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 setup 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 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. You can learn about which person plays which role in incorporation matters by clicking this sentence.

What is your basic offer?

Our standardized offer for setting up your UG instantly:

• testing the legitimacy of your selected company name,
• fine-tuning and testing the 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? It makes a lot of sense when you are setting up and will have parallel law issues as well. 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.

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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.