Mountain hiking guide – licence, application See explanation of the designation of:

Anyone engaging commercially in:

·        guiding and accompanying people on mountain hikes:

a)   on trails whose difficulty level does not exceed that of trails to be marked in red according to the provincial government guidelines on the marking of mountain trails, and in areas of no more than medium difficulty without trails;

b)   on trails of no more than medium difficulty in the winter that are obviously not threatened by avalanches;

c)    in areas of no more than medium difficulty that are obviously not threatened by avalanches;

d)   on glaciers on winter hiking trails opened by the trail owner;

·        instructing and imparting knowledge of mountain-hiking skills;

·        organising a planned mountain hike,

requires a mountain hiking guide licence.

European Union citizens and nationals of other contracting states to the EEA Agreement and Switzerland may temporarily and occasionally work as mountain hiking guides in Tyrol if:

a) they are legally established in another country to practise their profession;

b) the profession or the training therefor is regulated in the state or province concerned within the meaning of the Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (2005/36/EC), or they have exercised an equivalent profession in the state or province concerned for at least 1 year in the last 10 years;

c) the mountain hiking guide is professionally qualified within the meaning of Article 2a(2) of the Tyrolean Mountain Sport Guides Act (Tiroler Bergsportführergesetz);

d) they have sufficient liability insurance;

e) they have the required knowledge of German.

Nationals of other states are also entitled to temporarily and occasionally carry out mountain hiking guide activities in Tyrol without a mountain hiking guide licence if:

a) they fulfil the requirements under letters b to e of the previous paragraph;

b) they receive their clients in the state concerned;

c) mountain hiking guide from Tyrol are entitled to the same rights in the state concerned.

Domestic and foreign alpine associations may carry out the activity if it is carried out exclusively for and by members of the association concerned and neither the members carrying out the activity nor the association concerned receive remuneration that exceeds expenditure.

·        Age of majority and corresponding decision-making ability;

·        Trustworthiness, physical and mental aptitude and professional competence;

·        Liability insurance cover of at least EUR 10 million;

·        Adequate knowledge of German is an absolutely essential.

Professional competence is proven – insofar as there is no recognition of professional qualifications – by a certificate demonstrating the successful passing of the mountain hiking guide examination.

None. The activity may only be carried out after legally binding authorisation has been issued.

Processing time

The district administrative authorities are required to make a decision on a complete application without undue delay, but within 6 months at the latest, by means of a written decision.

An application for a mountain hiking guide licence must be submitted in writing. The documents to be attached must be no older than 3 months at the time of submission of the application. A decision on an application for a licence must be made in the form of a written decision.

Persons who have been granted authorisation to act as mountain hiking guide must be registered in the mountain hiking guide directory, which is kept by the Tyrolean Mountain Sport Guides’ Association (Tiroler Bergsportführerverband).

At the same time as notification of the decision to grant authorisation, the district administrative authority will issue the mountain hiking guide licence and the mountain hiking guide badge.

The authorisation to act as a mountain hiking guide expires upon the death of the mountain hiking guide or the withdrawal or renunciation of the authorisation.

·        Birth certificate;

·        Proof of citizenship;

·        Proof of status as a beneficiary (citizens of the EU, EEA, Switzerland and other states treated as equivalent on the basis of treaties relating to European integration);

·        Confirmation of registration;

·        Criminal record certificate, or comparable proof for non-Austrian citizens;

·        Medical certificate proving physical and mental fitness;

·        Certificate from an approved insurer confirming the existence of the minimum amount of liability insurance;

·        Mountain hiking guide examination certificate or certificate of recognition within the scope of European integration of a mountain hiking guide training course.

If the mountain hiking guide examination was taken more than 4 years prior to application, confirmation of participation in a further training course run by the Tyrolean Mountain Sport Guides’ Association within the last 4 years must be submitted. This requirement does not apply if the applicant has a professional qualification recognised under the Tyrolean Law on EU Professional Matters (Tiroler EU-Berufsangelegenheiten-Gesetz) and provides evidence of any further training required under the law of the state concerned.

Type and format of evidence to be provided

The documents (copies) may be submitted in electronic form. More information regarding legally valid submissions can be found at Bekanntmachungen zum rechtswirksamen Einbringen und deren technischen Voraussetzungen (Publications on legally valid submissions and technical requirements).

The photo for the professional card must be 3.5 x 4.5 cm in size (= normal passport photo) or at least 600 x 800 pixels (for a digital photo). The image quality should be in line with the criteria for passports: http://www.passbildkriterien.at/oesterreich.html.

Federal Law on Dues (Gebührengesetz) 1957:

·        Submission fee EUR 47.30; appendices EUR 3.90, max. EUR 21.80; reduced fees for electronic submission with a citizen card: submission fee EUR 28.40; appendices EUR 2.30, max. EUR 13.10

·        Award decision EUR 83.60

According to the Provincial Administrative Charges Ordinance (Landes-Verwaltungsabgabenverordnung) 2007:

·      Granting of the mountain hiking guide licence EUR 110

·      Issuance of a new mountain hiking guide badge EUR 25

·      Issuance of a new mountain hiking guide card EUR 35

The costs incurred can be paid electronically by bank transfer after notification of the decision has been sent.

• The District Authority

The district administrative authority under whose jurisdiction the applicant has their main place of residence is responsible for granting the authorisation. If there is no main place of residence in Tyrol, jurisdiction will be based on the place of residence at the time of application; if the applicant has no temporary or permanent address in Tyrol or if this is uncertain, the Innsbruck district authority has regional jurisdiction. Authority finder

The application does not have to be signed electronically (using the Handy-Signatur app or eID) or by hand.

Tyrolean Mountain Sport Guides Act (Tiroler Bergsportführergesetz)

Tyrolean Mountain Sport Guides Ordinance (Tiroler Bergsportführerverordnung)

Tyrolean Law on EU Professional Matters (Tiroler EU-Berufsangelegenheiten-Gesetz)

General Administrative Procedure Act (Allgemeines Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz) 1991

Federal Law on Dues (Gebührengesetz) 1957

Provincial Administrative Charges Ordinance (Landes-Verwaltungsabgabenverordnung) 2007

Appeals against decisions of the district administrative authorities may be lodged before the Regional Administrative Court. The appeal must specify the contested decision and the authority that issued it. It must contain a request and set out the grounds on which the allegation of illegality is based. The appeal must be filed in writing to the district administrative authority that issued the decision within 4 weeks of the date of notification of the decision and must contain information that makes it possible to assess its timeliness. The district administrative authority may issue a preliminary appeal decision. The appeal may be filed electronically: Appeals in administrative proceedings.

If the administrative body fails to make a decision within 6 months, you have the option of filing a complaint with the administrative body regarding the delay. It must be filed with the defaulting district administrative authority. The complaint must designate this authority, provide a concrete request, and credibly demonstrate that the deadline for the authority’s decision has expired.