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Guide to complaints

Do you want to file a complaint with the Austrian Ombudsman Board? The guide provides an overview from the complaint to the investigative proceedings and the final result of the Austrian Ombudsman Board.

How can you complain?

You can submit a complaint FREE OF CHARGE using our electronic form, by e-mail, by post or in person on the consultation day. For help and questions, please call our free service hotline 0800 - 223 223 on weekdays from 08:00 to 16:00.

The Ombudspersons endeavor to make information available in as many languages as possible, but the investigative proceedings must be conducted in German.  

To submit a complaint by mail, please print out the complaint form and fill it out.

PDF Complaint Form

Who can complain?

Anyone who has a problem with an Austrian authority can turn to the Austrian Ombudsman Board - regardless of age, nationality or place of residence.

Institutions such as companies and associations can also contact the Ombudsman Board if they have problems with an administrative authority.

What can you complain about?

The Austrian Ombudsman Board is responsible for monitoring all public administration bodies, offices and authorities, including

  • Federal ministries
  • Offices of the regional governments
  • District authorities
  • Municipal bodies

For example, the Ombudsman Board examines

  • Pension, accident and health insurance matters
  • Labour Market Service (AMS)
  • Family allowance, childcare allowance
  • Social welfare, basic benefit (Mindestsicherung)
  • Youth welfare office
  • Retirement and nursing homes
  • Police
  • Commercial authorities
  • Water law authorities, forestry and environmental matters
  • Asylum procedures, visas, citizenship and settlement procedures, immigration law
  • Monument protection
  • School authorities, universities, universities of applied sciences
  • Facilities of the penitentiary system and forensic institutions
  • Building procedures or zoning
  • Municipal administration
  • Regional and municipal roads
  • Regional and municipal taxes (such as waste, water, sewerage)
  • Financial administration
  • National Defence

In the case of courts and public prosecutors' offices, the Ombudsman Board can only examine the duration of proceedings.

What is the Ombudsman Board not responsible for?

  • Legal disputes between private individuals
  • Problems with private companies
  • Court proceedings, court decisions and the activities of public prosecutors (exception: duration of proceedings)
  • Problems with foreign authorities
  • Problems with the regional and municipal administration in Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The regional ombudspersons are responsible there.

Regional Ombudsman's Office for Tyrol - https://www.tirol.gv.at/landtag/landesvolksanwaeltin/

Regional Ombudsman's Office for Vorarlberg - https://www.landesvolksanwalt.at/