Professional Indemnity Insurance in Austria
DigiCare Insurance is an independent, English-speaking broker for professional indemnity insurance (professional liability insurance) in Austria: we compare Austrian insurers so freelancers, the self-employed and regulated professionals meet the statutory minimum cover for their profession.
Reviewed by the DigiCare broking team · Independent broker under the Austrian Gewerbeordnung · Last reviewed July 2026
- Cover meets Austria's statutory minimum sums
- English-speaking independent broker (Versicherungsmakler)
- FMA-supervised Austrian insurers
- Quote in minutes, policy handled in English
Cover meets Austria's statutory minimum sums
English-speaking independent broker (Versicherungsmakler)
FMA-supervised Austrian insurers
Quote in minutes, policy handled in English
What is professional indemnity insurance in Austria?
Professional indemnity insurance (Berufshaftpflichtversicherung) covers claims for financial loss, property damage or injury a client suffers because of a professional's advice, error or omission. Its defining feature is cover for pure financial loss (reiner Vermögensschaden): money a client loses with no physical damage. Austrian government portals call it professional liability insurance; insurers call it professional indemnity.
Pure financial loss (reiner Vermögensschaden)
The core risk: a client's money lost through your professional error, with no injury or property damage. Business liability rarely covers this.
Errors and omissions
Also called errors and omissions insurance Austria, it pays justified claims and defends unjustified ones arising from your professional work.
Who it protects
Freelancers, the self-employed and regulated professionals. See what's covered and what's excluded before you sign.
Who needs it, and who is legally required to have it?
Legally required
- Lawyers (Rechtsanwälte)
- Notaries (Notare)
- Doctors (Ärzte)
- Clinical and health psychologists and psychotherapists
- Tax advisors and public accountants (Wirtschaftstreuhänder)
- Bookkeeping professions
Not legally required (but advised)
- IT consultants and digital professionals
- Engineers and technical consultants
- Management and business consultants
- Marketing and media freelancers
- Interpreters and translators
In Austria, professional indemnity insurance is legally required for these regulated professions, which must prove cover meeting a statutory minimum sum before starting work. Civil engineers (Ziviltechniker) are not generally required to hold it; proof of cover is needed only for certain activities, so treat them as a special case rather than automatically mandatory. For most other freelancers the cover is strongly recommended but optional. A private liability policy never covers professional work. Check the statutory minimum cover for your profession in the table below.
How much cover do you need? Statutory minimum insured sums by profession (2026)
Source: usp.gv.at, oesterreich.gv.at and the statute text on ris.bka.gv.at
| Profession | Minimum sum per insured event | Annual limit | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers (Rechtsanwälte) | 400,000 EUR (law-firm GmbH: 2,400,000 EUR) | Not set separately | §21a RAO |
| Notaries (Notare) | 400,000 EUR (trust work: top-up to 10,000,000 EUR) | Not set separately | §30 NO |
| Doctors (Ärzte, freelance) | 2,000,000 EUR | 3× (6,000,000 EUR); group-practice GmbH 5× (10,000,000 EUR) | §52d ÄrzteG |
| Tax advisors and auditors (Wirtschaftstreuhänder) | 72,673 EUR | Not set separately | §11 WTBG 2017 |
| Insurance intermediaries (Versicherungsvermittler) | 1,250,000 EUR | 1,850,000 EUR per year | §137c GewO |
These are legal minimums per insured event, not recommendations: most professionals carry higher limits. The tax-advisor minimum of 72,673 EUR is deliberately low, and the market insures well above it. For insurance intermediaries the EU-indexed sums of 1,564,610 EUR and 2,315,610 EUR per year apply where Austria has adopted them. Professionals qualified in another EU country should check whether their home-country policy meets these figures.
What does it cover, and what's excluded?
Covered
- Third-party pure financial loss: money a client loses because of your advice, error or omission
- Property damage and personal injury you cause to a third party in your professional work
- Consequential loss, such as revenue a client loses as a result of the error
- Defence, legal and court costs, including the cost of fighting unjustified claims
- Justified compensation payments up to your chosen cover sum
- Cover for employees acting within your business
Not covered (check carefully)
- Intentional acts excluded: wilful damage is never insurable
- Gross negligence: covered only if your policy expressly says so
- Industry-specific exclusions written into the general terms
- The agreed excess (Selbstbehalt) you pay towards each claim
- Always read the IPID and general terms (AVB) before you sign
How much does professional indemnity insurance cost in Austria?
Austrian professional indemnity premiums are quoted individually, so there is no single fixed price. The cost depends on profession, turnover, cover sum, excess and claims history. We give you the drivers here and a personalised quote rather than an invented figure. For a low-risk freelancer, cover starts from around 143.82 EUR per year, with a cross-industry average near 450 EUR per year. This is a rough guide only, not a quote, and does not apply to lawyers or doctors, whose high statutory minimums make premiums much higher.
