Founding a GmbH in Germany
Suppose you are a foreign investor and want to open a German company for more significant business. In that case, a full German limited liability company, or with its German acronym “GmbH”, will be your best choice. On the other hand, a “Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung” offers a simple structure typically designed for private companies.
What are the requirements for a GmbH?
There are not many requirements for opening a GmbH:
- minimum share capital for a GmbH is € 25,000,
- minimum number of shareholders is one,
- minimum number of directors is one,
- shareholder and director may be identical,
- a physical address is required,
which can be realized with a virtual office, - the legal description of the line of business,
- the notarization of the articles of association,
- the application of registering the company with the commercial registry via the notary,
- shareholder (or his special representative, based on a notarized power of attorney) has to sign a deed on the incorporation, and the appointment of one or several director(s) before a German notary (in the event of their absence, you need a remote founding),
- then the new director(s) has/have to open a bank account
- afterwards the company has to fund this bank account with at least € 12,500 (= half of the company stock capital),
- upon proof of capitalizing your company, the notary will apply to register your company with the commercial registry.
Where does the company have to be registered after opening?
After the incorporation, the company has to be registered with
as a minimum. Depending on your company’s line of business, you might need a permit. In seldom cases, you need the permission first before you may have the company registered.
What is your basic setup for registering a GmbH?
Our standardized offer for setting up your company instantly:
- testing legitimacy of your selected company name,
- fine-tuning and testing legitimacy of the line of business for the articles of association,
- drafting the bilingual company formation documents, which you will be requested to approve before the notary,
- organizing the notary appointment in your vicinity, exception: remote founding,
- introducing you to relevant banks.
- Registration with Transparency Registry.
Do you need live support during the registration process?
Do you think the form is too complicated, or do you want a healthy mix of “do it yourself” and professional support? We can accommodate your request! So make your appointment for your live support right here.
Are you in a hurry?
If you are in a hurry or are a non-European without a residence permit for Germany, we recommend that you purchase a shelf company. We have detailed the difference here. For regular incorporation, it can take about 2.5 - 3 months to receive your VAT ID.
Foreigners outside of Europe who do not reside here will generally not obtain a checking account with a German bank. However, with a shelf company from our partner, Beam my Presence to Germany UG (haftungsbeschränkt), you can start selling your goods or services in Germany and outside Europe right after the notary visit! The company also has an account, which can also be taken over if a European is an authorized signatory or managing director of this company. We can then make an appointment with the notary within about a week.
What are your fees?
Our fees are always ex VAT. The fee structure relates to a DIY approach. If you do not want or cannot order your company yourself, we also supply live support.
| Individual GmbH |
Standard GmbH |
|
|---|---|---|
| Basic Fee Instant Company Formation – as above | 1078 € | 791 € |
| Surcharge for Optional Services | ||
| Considering more than three Persons – per Person | 63 € | |
| Corporate Founder from EU – per company | 313 € | |
| Corporate Founder – rest of the world – per company | 625 € | |
| Trade Registration – standard service | 188 € | |
| Trade Registration – budget service | 63 € | |
| Registration with Tax Office | 875 € | |
| Payroll Set-up | 375 € | |
| Applying for a VAT-ID | 63 € | |
| Remote Founding | 2741 € | 1816 € |
| Interpreting @ Notary | 375 € | |
| Installing Alexander as your company’s proxy director | 63 € | |
| Registration at IHK | 38 € | |
| Applying for EORI Number – normal processing | 50 € | |
| Applying for EORI Number – urgent application | 75 € | |
| Providing your Website with an Imprint | 38 € | |
| Registering with Chamber of Handicrafts – standard service | 1250 € | |
| Registering with Chamber of Handicrafts – budget service | 250 € | |
Founding a UG in Germany
If you want to incorporate as a start-up or small-scale business, the entrepreneurial company, Unternehmergesellschaft (haftungsbeschränkt)" or with its acronym "UG" will be your best choice.
What are the requirements for a UG?
Founding a UG in Germany is easy, but only when you fund the company with cash.
- minimum share capital for a UG is € 1,
- minimum number of shareholders is one,
- minimum number of directors is one,
- shareholder and director may be identical,
- a physical address is required,
which can be realized with a virtual office, - the legal description of the line of business,
- the notarization of the articles of association,
- appointment of the first director(s),
- the application to the commercial registry,
- the shareholder and the director have to sign deeds on the incorporation before a German notary,
However, this can be realized with a special representative with notarized and legalized power of attorney. This set-up constitutes a "remote founding", - the director has to open a bank account,
- t.b.a.
When the company exists, with which authorities does the company have to be registered?
After the incorporation, the company has to be registered with
- the tax office (incl. VAT ID),
and - the trade office
as a minimum. Depending on your company's line of business, you might need a permit. In seldom cases, you need the permission first before you may have the company registered. We will keep an eye on this detail and inform you that your company requires permission before it's too late.
What is your basic offer?
Our standardized offer for setting up your UG instantly:
- testing legitimacy of your selected company name,
- fine-tuning and testing legitimacy of the line of business for the articles of association,
- drafting the bilingual company formation documents, which you will be requested to approve prior to the notary appointment,
- organizing the notary appointment in your vicinity, exception: remote founding,
- entering your company into the transparency registry,
- bank introduction.
Do you need live support during the registration process?
Do you think the form is too complicated, or do you want a healthy mix of “do it yourself” and professional support? We can accommodate your request! So make your appointment for your live support right here.
Are you in a hurry?
If you are in a hurry or are a non-European without a residence permit for Germany, we recommend that you purchase a shelf company. We have detailed the difference here. For regular incorporation, it can take about 2.5 - 3 months to receive your VAT ID.
Foreigners outside of Europe who do not reside here will generally not obtain a checking account with a German bank. However, with a shelf company from our partner, Beam my Presence to Germany UG (haftungsbeschränkt), you can start selling your goods or services in Germany and outside Europe right after the notary visit! The company also has an account, which can also be taken over if a European is an authorized signatory or managing director of this company. We can then make an appointment with the notary within about a week.
What are your fees?
Our fees are always ex VAT. The fee structure relates to a DIY approach. If you do not want or cannot order your company yourself, we also supply live support.
| Individual UG |
Standard UG |
|
|---|---|---|
| Basic Fee Instant Company Formation – as above | 546 € | 403 € |
| Surcharge for Optional Services | ||
| Considering more than three Persons – per Person | 63 € | |
| Corporate Founder from EU – per company | 313 € | |
| Corporate Founder – rest of the world – per company | 625 € | |
| Trade Registration – full service | 173 € | |
| Trade Registration – budget service | 58 € | |
| Registration with Tax Office | 375 € | |
| Payroll Set-up | 375 € | |
| Applying for a VAT-ID | 63 € | |
| Remote Founding | 2048 € | 1278 € |
| Interpreting @ Notary | 375 € | |
| Installing your company's proxy director | 63 € | |
| Registration at IHK | 38 € | |
| Applying for EORI Number – normal processing | 46 € | |
| Applying for EORI Number – urgent application | 69 € | |
| Registration at Chamber of Handicrafts - full service | 173 € | |
| Registration at Chamber of Handicrafts- budget service | 250 € | |
| Providing your Website with an Imprint | 1250 € | |
Free Instant Analysis of your Corporate Needs
Which form of company do I need and what costs do I have to reckon with?
If you still have questions, please visit our FAQs on incorporation by clicking this sentence.
Which form of company do I need and what costs do I have to reckon with?
If you still have questions, please visit our FAQs on incorporation by clicking this sentence.
