Change your Gewerbe registration: new address or activity

A business rarely stays exactly as it was registered. You move, take on new tasks or add services. In these cases you have to file a change of registration for your Gewerbe (Gewerbeummeldung). Section 14 of the German Trade Regulation Act requires it: moving the business and changing or extending the activity must be reported to the trade office.

When do you need a change of registration?

• New address in the same municipality: your business premises move within the town.
• New or additional activity: a carer now also offers household help, a caretaker adds gardening.
• Reduced activity: part of the registered activity is dropped for good.
• Name change: for example after marriage.

Important: if the business moves to another municipality, a change of registration is not enough. You deregister at the old place and register again at the new one. A change of your private home address usually does not concern the trade office – but it does concern the tax office.

How to file the change

The nationwide form for a change of registration is GewA2. You file it with the trade office of the municipality where your business premises are. Many cities offer it online. You usually need:

• ID card or passport,
• the details from your original registration,
• the new address or a precise description of the new activity,
• the date from which the change applies,
• proof of permission for regulated activities.

Describe the new activity as precisely as in your registration. Vague wording such as “services of all kinds” almost always leads to questions.

What does a change of registration cost?

The fee is set by the municipality and is usually similar to the registration fee, often between 15 and 40 euros.

What about the tax office?

The trade office informs the tax office. If your expected turnover or profit changes, tell the tax office yourself so that prepayments are adjusted. New addresses also belong on your invoices and in your website imprint.

Changing your registration with Deutsches-Gewerbe.de

For our members, changes are part of our Gewerbe service: tell us what changes, we file it by power of attorney and put the confirmation in your customer area.