Austrian Foreign Trade Act amendment introduces Security Export Act and digital procedural changes

Austria's Foreign Trade Act amendment introduces the Security Export Act, streamlining electronic applications while increasing record retention to ten years.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 3, 2026, 8:28 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from CMS

Modernization of the legal framework and name change

The proposed legislative shift marks a transition from the existing Foreign Trade Act to the new Security Export Act. This rebranding is intended to reflect a more modern approach to the regulation of defense-related products, firearms, and dual-use goods. A primary objective of the amendment is the reduction of bureaucratic hurdles that currently hamper Austrian exporters. However, the core structure of the export control regime remains fragmented, as the amendment does not merge the systems for dual-use goods and war material, nor does it establish a centralized one-stop-shop for authorizations as previously discussed in earlier government programs.

Expansion of electronic applications and procedural shifts

To streamline the licensing process, the draft proposes expanding the availability of electronic applications. Currently, only companies with a designated responsible representative can utilize online submission systems, but the new act seeks to abolish this restriction to allow all applicants access to digital filing. Despite this push for digital entry, the delivery of approval notices is expected to remain physical. Another procedural change includes the ability to convert preliminary inquiries into regular licensing procedures, which is intended to speed up the process for exporters who have not yet finalized contracts for foreign transactions.

Liberalization of specific arms embargoes and general authorizations

In alignment with evolving international and European Union law, Austria plans to lift arms embargoes for several nations, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Central African Republic. This change will allow for the lawful export of defense-related products to these regions once the legal prerequisites have ceased to exist. Furthermore, the act introduces new national general export authorizations for intra-group transfers of sensitive technology, such as mobile communications jamming equipment and intrusion software. Notably, the Austrian draft extends these simplified export rules to include the Western Balkan countries and Ukraine, providing broader geographic coverage than current EU-wide authorizations.