The Company Formation section of firma.de’s blog is filled with articles aimed at educating you on the bureaucratic ins and outs of establishing a business in Germany. We’ve categorised all the posts so you can quickly search and go!
What else can I learn?
We also have master lists for each section of the blog. We hope you find it useful!
This, of course, is just a list. If you want a more structured guide we’ve got you covered:
The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Business in Germany: The only resource you’ll ever need
Contents
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GmbH
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UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
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Holding companies
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GbR
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Einzelunternehmen (sole proprietorships, Kleingewerbe)
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Freiberufler (liberal professionals)
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AG
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Types of businesses (specific industries)
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gGmbH: The non-profit company
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GmbH & Co. KG
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Business bureaucracy 101
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Geschäftskonto: business bank accounts
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How to start any type of business in Germany
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Don’t know where to start?
Hi, I’m Andreas. For over a decade I have been advising founders on how to do business in Germany. I’d be happy to call you and answer your questions about starting a business in my home country.
GmbH
Contents:
The basics
- What is a GmbH?
- What is an asset-managing GmbH?
- What is the non-profit incorporated company in Germany?
What is a GmbH?
What is a GmbH? Definition and costs
GmbH: The Pros and Cons of the German Limited Liability Company (LLC)
What is the difference between the AG and the GmbH
What is an asset-managing GmbH?
Vermögensverwaltende GmbH: What is an asset-managing GmbH and for who is it suitable?
What is the non-profit incorporated company in Germany?
gGmbH: What is the German non-profit limited liability company?
Getting started
How to guides
How to set up a company in Germany: A company formation checklist
How to set up a GmbH: Your guide to starting a limited liability company in Germany
How to choose the right legal form for your business in Germany
How to set up a gGmbH: Your guide to starting a non-profit company in Germany
Starting a GmbH outside of Germany
Forming a German company from outside of Germany
Forming a company from abroad: Legalisation
What is an Apostille? Procedure and application
Visas and residence permits
Aufenthaltstitel: Do I have the right residence permit to start a business in Germany?
Visas for starting a business in Germany: A plain English guide
Settlement permit: How to apply for a German Permanent Residence Permit
Banking
Geschäftskonto: The business bank account for GmbHs and UGs
Digital business accounts: A comparison of online banks in Germany
Opening a business bank account in Germany: Comparison and FAQs
Opening a German Bank Account as a Non-German Citizen: How It Works
Why entrepreneurs should have five bank accounts in Germany
When to form a GmbH
Timing is everything: When to form a UG or GmbH
Company name
How to find the perfect company name for your UG or GmbH
Name check by the IHK: Is the company name I want still available?
Website legal disclosure
Impressum: What to include in a company legal disclosure in Germany (including free template)
Articles of association
Musterprotokoll vs Gesellschaftsvertrag: How are they different?
Notary appointments
The notary appointment for company incorporation in Germany: What founders need to know
Digital GmbH incorporation: Everything you need to know about the new online notary appointment
Tax questionnaire
Bureaucracy
All the different registrations for the GmbH
German limited liability companies (GmbH & UG) and the Handelsregister: From registration to removal
Registering a Limited Liability Company in Germany (GmbH or UG): Here’s how!
Handelsregister: The fundamentals of the commercial register in Germany
How to register a limited liability company (GmbH or UG) in Germany
Beware of fake Handelsregister invoices!
Registering with the trade office
Gewerbeanmeldung: Everything You Need to Know About Trade Registration in Germany
How to fill out the Gewerbeanmeldung (trade registration) form
Registering with the transparency register
Transparenzregister: What is the Transparency Register?
How things work
CEO/Managing Director
GmbH-Geschäftsführer: Everything you need to know about being a managing director of a GmbH
CEO salary in a GmbH: How much is a GmbH CEO allowed to earn?
The responsibilities of the GmbH’s CEO
GmbH-Geschäftsführervertrag: Everything you need to know about the managing director’s contract in Germany
Company objective
The company objective (Unternehmensgegenstand): Definition and formulation
Equity/shares
GmbH-Anteile: Everything you need to know about German LLC shares
Share capital
GmbH Stammkapital (share capital)
Stammeinlage and the GmbH: Delving into capital contributions in Germany
Shareholders
GmbH shareholder rights and obligations
Die Sperrminorität einer GmbH: What is a GmbH blocking minority?
