How to check a German company before you do business with it

To check a German company, start with the commercial register (Handelsregister), the German equivalent of the UK’s Companies House: the free portal handelsregister.de shows whether the company exists, its registered office, legal form and who may sign for it. Then check the VAT ID in the EU’s VIES system, the annual accounts in the company register (unternehmensregister.de) and the imprint on its website. All of this is free. Where you need proof for a bank, notary or compliance file, use the official commercial register extract.

The four free checks

Step 1: the commercial register

Search the company name on handelsregister.de (the portal can be switched to English, the documents are in German). Compare the result with what the company tells you: exact name, legal form (GmbH, UG, AG, KG …), registered office and registration number. Then open the current extract (AD) and check who may represent the company. How to read it is explained in How to read a German commercial register extract, and the search itself step by step in German commercial register search in English.

Warning signs: the company cannot be found under the stated name or number, the register shows "in Liquidation" (being wound up) or "aufgelöst" (dissolved), or the person you deal with is not listed as managing director or authorised officer.

Step 2: the VAT ID

A German VAT ID starts with "DE" followed by nine digits. You can check it for free in the European Commission’s VIES system. For German numbers, VIES only confirms whether the number is valid; it does not show the company name and address. That is why the VAT check does not replace the register check. More in German VAT ID check.

Step 3: the annual accounts

Corporations such as a GmbH must publish their annual accounts within one year after the end of the financial year (§ 325 HGB). Accounts for financial years starting from 2022 are in the company register (unternehmensregister.de), older ones in the Federal Gazette (bundesanzeiger.de). Small companies only publish a balance sheet without a profit and loss account, so do not expect turnover figures. If no accounts can be found at all for several years, look closer: publication is mandatory.

Database profile or official extract?

Private company databases are useful for a quick overview, but they are not an official record. Where proof is required, for example for an identity check under the German Anti-Money Laundering Act, the law refers to an extract from the commercial register or a comparable official register (§ 12 (2) GwG). Banks and notaries therefore ask for the official extract, usually no older than a few months.

Frequently asked questions