🇩🇪 Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) requirements in Germany

Table of contents

1. UBO Term
2. Accessing UBO info
3. Approved UBO documents
   • Gesellschafterliste
   • Gewerbeanmeldung
   • Freiberufler
   • Stiftungsregisterauszug

Need help with Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) info or documents for 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 Berechtigter¹ or Wirtschaftlich Gesellschafter¹.

Accessing UBO info

To find UBO info for a German company, you can use the Transparenzregister².

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 Gesellschafterliste³, which is a list of shareholders.
• Freelancers: you’ll need a tax authority letter e.g. Freiberufler⁴.
• Self-employed: an official business registration document called a Gewerbeanmeldung⁵, dated within the last 10 years.
• Associations: a Vereinsregister Auszug⁶ or Stiftungsregisterauszug⁶ (association or foundation register extracts), Satzungen⁷ (statutes), and Versammlungsprotokoll⁸ (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 Steuern⁹.

ℹ️ 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 Registernummer¹⁰.
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 Bezirkshauptmannschaft¹¹ of a German district.
2. Document title: your document indicates that it is a Gewerbeanmeldung.
3. Company details: the company name, headquarters, fiscal number and address.
4. Business manager information: full name, date of birth, nationality, and personal address.
5. Registrars stamp and signature.

Freiberufler

1. Official document issued by the Finanzamt¹² 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.

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. Bezirkshauptmannschaft refers to the district administrative authority.
12. Finanzamt is the local tax office.