How to do a shareholders’ resolution (Gesellschafterbeschluss) for the GmbH
Asset management companies
Forming an Immobiliengesellschaft in Germany: How to save on taxes with a real estate GmbH
Vermögensverwaltende GmbH: What is an asset-managing GmbH and for whom is it suitable?
UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Contents:
The basics
What is a UG?
What is a UG (haftungsbeschränkt)? – Definition and facts
The UG Corporation
The pros and cons of the UG (haftungsbeschränkt):
How much does it cost to form a UG (haftungsbeschränkt)?
What is the non-profit UG?
The gUG (haftungsbeschränkt): The non-profit legal form of the UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Getting started
How to guides for the UG
How to set up a UG company: Your guide to starting an entrepreneurial company in Germany
How to set up a company in Germany: A company formation checklist
How to choose the right legal form for your business in Germany
Starting a UG from outside Germany
Forming a German company from outside of Germany
Forming a company from abroad: Legalisation
What is an Apostille? Procedure and application
Visas and residence permits
Aufenthaltstitel: Do I have the right residence permit to start a business in Germany?
Visas for starting a business in Germany: A plain English guide
Settlement permit: How to apply for a German Permanent Residence Permit
Bank accounts for the UG
Geschäftskonto: The business bank account for GmbHs and UGs in Germany
Opening a business bank account in Germany: Comparison and FAQs
Opening a German Bank Account as a Non-German Citizen: How It Works
Why entrepreneurs should have five bank accounts in Germany or: The problem of terminated German bank accounts
Digital business accounts: A comparison of online banks in Germany
When to form a UG
Timing is everything: When to form a UG or GmbH
Forming a UG: Should I use the calendar year as my company’s financial year in Germany?
How to name your UG
How to find the perfect company name for your UG or GmbH
Name check by the IHK: Is the company name I want still available?
Website legal disclosures for the UG
Impressum: What to include in a company legal disclosure in Germany (including free template)
Articles of association of the UG
Musterprotokoll vs Gesellschaftsvertrag: How are they different?
Should I use the Musterprotokoll or bespoke articles of association when incorporating a UG in Germany?
The UG’s Gesellschaftsvertrag: The articles of association of Germany’s entrepreneurial company
Notary appointments
The notary appointment for company incorporation in Germany: What founders need to know
What are the notary fees for forming a UG in Germany?
Tax questionnaire
How things work
Company objective of the UG
The company objective (Unternehmensgegenstand): Definition and formulation
Shareholders of the UG
UG-Gesellschafter: The Rights and obligations of UG Shareholders
What is the difference between a UG’s shareholder and its CEO?
Share capital of the UG
UG Stammkapital: Incorporating a company in Germany has never been easier
Bureaucracy
All the different registrations for the UG
German limited liability companies (GmbH & UG) and the Handelsregister: From registration to removal
Registering a Limited Liability Company in Germany (GmbH or UG): Here’s how!
Handelsregister: The fundamentals of the commercial register in Germany
How to register a limited liability company (GmbH or UG) in Germany
Beware of fake Handelsregister invoices!
Registering a UG at the trade office
Gewerbeanmeldung: Everything You Need to Know About Trade Registration in Germany
How to fill out the Gewerbeanmeldung (trade registration) form
Registering with the transparency register
Transparenzregister: What is the Transparency Register?
Holding
How to set up a Holding: Your guide to starting a holding structure in Germany
What is a Holding? Definition, formation and FAQs about holding structures in Germany
The pros and cons of the Holding: Weighing up holding structures in Germany
Subsidiary and spin-off companies in Germany: Corporation law explained in simple terms
GbR
The basics
What is the GbR? Everything you need to know about the civil law partnership in Germany
What is a Kleingewerbe? Everything you need to know about small businesses in Germany
The GbR for Freiberufler: The business partnership for liberal professionals in Germany
The pros and cons of the GbR: Weighing up the civil law partnership in Germany
How things work
GbR contracts: Essential information + free PDF template
GbR liability: How to protect your private assets as a founder
The unwanted GbR: Tips for shared workspaces
How to guide
How to start a GbR: Your guide to starting a civil law partnership in Germany
Einzelunternehmen
What is an Einzelunternehmen? Everything you need to know about the sole proprietorship in Germany
What is a Kleingewerbe? Everything you need to know about small businesses in Germany
What is a Freelancer? Everything you need to know about freelancing in Germany
The pros and cons of Einzelunternehmen (sole proprietorships): Are they better than other legal forms in Germany?
