Notice of Registration from the Commercial Register: What a GmbH or UG Must Do Now

With entry in the commercial register, the GmbH or UG has come into existence as such. The notice of registration confirms that the register court has completed this step. Now it is a question of which tasks are already done and which notifications still lie with the company.

At a glance

With entry in the commercial register, the GmbH or UG exists as a legal entity. The notice of registration documents this completed process.
The notice of registration and a current printout from the commercial register are two different documents. Which one is needed depends on the recipient and the occasion.
Some notifications remain the company’s task: tax registration via ELSTER, trade registration (if not yet done) and the notification to the transparency register.
In the first weeks, official-looking letters often arrive. Not every payment request is legitimate.

What the notice of registration confirms

The notice of registration documents the commercial register entry that has already been made. Legally decisive is the date of registration shown in the register, not the day on which the letter reaches you. From registration, the company uses its company name as entered in the commercial register without the suffix “in formation” or “i. G.”. For an entrepreneurial company, the company name must continue to contain the legal form suffix “Unternehmergesellschaft (haftungsbeschränkt)” or “UG (haftungsbeschränkt)”.

The notice can serve as proof of the completed register process. For further transactions, however, a current printout from the commercial register may be required in addition or instead. It should be checked immediately and filed in a structured way, digitally and in paper form if needed. Many delays arise not because something is complicated, but because documents are missing at the moment they are needed.

Notice of registration or commercial register printout: which document is needed?

The notice of registration confirms the completed registration. A current printout from the commercial register, colloquially often called a commercial register extract, by contrast reflects the current status of the details entered in the commercial register. Banks, authorities or contracting partners may request different documents depending on the occasion.

A bank may, for example, request a current printout from the commercial register even though the notice of registration is already available. That is not a contradiction: the notice confirms the completed process, while the current printout shows the current status.

The register data can be retrieved online via the joint register portal of the federal states. For certain transactions, an official current printout may be required. Whether a simple retrieval is sufficient or an official printout is needed is communicated by the respective recipient. Further published company information can be found in the company register (Unternehmensregister).

What has already been done with the commercial register entry

The GmbH or UG has come into existence as such.
The registered data is publicly retrievable, with company name, registered office, business address, company purpose, share capital and the names of the managing directors.
The register court publishes the registration electronically.

An additional paid entry in private company or trade directories is not required for this. The official publication and electronic provision are governed by the commercial register regulations.

What the company itself must now check and do

Tax office: tax registration questionnaire via ELSTER

Tax registration is carried out electronically via ELSTER. The start of business must generally be notified to the tax office within one month by electronically submitting the tax registration questionnaire. How to complete the tax registration questionnaire is shown in the article on registering with the tax office.

Therefore, do not wait for the tax office to contact you first. Incomplete or contradictory details can trigger queries. In particular, turnover forecasts, the financial year and VAT details should be agreed with your tax adviser if necessary.

Register the trade, if not yet done

Trade registration does not depend on receipt of the notice of registration, but in principle on the start of the commercial activity. If the trade has not yet been registered, this should now be checked and done. In Berlin, the public order office (Ordnungsamt) of the district in which the place of business is located is responsible. The process is described in detail in the article on trade registration after formation.

For a GmbH or UG in formation, trade registration in Berlin can already take place before entry in the commercial register if the required formation documents and declarations are submitted. After registration, the Berlin service portal requires a current printout from the commercial register. The fees depend on the submission route and, for legal entities, on the number of legal representatives. The Berlin service portal currently states EUR 15 for online registration. Outside the electronic procedure, EUR 31 is stated for a legal entity with one legal representative and an additional EUR 13 for each further legal representative (as of July 2026).

Transparency register: reporting beneficial owners

The GmbH and UG are among the entities subject to transparency requirements. The notification of beneficial owners to the transparency register is not made automatically from the commercial register. The company must submit the required details to the transparency register without delay, itself or through an authorised person. Changes to the details must also be updated without delay.

Beneficial owners are natural persons who directly or indirectly exercise control over the company, for example because they hold more than 25 per cent of the capital shares or voting rights or exercise control in a comparable way. For special cases and the statutory fallback rules, the article on notification to the transparency register helps.

Notification to the accident insurance institution

The start of the business must generally be notified to the competent statutory accident insurance institution within one week. If a required trade registration is made within this period, the notification obligation is regularly deemed fulfilled because the trade authority forwards the data.

