and most work takes place in licensed venues. Here is how it works, step by step.

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Austria at a glance

  • Legal and regulated by the law of each federal state.
  • Minimum age 18; 19 in some states.
  • A health check before you start and at least every 6 weeks, free of charge.
  • Always self-employed: registration with social insurance (SVS) and the tax office.

What the law says in Austria

Sexual services between adults in exchange for money are legal. Each federal state has its own law, with differences in age, registration and the places where you can work. The general tax and social insurance rules apply across the whole country.

  • Nowhere in Austria can you offer services in your own home.
  • Providing services on the street or in public places is prohibited.
  • You cannot work as a sex worker on an employment contract: it is always self-employed work.

Who can work as an escort in Austria?

You need legal residence and must register your address, even if you are only staying a few days.

Your situationCan you work?What you need
EU or EEA passport or ID cardYesFree access to work. Register your address and, if you stay more than 3 months, get the registration certificate (Anmeldebescheinigung).
Non-EU passport with a residence and work permit for AustriaYesCheck the conditions of your permit carefully.
Residence permit from another EU country (for example, Spain)Not automaticallyThat permit does not, on its own, allow you to work in Austria.
TouristNoYou cannot work as a tourist.

Step by step: working legally in Austria

  1. Choose a legal place to work

    A venue licensed as a brothel, even if it is called a club, bar, sauna or massage parlour. If the venue is not licensed, you can be fined even if all your own paperwork is in order.

  2. Notify the authorities if required

    In Vienna, at the police (Landespolizeidirektion, Deutschmeisterplatz 3). In Burgenland, at the town hall where you will work. You need your personal details and two photos.

  3. First health check

    At the local health office (Gesundheitsamt). With the results you get an official card with your photo (known as the “Deckel”), which you must carry with you at all times.

  4. Checks every 6 weeks

    At most every 6 weeks, with a blood test at least every 12. They are free at the health office and recorded on your card.

  5. Register with social insurance (SVS)

    Within the month after you start working, whatever you earn.

  6. Tax number from the tax office

    Also within the month after you start, using form “Verf. 24”. Keep the stamped copy: it is what you show during an inspection.

Rules in some states

You can work in licensed brothels in every state except Vorarlberg. Some states also allow visits to the client’s home.

Vienna

  • Compulsory notification in person at the police (Deutschmeisterplatz 3).
  • Health checks at the city’s Sexual Health Centre.
  • It is the only state where you can approach clients on the street, only in permitted areas and at permitted times. Prohibited in residential areas, cemeteries and public transport stops.

Burgenland

  • You must notify the town hall where you will work when you start.

Upper Austria (Linz)

  • 2012 Sexual Services Act: brothels need a licence.

Tyrol

  • You can only work in licensed brothels.
  • Street work is illegal.

Vorarlberg

  • There are currently no licensed brothels.
  • This means you cannot work legally in this state at present.

Tax and social insurance in Austria

  • Social insurance (SVS): if you earn more than €6,221.28 a year (2024 figure), insurance is compulsory and covers health, accidents and pension. If you earn less, you can take out cheaper cover (“opting-in”) of around €45 a month, for health and accidents only.
  • Income tax: if you work only on your own account, you pay it on income above €12,816 a year (2024 figure; it rises every year). The tax return is due by 30 April on paper or 30 June online.
  • VAT: exempt if your turnover is no more than €35,000 a year.
  • Receipts: in brothels and on home visits, you must give every client a receipt and keep a copy. Above €15,000 a year, you need a cash register.

If you do not register with the SVS, you will later have to pay the back contributions with a surcharge.

Health

Health checks are compulsory: one before you start and then at most every 6 weeks, with blood tests for syphilis and HIV at least every 12 weeks. The health office does them free of charge; if you are charged, you can claim the money back.

They do not include a gynaecological examination. A chest X-ray once a year is recommended to rule out tuberculosis, and in some states it is compulsory.

Ways of working and erotic massage

You can work in licensed brothels (club, bar, sauna, studio, massage parlour…), as an escort through agencies under certain conditions, or at the client’s home where the state allows it. On the street, only approaching clients in the permitted areas of Vienna.

Erotic massage: a massage parlour offering sexual services must be licensed as a brothel, and anyone working there follows the same rules: health checks and registration.

Always

  • Carry your health check card.
  • You choose your clients, services and prices.
  • Give every client a receipt.

Never

  • Work in your own home.
  • Work in an unlicensed venue.

Price level in Austria

€€€€€

Austria stands at 113, above the European Union average (100), according to Eurostat (2025).

Help and support organisations in Austria

Support organisations help free of charge, confidentially and anonymously, whether or not you work legally and whatever your residence status.

133 · 112Police and emergencies
0800 222 555Helpline for women facing violence, 24 hours
0677 613 434 34Police anti-trafficking line, 24 hours
SOPHIE · Vienna01 897 55 36 · sophie.or.at
LEFÖ-TAMPEP · ViennaFor migrants · 01 581 18 81 · lefoe.at
SXA · Graz0316 71 60 22 · frauenservice.at

Others: LENA and MAIZ in Linz, PiA in Salzburg and iBUS in Innsbruck (which also covers Vorarlberg).

Frequently asked questions about Austria

How often are the health checks?

One before you start and then at most every 6 weeks, with a blood test at least every 12 weeks. They are free at the health office.

Can I work from my flat?

No. Offering services in your own home is prohibited throughout Austria. Some states allow visits to the client’s home.

Can I work on a contract in a club?

Not as a sex worker: in Austria it is always self-employed work, registered with the SVS and the tax office. A club can only employ you for other jobs, such as bar staff.

I have a residence permit in Spain. Is it valid in Austria?

Not automatically. A permit from another EU country does not allow you to work in Austria. With an EU passport, however, you can.

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If you can't find your situation in the guide, write to us. We will reply by email with the legal information for the country you are interested in.

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    Sources

    Last reviewed: October 2026. Rules change: always check with the state where you plan to work.