What drives your premium
- Your profession and its risk class
- Annual turnover and business size
- Chosen cover sum (higher statutory minimums cost more)
- Agreed excess (Selbstbehalt)
- Claims history
Entry and average figures reflect public Austrian market data and are indicative only. Premiums are subject to 11% Austrian insurance tax (Versicherungssteuer, VersStG).
Professional indemnity for English-speaking and foreign-qualified professionals
Lawyers and doctors qualified in the EU, EEA or Switzerland can work in Austria temporarily under the freedom to provide services, or by establishing permanently. In both cases you must prove professional indemnity cover to the relevant Austrian chamber, the Bar Association or the Medical Association, before or at registration.
DigiCare is the English-speaking broker that reconciles a foreign policy with Austrian requirements and issues proof of cover an Austrian chamber will accept. English-speaking freelancers in IT, consulting or media who are not in a regulated profession still carry client-contract risk and can arrange cover the same way. You can also read the German-language guide.
Checklist for foreign-qualified professionals
- Confirm the Austrian statutory minimum sum for your profession, for example 400,000 EUR for lawyers under §21a RAO or 2,000,000 EUR for doctors under §52d ÄrzteG
- Check whether your home-country policy meets that minimum sum and the Austrian conditions; it does not automatically qualify
- Prove cover to the chamber before your first service or at registration
- Top up or replace the policy if it falls short of the Austrian minimum
How to get covered: choosing a policy and comparing terms
- 1
Confirm your mandatory minimum
Check whether your profession has a statutory minimum sum, such as §21a RAO for lawyers or §52d ÄrzteG for doctors.
- 2
Check for a framework agreement
Some chambers negotiate a framework agreement (Rahmenvertrag) with group terms that can lower the cost for members.
- 3
Compare cover sum, excess and exclusions
Austrian policies vary because the law sets only a framework, so compare terms, not just the headline price.
- 4
Get an English quote
Ask DigiCare for a personalised English-language quote across authorised Austrian insurers.
- 5
Keep your proof of cover
Store the confirmation of cover for chamber registration, contract renewals and any client who asks for it.
Under §5c VersVG you can usually withdraw from a new policy within 14 days without giving a reason; this covers most freelancers and SMEs. It does not apply to large companies' Großrisiken policies (§5 Z34 VAG 2016).
Professional indemnity vs business liability vs private liability
Pure financial loss is the dividing line: only professional indemnity covers it. Many businesses need professional indemnity and business liability together. This resolves the most common mis-purchase. For the fuller in-language version, see the German-language product page.
Covers
Professional indemnity (Berufshaftpflicht)
Financial loss from professional advice or errors
Business/general liability (Betriebshaftpflicht)
Injury and property damage from operations
Private liability (Privathaftpflicht)
Everyday personal, non-professional accidents
Pure financial loss
Professional indemnity (Berufshaftpflicht)
Yes, the defining feature
Business/general liability (Betriebshaftpflicht)
Rarely
Private liability (Privathaftpflicht)
No
For whom
Professional indemnity (Berufshaftpflicht)
Regulated professions and advisers
Business/general liability (Betriebshaftpflicht)
Businesses with premises or staff
Private liability (Privathaftpflicht)
Individuals, never professional work
Typical example
Professional indemnity (Berufshaftpflicht)
A consultant's report causes a client financial loss
Business/general liability (Betriebshaftpflicht)
A visitor slips in your office
Private liability (Privathaftpflicht)
You damage a friend's property at home
Statutory minimums
Professional indemnity (Berufshaftpflicht)
Yes, for regulated professions
Business/general liability (Betriebshaftpflicht)
No general legal minimum
Private liability (Privathaftpflicht)
None
Chapter VI
Frequently asked questions
- Is professional indemnity insurance mandatory in Austria?
- It is legally required for regulated professions in Austria: lawyers, notaries, doctors, psychotherapists, tax advisors, public accountants, bookkeepers and, for certain activities, civil engineers. For most other freelancers it is strongly recommended but not mandatory. A private liability policy never covers professional activity.
- How much cover must a lawyer or doctor in Austria have?
- Lawyers need at least 400,000 EUR per insured event, or 2,400,000 EUR for a law-firm GmbH (§21a RAO). Freelance doctors need at least 2,000,000 EUR per insured event (§52d ÄrzteG), with a higher annual aggregate for group practices.
- Does my foreign home-country policy count in Austria?
- It may, but only if it meets the Austrian minimum sum and conditions for your profession. EU, EEA and Swiss professionals must prove suitable cover to the relevant chamber at registration.
Regulatory information
DigiCare holds the required trade authorisation and acts as an independent insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) under the Austrian Gewerbeordnung, registered via GISA and the Austrian Economic Chamber. The Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) supervises the authorised Austrian insurers under the VAG, not the broker; the policy is governed by the VersVG. A statutory 14-day right of withdrawal applies (§ 5c VersVG). This text is not legal or tax advice.
- GISA number
- available on request
Get an English-language professional indemnity quote
DigiCare compares Austrian insurers and matches your cover to your profession, in English. Premiums are quoted as ranges, not a fixed price.