Virtual office in Germany

The filing that registers a GmbH must state a domestic business address, which then also appears on its letterhead and invoices. Founders who do not yet rent premises often use a virtual office for it: an address where post is received, scanned or forwarded, sometimes with a meeting room or a telephone service. It works well for receiving letters from the tax office and the registry court, which keep arriving whether or not anyone is in the country. A mailing address alone does not show that the company is run from Germany, and the tax office or a bank may look at where decisions are actually taken, so ask an adviser how the address fits your structure.

Firms offering virtual office services in Germany

Greenfields

Corporate services provider · Boutique firm

Frankfurt

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +4 more

Languages: English · German

View profile of Greenfields

What to ask a virtual office provider in Germany

Providers of a registered or postal address for companies are obliged entities under the anti-money laundering act, so expect identity checks before the contract. Ask whether the address can be used as the registered office in the commercial register and for the business registration with the local authority. Ask how quickly post is scanned, how official letters with deadlines are flagged, and whether originals are forwarded abroad. If the provider also keeps your books, ask whether letters from the tax office go straight to the person handling them. Find out the notice period, because changing a registered address later means a new register filing.

Firms on Accountanty

Accountanty lists 16 firms that offer a virtual office in Germany: ten accounting firms, five corporate service providers and one law firm. Twelve are small, three part of large networks and one medium-sized. All 16 also keep accounts, 13 handle company formation, and Polish is offered by seven of them. Frankfurt has six, Hamburg five, Berlin four and Munich one. To combine an address with the setup itself, see company formation in Germany.

Frequently asked questions

Can a virtual office be the registered address of a German GmbH?

It often is, provided post can be delivered there and the company can be reached. Ask the provider in writing that the address may be entered in the commercial register before you file, since a later move means another filing.

Who looks after official post sent to a virtual office in Germany?

That depends on the contract. Some providers only scan letters, while firms that also keep the books can pass tax office letters to the adviser handling them. Ask how deadlines in official letters are flagged.

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General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.