Brothel in Krems an der Donau, Austria

Selling and buying sex between adults are legal in Austria, but the rules are set by nine separate Land laws. Sex work is generally allowed only in approved brothels or other permitted places; Vienna also allows street-based work outside residential areas and fines clients who make contact where it is banned. Sex workers must undergo a health check every six weeks. Profiting from someone else's prostitution is a crime when it amounts to exploitation (§ 216 StGB). There is no federal rule on advertising; several Länder restrict it, in Vienna and Upper Austria in particular for unsafe-sex practices. Source: Prostitution Laws (prostitutionlaws.org), https://prostitutionlaws.org/countries/austria/, reviewed 2026-10-30, CC BY 4.0.