This is often frowned upon and the Roman Catholic Church prohibits it explicitly. The most important sources outside those kept by the family are the local church archives, and the central archives of the bishopric. There you can view the parish books, Matriken , which are used to record church events such as baptisms, marriages, consecrations, announcements, obituaries, etc. As the Roman Catholic Church as well as the Evangelical Church in Austria do not permit their records to be microfilmed, you may only view documents in its archives or in the parish church on location. Before visiting an archive, you will need to request a permit for the visit in writing from the relevant diocese.
Permits are, as a rule, free of charge for amateur genealogists.
At the same time, inquire into the parish office hours. As the archives are only accessible under supervision, a small fee will be charged. More easily legible copies have been made of church records of the period between about 1835 to 1959. These can be viewed in the central archives of the bishopric. Another advantage is that these archives contain information from many parishes and expert help is available.