Public events official approval

German version

Please note:
Personal appointments regarding concrete projects and applications are currently only possible upon prior reservation. You can book appointments online in the following cases:
Plant and business engineering (German)
Sports betting, dance schools and gambling (German)
Events (German)
Administrative fines (German)
Sales booths, ticket sales ("Mozartverkäufer*innen") (German)

If you plan to hold a public event in Vienna, you need to get an official approval.

For the application you can use the online-form. Please consider the documents required for the application.

General information

If your planned public event is notifiable, you need an official approval (Anmeldung). The suitability of the eventsite (Eignungsfeststellung) is determined in the course of the approval procedure.

Events are assessed as "public" under the Vienna Events Act (Wiener Veranstaltungsgesetz 2020 - Wr. VG), if

  • the event is generally accessible or
  • the event is advertised towards an undetermined group of people or
  • a membership in an association is acquired for the sole purpose of attending the event in question.

Public events are notifiable, if

  • more than 300 people can attend the event simultaneously
  • more than 200 people can attend the event in premises or in tents simultaneously
  • more than 120 people can attend the event, which is held in premises below the ground-floor, simultaneously

Regardless to the above mentioned numbers of persons, you need to get an official approval for the following events, for example:

  • theatre performances, if the venue has a capacity of 50 or more persons
  • running a cinema
  • film screening and similar projections except television broadcasting in rooms
  • operation of sports grounds
  • circus performance and aerial acrobatic performance
  • events, in which open fire, pyrotechnics, laser or weapons are used
  • Striptease- or Peepshows
  • events with a high risk potential

For a complete list of events that require an official approval please refer to the Vienna Events Act (Wiener Veranstaltungsgesetz) (German).

Private celebrations, such as birthday parties or weddings in flats, single-family homes and their gardens are not considered public and therefore do not require approval.

Political events, demonstrations and rallies need the official approval of the Vienna Police Directorate (Landespolizeidirektion Wien) (German).

Data protection

For information on data protection and your data protection rights as an individual please visit: Data Protection Notice (German)

Requirements

Organiser:

  • The organiser may be a natural person, a legal person (e.g. an association) or a registered business partnership.
  • A natural person as organiser has to be of full legal age and capacity and reside in an EEA member state.
  • If an organiser does not fulfil the requirement of full legal age and capacity, does not reside in an EEA member state, is not a natural person or is more than one person acting as organiser, a managing director within the meaning of the Vienna Events Acts (§ 7), which fulfils the personal requirements prescribed in § 6 Abs. 2 and § 6 Abs. 3 Z 1 and 2 Wr. VG, must be appointed. In other respects, the appointment of a managing director is not mandatory.
  • The organiser has to be reliable.
  • Further information regarding the personal requirements of an organiser (German)

Venue:

The venue is suitable for the event, if

  • threats to the operational reliability, danger to human life and health and a unreasonable disturbance of the surroundings can be avoided and
  • the legal requirements concerning the protection interests listed in § 18 Abs. 1 Z 4 to 8 Wr. VG (for example environment protection, juvenile protection, animal protection etc.) are adhered

Deadlines

The authority decides on the application within a month after receipt of the complete application. If the application concerns an event with more than 5,000 people, the authority decides on the application within 3 months.

Contact

Inspection of Business Establishments, Fire Prevention and Events (MA 36)
Eventcenter (German)
1200 Vienna, Dresdner Straße 75, 4th floor
E-mail: post@ma36.wien.gv.at

Opening hours: Mondays to Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 12 noon, Thursdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
Phone: +43 1 4000-36336
Telephone information: Mondays to Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm. On Good Friday from 9 am to 12 noon.
On the 24th and 31th of December and on public holidays the telephone service is not available.

Authentication and signature

Authentication or signature of the application is not required.

Documents required

Documents must be submitted for all persons named in the application (e.g. managing director).

  • valid official photo ID or valid travel document
  • Residence registration certificate, if the registered residence is not located in Austria
  • If an authorised person submits the registration: power of attorney provided by the organiser
  • Declaration of reliability: 670 KB PDF (German) or documents, which show convictions or penalizations for criminal offenses realised abroad.

If the venue has no or only a partial notification confirming that the venue is suitable for the event, following documents are additionally required:

  • Description or programme of the event (Folder, Poster)
  • Plans and sketches
  • Register and description of the technical devices, facilities and implementations
  • the rule of the house or the place, if prescribed by law (§ 27 Wr. VG)
  • if more than 5,000 visitors: safety- and sanitation concept
  • if more than 2,000 visitors: waste concept
  • further documents, which can be provided for the assessment of the project

Type and format of the evidence to be submitted:
You can find more information about bringing in documents at: Contact the City of Vienna (German)

Fees

The amount of the fee is determined by the Verordnung der Wiener Landesregierung über Verwaltungsabgaben und Kommissionsgebühren (German)

For any questions regarding payment, please contact the competent accounting department (Buchhaltungsabteilung 40) (German) of Municipal Department 6 - Accounting Services, Duties and Charges.

Form

Further information

Legal basis: Vienna Events Act (Wiener Veranstaltungsgesetz) (German)

Means of redress or appeal

An appeal is possible against rulings issued by an authority and shall be filed by the party within a 4 weeks term with the authority that issued the ruling of first instance (against rulings without investigation procedure within a two weeks term). The term starts with the receipt of the written copy of the ruling, in the case of oral pronouncement simultaneously with it.

The appeal shall indicate the ruling it contests, the authority that issued the ruling and contain a motion of appeal with the reasons. No more appeal is admissible if the party expressly waived the right of appeal after receipt or pronouncement of the ruling.

Each ruling contains instructions on the right to appeal and indicates the authority and the deadline for submission of such appeal.

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Last update

21. Oktober 2021

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City of Vienna | Inspection of Business Establishments, Fire Prevention and Events
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