Buying company addresses in Austria: what to check

Nine checks before you order

1. Where do the data come from?

Austria has no register from which contact details can be downloaded. The companies register, the trade licence register and the register of associations are designed for individual searches, and the companies register is also protected as a database. A company database is therefore built from open map data, public business directories, chamber lists and the businesses’ own legal notices. A reliable provider names these sources. Background: Firmenbuch, GISA and the register of associations.

2. Which data status applies?

Ask for a date and how closed, dormant or deleted businesses are handled. Statistics Austria counted around 39,600 business births and 33,300 deaths (provisional) in 2024, so any stock of records changes noticeably every year. A specific date says more than “continuously updated”.

3. How many records have the field you need?

A total says little. For a postal mailing the complete address counts; for CRM matching, website and register number matter more. Ask for the coverage per field for exactly your selection.

4. How is the industry defined?

Industries are usually defined by ÖNACE, sometimes by trade licence or by keywords. Ask which codes are included and which are not. More: ÖNACE 2008: industry codes for target group lists.

5. How is the region assigned?

Austrian selections are usually made by federal state or political district. The first digit of the postcode is not a reliable indicator, because postcode areas cross state borders. A clean file assigns the federal state using a postcode directory.

6. Which records concern natural persons?

A large share of Austrian businesses are sole proprietorships. Their data are personal data. Anyone using them needs a legal basis under the GDPR and must observe the information duty under Art. 14 and the right to object under Art. 21. A legal form column helps you identify these records.

7. What will you use the data for?

In Austria this is the most important question. Under § 174 TKG 2021, marketing emails, text messages, sales calls and faxes are not allowed without prior consent, also towards businesses. Purchased company data are well suited for addressed postal mailings, for maintaining and enriching your CRM, for market analysis and for planning sales territories. Details: B2B marketing and § 174 TKG 2021.

8. Does the file format fit?

Download a sample file before you order. Check the character encoding (umlauts, ß), the delimiter and whether postcodes and phone numbers are stored as text. The kontaktdatenbank.at sample file contains 30 fictitious businesses: export and sample file.

9. What does a usable record cost?

Divide the price by the number of records you can actually use for your purpose. Check whether the price is one-off or a subscription, whether taxes are added and whether you buy the data or only rent them for one mailing.

A worked example

Offer A costs €300 for 2,000 records, 1,600 of them with a complete postal address. Offer B costs €400 for 2,500 records, 2,400 of them with a complete address. For a postal mailing, one usable record costs around 19 cents with A and around 17 cents with B. The more expensive offer is the cheaper one for this purpose. The figures are an arbitrary example.

Five warning signs

• “Email addresses for cold outreach” or “no opt-in”: in Austria this is not an advantage but a risk for you as the sender.
• No source given, or a claim to hold a full copy of the companies register.
• No date for the data status.
• No sample file and no field description.
• No legal notice and no working contact address for the provider.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use purchased company addresses in Austria for email marketing?

Not without the recipients’ prior consent. § 174(3) TKG 2021 requires it for marketing emails and text messages, also towards businesses. A list of addresses does not include consent. Use purchased data for postal mailings, CRM maintenance and market analysis.

How can I tell whether a database is up to date?

Ask for the data status per source and how closed businesses are identified. A reliable provider gives a date and explains what “active” means. “Updated daily” without an explanation is not a quality feature.

What does a company address in Austria cost?

That depends on the selection, the fields and the usage right. Compare offers by the price per record you can actually use for your purpose, and check whether you buy the data or only rent it for a single mailing.

As of 25 October 2026. Figures on births and deaths: Statistics Austria, business demography statistics (reference year 2024, deaths provisional). This article is general information and does not replace legal advice in an individual case.