Business registration online in Germany: how it works

Whether you can register your trade online is decided by the authority at your business location - there is no nationwide single procedure. Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and the BayernPortal offer an online procedure. The duty behind it is in section 14 (1) GewO: anyone who starts a permanent trade must notify the competent authority at the same time. The registration does not finish the tax side, though: you also submit the tax registration questionnaire to the tax office, within one month.

Last updated: 26 October 2026

The essentials in brief

Duty: The trade notification is made at the same time as the business starts (section 14 (1) GewO). Freelancers do not notify a trade.
Online: Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria offer an online procedure; whether it applies to your legal form and municipality is shown on your authority's page.
Confirmation: In North Rhine-Westphalia an acknowledgement of receipt is created immediately after sending, equivalent to the trade licence. In Berlin the confirmation arrives electronically if you use a BundID account, otherwise by post.
Afterwards: The authority forwards the registration to the tax office, chamber and other bodies (Berlin). You still send the tax registration questionnaire yourself - electronically and within one month (section 138 (1b) and (4) AO).
Costs: They depend on the place; in Berlin the online notification costs 15 euros. Details in Register a small business in Germany: cost.

Who has to register a trade?

Anyone who starts a permanent trade, a branch or a dependent branch office must notify it (section 14 (1) GewO). Hamburg names occasions such as a new start-up, a change of legal form, a partner joining or a takeover. The authorities describe a trade as any activity that is not socially undesirable, aims at making a profit, is on a lasting basis and is carried out independently; whether you actually make a profit does not matter.

According to Berlin and Hamburg, among others the liberal professions such as doctors, lawyers, tax advisers, as well as scientific, artistic and literary activities are exempt from notification, as is primary production. As a freelancer you inform the tax office of the start of your activity.

How the online registration works

The details differ by authority. The three examples show the range:

Place	Online procedure according to the authority
Berlin	Online with or without a BundID account, or by PDF form at the regulatory office. For sole proprietorships a BundID account is required; you pay the fee online by credit card only. Confirmation into the BundID account, otherwise by post. There is no online procedure for business forms other than those offered online.
North Rhine-Westphalia	Through the Wirtschafts-Service-Portal.NRW, without an appointment and without a trip to the office. After sending, an acknowledgement of receipt is immediately in your user account.
Bavaria	Through the BayernPortal; the page lists the participating authorities.

Find the competent office: In the NRW portal you choose the trade registration and enter the address of the business - the service determines the competent office from it.
Fill in the form: You give details of the trade, the legal form and the persons involved (Wirtschaftsportal NRW).
Prove your identity: For electronic registration, NRW and Hamburg also mention routes such as the electronic ID card; Berlin names a BundID account for the online notification.
Pay the fee: Place and method of payment vary; in Berlin online by credit card only.
Retrieve the confirmation: According to NRW the acknowledgement of receipt is valid without signature and seal and equivalent to the paper certificate ("Gewerbeschein").

Which documents do you need?

As a sole proprietor usually: the completed form and proof of identity. Berlin lists the ID card and notes that it is not needed for electronic applications. If you do not come from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, the authority also needs a residence permit that allows gainful employment. Which further documents are needed depends on your sector (Wirtschaftsportal NRW); some trades require a permit. Corporations and partnerships need the articles of association or a commercial register extract.

And the tax office?

The trade notification is not the tax registration. Under section 138 (1b) AO you give the tax office further information on the tax-relevant circumstances, and electronically (tax registration questionnaire). The deadline: one month after the event that triggers the duty (section 138 (4) AO). Hamburg expressly points this out at the trade registration. How to get there: Tax number for a business in Germany and Tax registration questionnaire for sole proprietors.

Common mistakes

Registering too late. The notification belongs on its way at the same time as the business starts (section 14 (1) GewO).
Taking the online registration for the whole job. For the tax number the questionnaire at the tax office is still missing.
Not retrieving or saving the confirmation. It is your proof, for example for platforms or the bank; in the NRW portal it is a PDF in your user account.
Registering a liberal profession as a trade. Liberal professions are exempt from the duty to notify; in case of doubt the delimitation is up to the authority and the tax office.
Assuming all legal forms work online. Berlin offers no online procedure for business forms not named.

How it works with VAT GPT

VAT GPT does not register a trade - you do that at your authority, as described above. After that, you continue in VAT GPT:

Fill in the questionnaire: In the tax registration questionnaire for sole proprietors you fill in the details free of charge.
Send: VAT GPT sends the questionnaire to the tax office so that you get your tax number.
Ongoing taxes: Upload Amazon and eBay CSV reports and invoices, check the result, send with VAT GPT Pro via ELSTER.

Everything is in one place: advance VAT return, annual VAT return, OSS return, EÜR, trade tax and income tax returns. With Go you use all Pro features free of charge for 30 days. Get to know VAT GPT or create an account right away.

What VAT GPT does not do

VAT GPT does not handle your trade registration with the trade office; the app's registration guide points to the local trade office for it.
VAT GPT is not tax advice - for example on whether your selling is a trade.
The questionnaire is available in VAT GPT only for sole proprietors, not for partnerships or corporations (for example GbR, UG, GmbH).
VAT GPT does not prepare a corporate income tax return (for example for a GmbH or UG).

What does VAT GPT cost?

Free (basic features, free of charge), Go (30 days free with all Pro features), Pro €49 per month or €444 per year, each including VAT.

Frequently asked questions

Can I register a trade completely online? Where the authority offers an online procedure, yes. Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and the BayernPortal do; for other places, look at your municipality's page.

When do I get the trade licence? In NRW the acknowledgement of receipt, equivalent to the trade licence, is ready immediately after sending. For written or electronic registration NRW names a confirmation within 3 days, Hamburg usually within 2 weeks. The time therefore differs by authority.

Do I need a BundID account for the online registration? In Berlin, yes for sole proprietorships in the online service; how it is in your municipality is on its page.

Do I still have to do something at the tax office after the trade registration? Yes: submit the tax registration questionnaire electronically, within one month (section 138 AO).

Do I need a trade registration as a freelancer? No, liberal professions are exempt from the duty to notify. You register with the tax office.

What does the trade registration cost? The state sets it; examples: Register a small business in Germany: cost.