Cross-border transfer of a securities custody account

As of July 2026, the transfer of securities from a foreign custody account to an Austrian custody account will only qualify as tax-neutral if the taxpayer submits a notification to the competent tax office within one month, either by means of the prescribed form or via FinanzOnline. This notification must include details of the transferred securities, their acquisition costs, and the receiving custodian bank. If the one-month deadline is missed, the transfer will be treated for tax purposes as a deemed disposal and will be subject to immediate taxation.

The requirement to provide evidence of the actual acquisition costs to the Austrian custodian bank remains unchanged. However, in the future, the notification submitted to the tax office may serve as such evidence. Provided that the custodian bank does not possess any conflicting information, it may adopt the acquisition costs stated in the notification.

Conclusion

Since 1 July 2026, the timely submission of the relevant notification to the tax office by the taxpayer has become a mandatory prerequisite for a tax-neutral transfer of a securities portfolio from abroad. At the same time, proof of the actual acquisition costs vis-à-vis the domestic custodian bank can be simplified by presenting this tax office notification.