Gewerbe anmelden

If you start a business, you must register it with the competent authority. The registration must be made at the same time as the start of the business.

A trade is any non-socially unacceptable, self-employed, long-term and profit-making activity, carried out in one's own name and for one's own account.

The trade does not include, but is not limited to:

• socially unworthy activities, e.g. clairvoyance,
• primary production, e.g. agriculture and forestry,
• liberal professions, e.g. doctors, lawyers, tax consultants,
• the management of own assets (unless it is a company registered in the commercial register).

A business registration is always necessary if you start a permanent business. A permanent business means a business with a fixed place of business from or in which the business is carried out. This is the case if you:

• set up a new business,
• establish a new branch office,
• establish a dependent branch office,
• take over an existing business, for example by purchase or lease,
• convert a sole proprietorship into a different legal form,
• relocate a business from the area of one authority to the area of another authority (for one authority this is considered to be a discontinuation of the business for the other authority as a new establishment).

You must register your business at the same time as you start operating it. The obligation to register only applies if it is a commercial activity.

The following are exempt from business registration

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

Find out at an early stage what personal, financial and professional requirements you need to fulfill in order to be able to operate in these business areas.

The purpose of registering a trade is to enable the competent authorities to monitor the exercise of the trade and to carry out statistical surveys.

• Identity card or passport
• Extract from the commercial register, if applicable
• Proof of registration with the Chamber of Crafts, if applicable
• Certificate of authorization, if applicable,
• Craft card, if applicable
• in case of representation:
  • Power of representation

You want to run a business.

Traders are

• natural persons or
• legal entities, e.g. public limited company (AG), limited liability company (GmbH), registered cooperative (eG) or registered association (e.V.), partnership limited by shares (KG)

The following must be notified:

• in the case of sole traders, the sole trader,
• in the case of partnerships (e.g. OHG, GbR), the partners authorized to manage the business
• in the case of limited partnerships (KG), each personally liable partner, the limited partners of a KG only if they have management authority
• in the case of corporations (e.g. GmbH, AG), the legal representative(s).

Fees are charged in accordance with No. 40.1.2 of Annex 1 to Section 1 (1) of the General Fee Regulations of the State of Lower Saxony (AllGO).

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

• If you register in person or in writing, you must complete the "Business Registration" form (GewA 1) and sign it personally.
• The competent office will certify receipt of the business registration if the registration form has been completed in full
• The competent office forwards the business registration to other offices, such as the tax office, the employers' liability insurance association, the Chamber of Skilled Crafts, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and, if applicable, the registry court.
• The procedure can be handled by a single point of contact. You have a legal right to electronic processing.

• If you come in person: immediately
• In the case of written or electronic registration: within 3 days, provided the business registration form has been filled out completely and correctly and the required documents have been submitted.

You must register your business as soon as you start operating. A fine may be imposed for late registration.

If you change your legal form, you must submit both a business deregistration (to cease operating under the old legal form) and a business registration (to start operating under the new legal form).

Registration of a business is mandatory for traders. Specific cases:

• Establishment of a new business,
• New establishment of a branch office,
• New establishment of a dependent branch office,
• Takeover of an existing business, for example by purchase or lease,
• Conversion of a sole proprietorship into another legal form,
• relocation of a business from the area of one authority to the area of another authority (considered a discontinuation by one authority and a new establishment by the other authority)
• Business registration must be carried out at the same time as the start of operations
• Responsible: depending on the federal state, local trade or public order office

Responsibility lies with the municipality, joint municipality or town in whose district the activity is to be carried out. This procedure can also be handled by a "single point of contact". The "Single Point of Contact" is a special service offered by the municipalities and the state for service providers.

Responsibility lies with the municipality, joint municipality or town in whose district the activity is to be carried out. This procedure can also be handled by a "single point of contact". The "Single Point of Contact" is a special service offered by the municipalities and the state for service providers.

The notification forms prescribed in Section 14 of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO) must be used in the trade notification procedure.