🇩🇪 Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) requirements for German companies

Need help with Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) guidelines for a company registered in Germany? This page will help you find your company's UBO info and the documents you need.

UBO term

In Germany, a UBO is often called a "Wirtschaftlich Berechtigter"¹ or "Wirtschaftlich Gesellschafter"¹.

Accessing UBO info

To find UBO info for a German company, you can use the "Transparenzregister"².

Approved UBO documents

If the KYC team can't access a document with your UBO data, you may be asked for the following:

• Company: the most recent "Gesellschafterliste"³, which is a list of shareholders.
• Freelancers: you’ll need a tax authority letter e.g. "Freiberufler"⁴.
• Self-employed: an official business registration document called a "Gewerbeanmeldung"⁵, dated within the last 10 years.
• Associations: a "Vereinsregister Auszug"⁶ or "Stiftungsregisterauszug"⁶ (association or foundation register extracts), "Satzungen"⁷ (statutes), and "Versammlungsprotokoll"⁸ (meeting minutes).
• Tax ID number:
  • The Tax ID is issued to all people born and resident in Germany.
  • It should be 11 or 13 digits long, with no letters.
  • You can find your Tax ID on your income tax assessment or certificate. Or, you can request a re-notification through the "Bundeszentralamt für Steuern"⁹.

Our KYC team might ask for your annual tax letter and monthly income statement to confirm your tax info.

Gesellschafterliste

1. Document title: your document indicates that it is a "Gesellschafterliste".
2. Company details: company name, registration office and "Registernummer"¹⁰.
3. Shareholder information: company address, individual and total shares of the shareholders.
4. Verification statement by the notary.
5. Notary-certified document with the date, notary's name, stamp and signature.

Gewerbeanmeldung

1. Authenticated document issued by the "Gewerbeamt"¹¹.
2. Document title: your document indicates that it is a "Gewerbeanmeldung".
3. Business owner details: full name, date of birth, nationality, personal address.
4. Company details: information about the partners and legal representatives, the company address, contact details

Freiberufler

1. Official document issued by the "Finanzamt"¹² of a German region.
2. Personal identification details: full name and tax number of the person being taxed.
3. Company identification details: identification number, tax number, company address and contact details.
4. Company status: details of your self-employed status with the word "Freiberufler" or another, clearly indicated.
5. Company activity: description of your main activity.

Stiftungsregisterauszug

1. Company identification details: name and address of the company.
2. Board membership: names, cities, and dates of birth for each board member.

If you have further questions, submit a request to Swan Support.

Footnotes

1. "Wirtschaftlich Berechtigter" is the "economically beneficial owner," while "Wirtschaftlich Gesellschafter" translates to "economic partner" in a company.
2. "Transparenzregister" is a registry for beneficial ownership.
3. "Gesellschafterliste" is an official list of shareholders.
4. "Freiberufler" refers to freelancers or self-employed professionals in liberal professions, different from "Gewerbetreibende", who are engaged in business or trade activities.
5. "Gewerbeanmeldung" is a business registration document.
6. "Vereinsregister Auszug" or "Stiftungsregisterauszug" refer to extracts from the association or foundation register.
7. "Satzungen" are the rules or regulations guiding an organization or association.
8. "Versammlungsprotokoll" is a record of meeting minutes.
9. "Bundeszentralamt für Steuern" is the Federal Central Tax Office in Germany.
10. "Registernummer" is the company’s unique registration number to identify it in the register.
11. "Gewerbeamt" is a German trade office.
12. "Finanzamt" is the local tax office.