Account opening
Accounts in the EU Emissions Trading Registry (EU ETS)
In the Union Registry different types of accounts are available. To open an account in the Austrian part of the Union Registry, a request is submitted online, irrespective of the type of account. To do so, all authorised representatives that are to be nominated have to register first with EU Login, the European Commission's authentication service, in order to have access to the Union Registry.
A guidance document on how to access the Union Registry is available at the following link:
Guidance on Access to the Austrian Part of the Union Registry (in German)
Information on how to complete the account opening form is provided in the user guide for the Austrian part of the Union Registry (Austrian ETS Registry User Guide). As a registered user, you will find the link to the user guide in the Union Registry (“Help” button).
After submitting a request for the opening of an account online, the person making the request will receive a contract for the opening of the account from the Austrian Emissions Trading Registry as a pdf by e-mail. The contract has to be returned in two counterparts, each of which duly signed and deemed an original, to the Austrian Emissions Trading Registry by post or, if an electronic signature is used (in accordance with Annex I or III of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014), as an attachment to an email, together with the supporting documents and information as required.
An overview of the supporting documents and information to be provided can be found under 'registration requirements', available for download for each account type at the links below:
Registration requirements operator holding account
Registration requirements aircraft operator holding account
Registration requirements trading account for legal persons
Registration requirements trading account for natural persons
Registration requirements verifier
Upon a positive assessment of the supporting documents and information, the Austrian Emissions Trading Registry opens the account. A copy of the account opening contract, countersigned by the Environment Agency Austria, is sent to the account holder. Please note that the Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be downloaded using the following link, form an integral part of the contract:
The authorised representatives of the account receive an enrolment key by post which enables them to access the account. Information on how to enter the enrolment key can be found in the above-mentioned Guidance on Access to the Union Registry.
The Austrian Emissions Trading Registry charges a fee for the management of the accounts.
You can find more information about fees on our Services page.
The following account types can be opened in the Union Registry:
Operator holding account
For each installation participating in emissions trading pursuant to the Austrian Emissions Allowances Act 2011 as amended (Emissionszertifikategesetz 2011 - EZG 2011 idgF) there has to be at least one operator holding account. A request for the opening of an operator holding account has to be submitted to the Austrian Emissions Trading Registry within 20 working days of the entry into force of the greenhouse gas emission permit.
Any free allowances an installation receives are transferred to the operator holding account and the account is used to surrender allowances in order to meet annual surrender obligations. Operators of installations may use their operator holding account or a separate trading account to trade their allowances.
Aircraft operator holding account
All aircraft operators assigned to Austria as their administrating Member State are obliged to open an aircraft operator account in the Austrian part of the Union Registry. A request for the opening of an aircraft operator holding account has to be submitted to the Austrian Emissions Trading Registry within 20 working days from the approval of the monitoring plan.
Any free allowances an aircraft operator receives are transferred to the aircraft operator holding account and the account is used to surrender allowances in order to meet annual surrender obligations. Aircraft operators may use their aircraft operator holding account or a separate trading account to trade their allowances.
Further information on aviation activities from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation und Technology can be found at the following link:
Information from the Ministry on aviation activities (in German)
Trading account
Natural or legal persons may open a trading account in the Austrian part of the Union Registry. This also applies to enterprises that are not legally obliged to open an emissions trading account. The difference between a trading account and an operator holding or aircraft operator holding account is that simplified rules apply to the execution of transactions on the trading account.
Registration of verifiers
Every independent verifier wishing to be authorised, by the operator of an installation or an aircraft operator, to enter and approve verified emissions in the Union Registry, needs to be registered as a verifier in the Austrian part of the Union Registry.