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Create23 resources · Vienna

Vienna has no single photo permit. Who controls the exact spot decides who you ask: the City, the federal gardens, an operator or the owner. Here are those permits, the photographer’s trade licence and the rights of the people and buildings in the picture.

Find your permitLicences & rights

A planning overview, not legal advice or a permit. The authority, operator or owner of the exact place decides.

The short version

The lead times, fees and limits that decide most commercial shoots in Vienna, from a street portrait to a day at Schönbrunn.

  • 10 · 20Working days' notice

    For a photo or film permit on Vienna's streets and squares. 20 when the City needs to inspect the site first.

  • €37Street photo permit

    The City's fee when a photo shoot on a public traffic area needs the permit. Filming: €37 an hour, at least €90. Parking bans cost extra.

  • €0Trade registration

    Photography has been a free trade since 2013: no qualification exam, and registering it costs nothing.

  • 5People, small film crew

    Up to five, cast included, with a handheld camera, tripod and boom and no effect on traffic: the Film Commission's free limited permit for filming on streets.

  • 3 weeksSchönbrunn Palace

    The notice the palace asks for. Anything beyond private photos needs its approval.

  • €6,600Schönbrunn, per day

    Minimum day fee for commercial outdoor shoots at the palace in 2026, VAT included. Federal gardens fees come on top.

  • 14Working days, ÖBB

    Notice for a commercial shoot at an ÖBB station. From €1,200 net for half a day at Vienna's main stations.

  • €550Cemeteries, per day

    Friedhöfe Wien's net day rate for shoots (January 2026). Free for school, university and current-affairs work.

Permit finder

Ten kinds of place, ten different routes. Choose where the shoot happens to see who gives the permission, how to apply, the notice they need and what it costs.

Where is the shoot?

Who decides

City of Vienna, MA 46

Filming and larger photo shoots on Vienna's public traffic areas, such as streets, pavements, squares and pedestrian zones, need a permit from MA 46. A small, low-impact photo shoot does not, even with a tripod.

Apply
Online, directly to MA 46. The Film Commission's recommendation is not needed.
Notice
At least 10 working days. At least 20 if a site inspection is needed.
Cost
€37 for photography. Filming €37 an hour, at least €90. Parking bans and inspections are charged on top.
  • Small film crews (max. 5 people including cast, handheld camera, tripod and boom, no effect on traffic) can get the Vienna Film Commission's free limited permit instead.
  • MA 46 confirmed to us in October 2026: a small photo shoot with little impact on the street needs no MA 46 permit, even with a tripod. Lights, reserved space, vehicles or blocking the pavement or traffic bring the permit back. Not legal advice: confirm with MA 46 for your shoot.
  • A shoot on private property can need this permit too, when equipment, vehicles or reserved space use the street.
City of Vienna: apply

Licences & rights

A location permit does not cover the photographer’s business, the people in front of the camera or the buildings behind them. Each is its own check.

  1. LicenceAnyone paid for photos

    A trade licence for the photographer

    Taking photos for money independently, regularly and to earn from it is a trade in Austria. Photography has been a free trade since 27 December 2013, so there is no qualification exam. Register it with the trade authority, online via the USP or GISA. Registration is free, and you can start once you have registered.

    WKO: free trade
  2. LocationEvery shoot

    Permission for the place

    Who controls the exact spot decides which permission you need: the City for streets and its own property, the federal gardens and palaces for theirs, operators for stations and cemeteries, and owners for everything private. One shoot can need several.

    Find your permit
  3. PeopleRecognisable people

    Consent from the people in the picture

    Pictures of people may not be published if that harms their legitimate interests (§ 78 UrhG). Before using someone's picture for advertising, get their express consent naming the purpose and the media, ideally in writing (the WKO has a template). Photos of recognisable people are personal data, so data-protection law applies too: at events, tell guests with signs, QR codes or a privacy notice.

    WKO: photography & advertising
  4. BuildingsArchitecture & street art

    Buildings and public art

    Buildings and works of art made to stay permanently in a public place may be photographed and published, including commercially (§ 54 (1) 5 UrhG). It covers the picture, not the place: shooting on the site still needs the permissions above. When a building is the main subject and its architect is known, the architect must be named.

