Market Entry & Company Formation
We guide foreign companies and investors through the process of establishing a German legal entity — from initial consultation to full operational readiness.
The Problem
Entering the German market involves substantial bureaucratic complexity for foreign companies. Without experienced local support, the process often takes three to six months and is full of pitfalls.
Legal Structure
GmbH, sole proprietorship, partnership, AG, or branch office — each form has different tax consequences, liability structures, and capital requirements.
Multiple Authorities
Commercial register, trade office, tax office, social insurance — several authorities must be coordinated and dealt with within the relevant deadlines.
Physical Presence
Notary appointments, bank appointments, German officialese (Amtsdeutsch) — a significant logistical burden for non-resident entrepreneurs.
What We Do
Legal Structure Advisory
GmbH vs. branch office vs. sole proprietorship or partnership — we analyse the tax, liability, and operational implications for your specific situation and provide a written recommendation.
Notary Coordination
We prepare the notarisation appointment, coordinate the notary, and represent you with notarised power of attorney if you cannot attend in person.
Commercial Register & Trade Registration
Submission of documents to the Amtsgericht Charlottenburg (Berlin), trade registration including review of activities requiring special permits.
Tax Registration
Coordination of tax registration with the tax office (Finanzamt) via our partner tax advisors — obtaining your tax number (Steuernummer) and VAT ID (USt-IdNr).
Business Bank Account
Support in selecting and opening a German business account — we know the KYC requirements of German banks and prepare documents accordingly.
Virtual Business Address
Until you have your own premises, we provide our Berlin address as an address for service (ladungsfähige Anschrift).
Process
Initial Consultation & Needs Assessment
We discuss your business model, planned activities in Germany, and clarify the optimal legal structure. You receive a written recommendation based on this analysis.
Document Preparation
Collecting and obtaining apostilles for the required documents from your home country — commercial register extract, articles of association, ID copies of the shareholders. We provide a complete checklist.
Notary Appointment & Notarisation
Coordination and support at the notary appointment. Representation with notarised power of attorney if needed. Payment of share capital (minimum €25,000 for a GmbH, of which at least €12,500 must be paid in at formation).
Commercial Register Entry
Submission of notarised documents to the registration court. Registration typically takes two to four weeks.
Government Registrations
Trade registration, tax registration, registration with the statutory accident insurer (Berufsgenossenschaft) if applicable, bank account opening — we handle everything in parallel.
Handover & Ongoing Support
All relevant documents and access credentials are handed over. On request, we take on ongoing bookkeeping, payroll, and government liaison services.
Who We Work With
Companies entering the German market for the first time who want to establish their own legal structure.
International groups setting up subsidiaries or branch offices in Germany.
Investors holding real estate or investment assets through a German GmbH.
Firms in construction or trade that must meet sector-specific requirements (SOKA-BAU, BG BAU).
Companies posting employees to Germany who need a local employer structure.
Particular experience with clients from Poland, Israel, the UK, the US, China and other countries — including apostilles, translated documents, and extended KYC checks.
Related services
Ready to enter the German market?
Talk to us — we guide you from the first idea through to full operational readiness.
Start a company now