How to set up an Einzelunternehmen: Your guide to starting a sole proprietorship in Germany
How to name your Einzelunternehmen: A guide for small traders, freelancers & registered merchants in Germany
Freiberufler
What is a Freiberufler? Everything you need to know about the liberal professions in Germany
AG
How to set up an Aktiengesellschaft (AG): Your guide to starting a stock company in GermanyWhat is an Aktiengesellschaft (stock company)?
What is the difference between the AG and the GmbH?
How to choose the right legal form for your business in Germany
What is a “kleine AG”? Everything you need to know about the stock company without a listing in Germany
The pros and cons of the AG: Weighing up the stock company in Germany
Type of businesses: How to get started in specific industries
The business idea: The foundation of every venture
How to open a retail business: Own your own shop in Germany
How to open a sports shop in Germany
Establishing a Taxiunternehmen: How to open a taxi service in Germany
E-cigarette shops in Germany: Tips for opening your own shop
Opening a shisha bar in Germany? – These tips will help you do just that
Opening a Kita: How to establish your own childcare centre
Establishing an Agentur: How to open your own agency in Germany
Establishing a Werbeagentur: How to open your own advertising agency in Germany
Setting up an Ambulanter Pflegedienst: How to start your own ambulatory nursing service
gGmbH: The non-profit company
gGmbH: What is the German non-profit limited liability company?
The pros and cons of the gGmbH: Weighing up the non-profit limited liability company in Germany
How to set up a gGmbH: Your guide to starting a non-profit company in Germany
GmbH & Co. KG
What is a GmbH & Co. KG (limited liability company & limited partnership)?
German business bureaucracy 101
Business licences
Gewerbeerlaubnis: Do I need a licence for my business in Germany?
Visas and residence permits
Aufenthaltstitel: Do I have the right residence permit to start a business in Germany?
Visas for starting a business in Germany: A plain English guide
Settlement permit: How to apply for a German Permanent Residence Permit
Legal disclosures (imprints)
Impressum: What to include in a company legal disclosure in Germany (including free template)
Notary appointments
The notary appointment for company incorporation in Germany: What founders need to know
Digital GmbH incorporation: Everything you need to know about the new online notary appointment
Tax questionnaire
Commercial register
Handelsregister: The fundamentals of the commercial register in Germany
Registering with the trade office
Gewerbeanmeldung: Everything You Need to Know About Trade Registration in Germany
How to fill out the Gewerbeanmeldung (trade registration) form
Registering with the transparency register
Transparenzregister: What is the Transparency Register?
Business bank accounts
Geschäftskonto: The business bank account for GmbHs and UGs in Germany
Opening a business bank account in Germany: Comparison and FAQs
Opening a German Bank Account as a Non-German Citizen: How It Works
Why entrepreneurs should have five bank accounts in Germany or: The problem of terminated German bank accounts
Digital business accounts: A comparison of online banks in Germany
How to start any business in Germany
The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Business in Germany: The only resource you’ll ever need:
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- Aufenthaltstitel: Do I have the right residence permit to start a business in Germany?
- What legal form is right for me? An overview of the business structures in Germany
- Getting ready to start a business in Germany: What do I need to think about?
- How to set up a business in Germany: An overview for entrepreneurs
- Taking your first steps as an entrepreneur in Germany: How to get off on the right foot
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What you need to know about starting a side (hustle) business in Germany
Want to ask an expert about how to set up a business in Germany?
- Startup expert
- 10+ years experience
Hi, I’m Andreas and I’ve been advising businesses in Germany for over a decade. I’d be happy to call you and answer any questions you have in a one-on-one consultation.