    Naming the architect (PDF)
  5. AerialAerial content

    Drone shots have their own rules

    Aviation rules are a separate check from every permission on this page.

    Drone rules in Vienna & Austria

Before the date is fixed

Most permit problems start with a date that was booked before anyone knew who controls the place. Do these first.

  1. 01Pin down the exact place.

    The specific street, entrance, garden, courtyard or venue, not only the landmark's name.

  2. 02Find who controls it.

    City street, City property, federal garden or palace, an operator, or a private owner.

  3. 03Describe the real setup.

    People, tripod, lights, assistants, vehicles and whether the shoot stays in one spot.

  4. 04Check the notice period.

    From 5 working days for Wiener Linien to 3 weeks at Schönbrunn and months for large cemetery shoots.

  5. 05Get consents in writing.

    From the owner and from recognisable people. Keep them with the permits.

Official sources

This page organises the questions. The City, the Film Commission, the operators and the law publish the rules themselves, and the place’s own authority decides on the day.

A planning overview, not legal advice or a permit. Rules, lead times and fees change. The authority, operator or owner of the exact place decides, so confirm with them before the shoot.

Photography permits FAQ

Short answers to the questions we hear most. The linked official sources have the binding wording.

Planning a shoot for a project?[email protected]

  • Photo and film work on Vienna's public traffic areas, such as streets, pavements and squares, needs a permit from the City's MA 46 when it uses the street beyond a small shoot. MA 46 confirmed to us in October 2026 that a small, low-impact photo shoot needs no permit, even with a tripod. For bigger setups (lights, reserved space, vehicles, blocking the pavement or traffic), apply online at least 10 working days ahead, or 20 if a site inspection is needed; the City lists €37 for photography. Small film crews can get the Vienna Film Commission's free limited permit. This is not legal advice: confirm with MA 46 for your own shoot.

  • No. Who controls the exact spot decides: MA 46 for streets and squares, the managing City department for parks, markets and other City property, the Bundesgärten for the federal gardens, the Burghauptmannschaft for the Hofburg, Heldenplatz and other federal properties, operators such as the Schönbrunn Group, Wiener Linien, ÖBB or Friedhöfe Wien for their sites, and the owner for private property. One shoot can need several permissions.

  • If you take photos independently, regularly and to earn from it, yes: that is a trade under § 1 of the Trade Act. Photography has been a free trade since 27 December 2013, so you need no qualification exam. Register it with the trade authority, online via the USP or GISA. It is free, and you can start once registered.

  • Get their express consent first, naming the purpose and the media, ideally in writing. Austrian law protects people against publication of their picture where it harms their legitimate interests (§ 78 UrhG), and the WKO points out that people decide themselves whether their picture is used for advertising. Photos of recognisable people are also personal data under data-protection law.

  • Buildings and works of art made to stay permanently in a public place may be photographed and published, also commercially (§ 54 (1) 5 UrhG). That covers the picture, not the shoot: using a park, a palace courtyard or a station still needs the permission of whoever controls it. When a building is the main subject and its architect is known, the architect must be named.

  • Outdoors at the palace, commercial projects cost at least €6,600 a day in 2026 (VAT included), smaller documentaries €333 an hour. Ask at least 3 weeks ahead. Fees for the federal gardens and vehicle access to the park are charged on top.

  • Wiener Linien: register filming online at least 5 working days ahead, and ask the same team about photo shoots. During service, only handheld cameras at set times; supervision costs €93 to €143 an hour plus VAT. ÖBB: commercial shoots at stations need a contract, at least 14 working days ahead, from €1,200 net for half a day at Vienna's main stations. Commercial shoots on ÖBB trains are no longer possible.

  • Not for streets: apply to MA 46 directly. For photography on City property, the department that runs the place issues the permit directly. The Film Commission handles filming on City property through its online portal and advises free of charge.

From permits to the right shot

For Create23 website and app projects we choose the places early and check who controls them, before a date is booked.

Bring it into the brief…