The professional pursuit of the activity of a mountain walker guide requires an authorisation granted by the competent authority.

Mountain hiking guides are persons who lead, accompany or teach mountain hikes for gainful purposes, including winter and snowshoe hikes. The main task of a mountain walker guide is to safely guide people using their services to the agreed destination and back. If you want to work as a mountain walker guide, you must apply for this to the competent authority and prove the required personal requirements.

An application is required for:

• the granting of exercise powers
• recognition of qualifications

The following must be reported to the Authority:

• the withdrawal of the power
• interruption/resumption of activity

The power shall be withdrawn if:

• it is subsequently established that one of the personal requirements for obtaining the power at the time the power was granted was not fulfilled.
• the holder of the power loses the reliability or fitness for health
• deficiencies have been identified in the exercise of the power resulting from the lack of the necessary professional competence; or
• the holder of the power has not attended the training courses twice in a row without credence of an unforeseen or unavoidable event

Note: The Styrian Mountain Sports Act regulates the professional exercise of the activity as a mountain walker guide. The Styrian Mountain Sports Act does not fall within the scope of the Styrian Mountain Sports Act, free of charge, accompanying and teaching in the circle of family and friends; running, accompanying and teaching in schools, members of non-profit Alpine associations or non-profit climbing clubs, by technically qualified persons within the framework of non-profit youth organisations for their members; in the context of natural or scientific institutions, of persons in high ropes courses, within the framework of the teaching programme Movement and Sport as well as the study of sports and movement sciences; the exercise of duties by members of the Federal Army and guard bodies, activities of a ski school as well as guided hikes that do not require any alpine technical skills or skills.

Note: Mountain walkers established in other countries are authorised to carry out their activities temporarily and occasionally in Styria. If the mountain hiking guide system is not regulated in that State, the person must have exercised the profession for at least one year during the last ten years. The temporary and occasional exercise of the activity as a mountain walker guide is governed by Section 9 of the  Styrian Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications and the Proportional Examination of New Professional Regulations - StBRG 2020

1.    ENTRY FEE
A fee of EUR 14.30 must be paid for the submission of the application. A fee of EUR 47.30 shall be payable for applications for the grant of power or recognition of a qualification or any other legal requirement to pursue an activity.

2.    BEILAGE FEATURES
A fee must be paid for each supplement to be attached to the application. It is EUR 3.90 per din A3 sheet*. If the supplement is larger than a DIN A3 sheet, the fee per sheet of paper is EUR 7.20. The maximum fee is EUR 21.80.
* The law uses the term "arch", which is paper whose side size does not exceed the size of two by 210 mm x 297 mm in one or both directions.

3.    COUNTRY COMMISSION SUPPORT
If official acts of the authorities outside the Office are required for the processing of the application, commission fees shall be paid for this. The amount of the Commission fee for each half hour commenced shall be per participating body.

• for administrative acts of the district administrative authorities: EUR 17.00
• for official acts of other authorities of the country: EUR 23.70

The authorities are obliged to issue the decision whithin six months after the application has been received. If the authority fails to decide within the specified deadline, you have the option of a " Säumnisbeschwerde" . This Säumnisbeschwerde" must include the name of the authority whose decision is pending. Additionally, the letter must state the request and provide evidence that the decision deadline of the authority has expired.

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I have noted that the data provided by me, as well as any data received by the administration over the course of the preliminary investigation, will be automatically processed as per article 6, para. 1 lit. c and e of the General Data Protection Regulation in accordance with the underlying material laws of the legal process. Furthermore, I am aware that this is for the purpose of executing the legal procedure initiated by me, the granting of regulatory approval and also for the purpose of review. I have read the general information regarding: 

• the right to access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, withdrawal and objection, as well as on data portability
• the right to lodge a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority
• the responsibilities of the process controller and the data protection officer as per https://datenschutz.stmk.gv.at.

Authentication or signature of the application is not required.

Office of the State Government of Styria
8010 Graz, Hofgasse 16

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.

Point of Single Contact Styria

Offices of the Provincial government of Styria
Department 12 - economy and innovation
Nikolaiplatz 3
8020 Graz
Telefon: +43 316 877 5905
E-Mail: eap@stmk.gv.at
Homepage:  https://eap.stmk.gv.at

05.08.2024