Open Records Laws › Austria

Austria

Freedom of Information Act (Informationsfreiheitsgesetz / IFG)

BGBl. I Nr. 5/2024

RTI Rating: 64 (source)

Response Timeline

Initial Response
28 days
Extension
28 days

4 weeks (28 calendar days) initial deadline, extendable by up to 4 additional weeks for complex cases (maximum 8 weeks total). If access is denied, applicants may request a formal written decision within 2 months. This landmark 2024 law abolished Austria's 100-year-old constitutional principle of official secrecy (Amtsverschwiegenheit) and replaced 11 separate disclosure laws with a unified FOI act. Entered into force 1 September 2025.

No residency or citizenship requirement. Every natural and legal person has the right to access information.

How to Submit a Request

Accepted Methods

  • portal
  • email
  • mail
  • in_person

Requests can be formal or informal, submitted via agency online portals, email, mail, or in person.

Required Elements

  • {'note': 'Description of the information sought.', 'field': 'description'}

Optional Elements

  • {'note': 'Preferred format for receiving information', 'field': 'preferred_format'}

Fees

No application fee. Access to documents is provided free of charge under the new IFG.

Exemptions

  • Integration and Foreign Policy
    Compelling integration or foreign policy reasons, EU law compliance, international obligations.
  • National Security
    Matters affecting the country's security interests.
  • National Defense
    Comprehensive national defense preparations.
  • Public Order and Security
    Public order and security maintenance.
  • Decision Preparation
    Unimpeded governmental decision-making, confidential negotiations, consultations, and voting procedures.
  • Economic Protection
    Prevention of considerable economic or financial damage to public bodies.
  • Personal Data
    Personal data protection under GDPR.
  • Business and Professional Secrets
    Professional and business secrets, banking confidentiality.
  • Intellectual Property
    Intellectual property rights protection.
  • Editorial Secrecy
    Protection of editorial and journalistic secrecy.

Exemptions require a balancing test between the right to information and the need for confidentiality. Withholding must be necessary and proportionate. Partial disclosure (severability) is required — only exempt portions may be withheld.

Appeal Process

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Three-tier system: formal decision request, administrative court appeal (with expedited 2-month decision deadline), then higher courts. The Data Protection Authority has an advisory role.

Records Retention

Retention Law
Bundesarchivgesetz (Federal Act on the Safekeeping, Storage and Use of Archival Holdings of the Federal Government)
Authority
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv (Austrian State Archives)

BGBl. I Nr. 162/1999 (zuletzt geändert durch BGBl. I Nr. 32/2018)

View retention law →

Sources & References