Business re-registration

If you wish to relocate the registered office of your company within the jurisdiction of the municipality that was previously responsible, you must re-register your business. The same applies if you change the location of your registered office or the location of a branch or dependent branch office. The local trade or public order office is responsible for this.

The following are exempt from trade re-registration:

• Primary production (livestock farming, agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing)
• Liberal professions
• Management of own assets

If you change your business activity, you must also re-register your business. This is the case, for example, if in future you offer goods or services in your business exclusively or additionally that are not customary in relation to your registered trade.

In addition, you must re-register your business if your name as a trader or the name of the legal entity as a trader changes.

In the event of a change of business activity, a change of registration is required not only for the standing business, but also for the traveling trade.

The following persons or their authorized representatives must carry out the re-registration:

• in the case of sole traders, by the trader himself,
• in the case of legal entities, for example limited liability companies (GmbH), public limited companies (AG), by the legal representatives

In the case of partnerships, for example general partnerships (OHG), partnerships limited by shares (KG), partnerships under civil law (GbR), limited liability companies and limited partnerships (GmbH & Co. KG), all partners authorized to manage the business must register their business.

If you move your place of business to the jurisdiction of another municipality, you must first deregister the business at the previous location and then re-register it at the new location. This is not a re-registration.

• § 14 Trade Regulations (GewO)
• § Section 55c of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO)
• Trade Notification Ordinance (GewAnzV)
• § Section 15 of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO)
• § 11 Trade Regulations (GewO)

• Completed business re-registration form
• Proof of identity (e.g. identity card, passport or registration certificate)
• Copy of the extract from the commercial register if your company is entered in the commercial register (also: register of cooperatives, register of associations, register of foundations)

• You relocate the registered office, a branch office or a dependent branch within the jurisdiction of a municipality, or
• You change or expand the goods and services offered so that the character of your business changes
• The name of the trader changes

Costs and fees for business registrations and re-registrations

26.00 € for a business registration or business re-registration of a natural person

33.00 € for legal entities (e.g. GbR, GmbH)

13.00 € for each additional legal representative in the case of legal entities

15.00 € for the issue of a duplicate (replacement)

You can re-register your business in person, online, by post or fax.

• If you are re-registering in person or in writing, you must complete and personally sign the form "Gewerbe-Ummeldung" - (GewA 2).
• The "GewA 2" form is available at the office responsible for the re-registration or, depending on the offer, is also available for download.
• The responsible office will certify receipt of the business re-registration if the re-registration form has been completed in full
• The responsible office forwards the business registration to other offices, such as the tax office, the employers' liability insurance association, the Chamber of Crafts, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and, if applicable, the registration court.
• The procedure can be handled by a single point of contact. You have a legal right to electronic processing.

• Supplement to the business registration
• Business deregistration