Private investigator licensing in Austria

Yes. Private investigators need a licence in Austria. Berufsdetektiv is a regulated trade (reglementiertes Gewerbe) under the Gewerbeordnung, registered with the district trade authority. The operator must prove competence with qualifications plus relevant practice (for example a degree and one year as an employed detective, or five years' detective or police work) and pass the Befähigungsprüfung before a commission, and must pass a special reliability check that goes beyond a criminal record search. Employed detectives need a Gewerbelegitimation and the required reliability.

Gewerbebehörde (Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat), under Gewerbeordnung 1994 § 94 Z 62 (Sicherheitsgewerbe – Berufsdetektive), §§ 129–130; Sicherheitsgewerbe-Verordnung.

Sicherheitsgewerbe-Verordnung § 1: degree plus 1 year as employed detective (or 1 year as legal officer in a security directorate); higher vocational school 1.5 years or grammar school 2 years; intermediate school or apprenticeship 2 years; or 5 years' detective employment or police service

Yes, applicants must pass an exam.

1. Build the required practice: e.g. a degree plus 1 year employed by a detective, or 5 years' detective or police work 2. Pass the Befähigungsprüfung for Berufsdetektive (run by the WKO Meisterprüfungsstelle) 3. Register the trade with the Bezirkshauptmannschaft or Magistrat (online via GISA / USP) 4. Pass the authority's special reliability check (beyond the criminal record) before starting work 5. Obtain Gewerbelegitimation ID for each employed detective

EEA qualifications can be recognised or treated as equivalent.

Austria is a one-party consent country: you can generally record a conversation you are part of without telling the others.