Checking chamber membership

Whether the company belongs to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Chamber of Skilled Crafts or, in certain cases, both chambers depends on its activity and the statutory requirements. Companies subject to trade tax with a permanent establishment in the respective chamber district generally belong to the IHK; a separate application for admission is regularly not required. For craft or craft-like activities, by contrast, entry in the register of craftsmen or in a directory of the Chamber of Skilled Crafts may be necessary. The requirements should be clarified with the competent chamber before taking up the activity in question. Questions of contributions and exemptions are governed by the respective statutory requirements and chamber rules.

Which mail may arrive after registration

Because the register entry is public, service providers also know about the formation from registration, and unfortunately so do dubious senders. Many newly formed companies receive official-looking letters in the first weeks offering a supposed register entry or publication for a fee. Such paid offer letters from private directory providers do not come from the register court. How to recognise such offers is explained in the article on spotting scam letters after formation.

Before making a payment, check not only the sender and reference number, but also the payee, the IBAN and the specific reason for the invoice. For queries, use only contact details from an independently accessed official source or contact the notary’s office handling the formation. Official-looking letters from private register providers are often merely paid offers.

Internal organisation and mandatory details

Bookkeeping, opening balance sheet and annual financial statements

The GmbH and UG are subject to commercial bookkeeping and accounting obligations. An opening balance sheet must be drawn up for the start of the commercial business. Ongoing bookkeeping must also be set up properly from the outset. The practical implementation should be agreed early with your tax adviser. In particular, share capital, formation costs, contracts already concluded and first business transactions should be recorded in full. The notary does not provide ongoing tax or bookkeeping advice.

Preparation, adoption and disclosure of the annual financial statements are different obligations, each with its own deadlines. Disclosure must generally take place no later than twelve months after the balance sheet date. Specific planning for the annual financial statements should be agreed early with your tax adviser.

Mandatory details on business letters and in the legal notice

As soon as the company appears externally, mandatory details apply. On business letters, the full company name must be used in accordance with the wording entered in the commercial register. In addition, under Section 35a GmbHG, the following details in particular must appear:

legal form and registered office of the company
register court
commercial register number
all managing directors with surname and at least one first name written out in full
where applicable, the chairperson of the supervisory board

For the website and business social media presences, the separate legal notice requirements of the Digital Services Act (Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz) also apply. The details should therefore not simply be copied from the email signature but checked for each presence.

Compact checklist

tax registration submitted
trade registration checked or already done
beneficial owners reported to the transparency register
notification to the accident insurance institution clarified through trade registration or a separate notification
chamber membership, register of craftsmen and sector-specific permits checked
mandatory details, bookkeeping and required register documents updated

Frequently required documents

depending on the transaction, the notice of registration, a current printout from the commercial register or both documents
articles of association
details of representation (managing directors, representation rules)
data on shareholders and beneficial owners
where applicable, permits or licences (sector-dependent)

This list names frequently required documents. It is not a list that is conclusively required for every transaction.

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Frequently asked questions about the notice of registration

Is the notice of registration the same as a commercial register extract?

No. The notice of registration confirms a specific, completed register process. A current printout from the commercial register, colloquially often called a commercial register extract, by contrast shows the current register status. Which document is requested depends on the recipient and the purpose.

Where do I get a current commercial register extract?

The register data can be retrieved via the joint register portal of the federal states. For certain purposes, a simple retrieval is sufficient; for others, an official current printout from the commercial register is required. Whether an official printout is needed is communicated by the respective recipient.

Can the trade be registered before entry in the commercial register?

That depends on the requirements of the competent trade authority. In Berlin, trade registration is possible for a GmbH or UG in formation if the required formation documents are submitted. After registration, a current printout from the commercial register is required.

How do I recognise dubious register invoices?

Check not only the sender and reference number, as these details can be taken from public register data. Also pay attention to the payee, the IBAN and the specific reason for the invoice, and use official contact details from an independently accessed source for queries.

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Notarial support after the notice of registration

With the notice of registration, the foundation has been laid. If you work through the next steps in a structured way, you create not only legal certainty but also a clear organisational framework for the operational start. That way, the GmbH or UG is not only “registered” but quickly able to act in everyday business.

We support you in structuring the follow-up documents and the next register and company law steps cleanly, so that deadlines, responsibilities and documentation remain traceable and the start succeeds without unnecessary queries or delays.