Manage: All formalities related to your existing company (e.g. business re-registration)

Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about running a business or trade

• When do I have to re-register my business?

  1. If you want to relocate your business within Berlin.

  2. If you want to change or expand the activity pursued by your company.

  • Example of a change: Operating as a travel agency is to be discontinued and the company will continue as a newspaper business.
  • Example of an expansion: Operating as a travel agency is to be continued and will be expanded to include the sale of magazines.

  3. If the company moves its registered office to another federal state, the business must be deregistered in Berlin and re-registered with the local trade office in the other federal state (at the new location).

  4. You can also (voluntarily) re-register for other reasons. For example, if the name of your company has changed or if you no longer want to carry out certain activities.

• How can I re-register a business in Berlin?

  You can easily re-register your business via our online portal. There are two ways to do this:

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)

  Alternatively, you can also submit your business re-registration personally, by post, fax or e-mail to the Public Order Offices in charge.

  • Public Order Offices in Berlin
• How much does it cost to re-register a business?

  It generally costs EUR 20 to re-register a business.

  Business re-registration via the online portal of the Point of Single Contact Berlin costs EUR 15.

• I am supposed to provide the date of my business re-registration. Is it possible to re-register with retroactive effect?

  Yes. Please state the date when the change actually occurred. If the date is a long time ago, you must report this truthfully, stating the date when the business changed. This date may be a number of years ago. The online procedure allows you to submit your re-registration retroactively up to 60 months later.

  Please note: Failure to re-register your business when the change in business takes place (usually no later than approx. 4 weeks after the change in operations) is an offence and can be punished by the respective Public Order Office with a fine of up to EUR 1,000.

• I would like to register another branch office in Berlin. What do I have to do?

  You can register the other branch office (dependent branch) via our online portal.

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)
• I would like to change my commercial activity, but my place of business will remain the same. Do I have to register this change?

  Yes. An expansion or change of activity must be reported by re-registering the business. Re-registration can be carried out via our online portal.

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)
• Do I need to re-register my business if I no longer operate my business as a main business but as a side business (or vice versa)?

  Pursuant to sec. 14 (1) of the German Trade Regulation Act [GewO], it is not generally necessary to re-register your business in this case. You can inform your local Public Order Office about this change in an informal manner.

  • Public order offices in Berlin

  If you require proof, it is possible to report the change for a fee as part of business re-registration (EUR 20 regular fee or EUR 15 using the online service). Please use the free text field “Other reasons” and describe your request.

• Relocation: I would like to carry out my commercial activity at another place of business in Berlin. What do I have to do?

  Any change in the place of business within Berlin must be reported by re-registering the business. Re-registration can be carried out via our online portal.

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)
• Relocation: I have moved. Do I have to notify the trade office of my new registered address?

  If only your home address has changed, it is not necessary to formally re-register with the Public Order Office responsible for the place of business. You then notify the Public Order Office of your new home address and enclose a copy of the certificate of registration. No fees are charged for this service. The Public Order Office will then change the entry automatically.

  If you need a trade licence with your new home address for your documents or for other business transactions, you can apply for this together with re-registration which is subject to a fee. Please use the free text field “Other reasons” and describe your request.

  If your home address is also your business address, you will have to formally re-register with the Public Order Office responsible for the place of business.

  If your home address, which is also the business address, is located outside Berlin, the business must be de-registered in Berlin and registered where the new business is located.

  You can use our online portal to re-register your business:

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)
• Relocation: My business is moving from another city / federal state to Berlin. What do I have to do?

  You must deregister the business in the other federal state or in the other city and register the business anew in Berlin.

• Change in name: The name of my company has changed. How can I notify the trade office in charge of this change in name?

  If only the name of the company registered in the commercial register has changed (e.g. GmbH, AG, OHG), it is not necessary to formally re-register with the Public Order Office responsible for the place of business.

  All you need to do is to notify the Public Order Office of the changed name and enclose a current excerpt from the Commercial Register. No fees are charged for this service. The public order office will change the entry automatically.

  If you need a trade licence with the new company name for your documents or for other business transactions, you can apply for this together with re-registration which is subject to a fee. Please use the free text field “Other reasons” and describe your request.

  You can use our online portal for re-registration:

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)
• Change in name: I am now married and have a different name. Do I have to report this to the trade office?

  If only your name has changed, it is not necessary to formally re-register with the Public Order Office responsible for the place of business.

  Notify the Public Order Office of your new name and enclose a copy of the marriage certificate or other proof of your new name. No fees are charged for this service. The Public Order Office will then change the entry automatically.

  If you need a trade licence with your new name for your documents or for other business transactions, you can apply for this together with re-registration which is subject to a fee. Please use the free text field “Other reasons” and describe your request.

  You can use our online portal for re-registration:

  • Please click here if you have a credit card AND want a simple business registration

  • Please click here if you do NOT have a credit card OR if you wish to register a business in connection with another service (e.g. entry in the Register of Crafts or registration for statutory accident insurance)
• I need a copy of my "trade licence" or confirmation of my business registration, re-registration or deregistration. What do I have to do?

  You can get a copy from the Public Order Office where your business is registered (subject to a fee).

  • Public Order Offices in Berlin

  Or you can use the electronic business data information service (free of charge for simple information).

  • eAuskunft – the online business information service
• Amazon or eBay require from me a new stamped (updated) business registration. What do I do now?

  The business registration is generally valid without a signature, seal or stamp and has no expiry date. Business registration confirmation is merely a receipt showing that the trader has duly registered his business.

  Please use the eAuskunft service to prove to Amazon, eBay and other services that you are currently still operating the business.
  Without having to register, you can search there for your business, make a screenshot and use this as proof. All companies registered in Berlin are stored in eAuskunft and updated on a daily basis.

  • eAuskunft – the online business information service

  Should you require a formal letter, you can also apply to the district office responsible for your place of business to obtain business information about your own business (informal written applications are submitted informally in writing to the Public Order Office). This services costs EUR 10.

• I need an excerpt from the Trade Register. How can I get one?

  Berlin is the first major German city to offer a continuously available online information service from the business register (eAuskunft). You can search freely in the basic data of Berlin-based companies (name, address and activity).

  • Trade Register / Business Database Berlin (German)

  If you need an excerpt from the Federal Central Criminal Register – for instance, to request an (extended) clearance certificate for private purposes, for submission to an authority, or to request information from the Central Trade and Industry Register – you can use the online portal of the Federal Office of Justice.

  • Online portal of the Federal Department of Justice
• I would like to apply for a clearance certificate or for an excerpt from the Central Trade and Industry Register for official use. What do I have to do?

  You can find more information on this topic here:

  • Excerpt from the Central Trade and Industry Register(German)

  • Clearance certificate(German)