# Business address for online shops and e-commerce sellers in Germany – Olea > Online shops and e-commerce sellers can use an Olea address as the serviceable German business address in their Impressum and for relevant registrations, tax correspondence and eligible business mail. Every available location includes a digital mailbox. Marketplaces, payment providers and banks apply their own verification rules, and the core mail service should not be treated as a product-returns or fulfilment address unless the selected location expressly supports it. ## A business address for your online shop Choose a serviceable German business address for your Impressum and business registrations. Manage mail online and book workspace when needed. - Legal business address - No setup fee or deposit - 100% online setup Prices start from €69/month (cheapest bookable location). Live per-location prices: [pricing.md](https://oleaoffice.com/pricing.md). ## Can I use an Olea address for my online shop’s Impressum? Yes – you can publish your Olea address as the serviceable address your online shop’s Impressum must show under § 5 DDG. A commercial online shop generally needs an Impressum naming the operator and the address at which the business is established. An Olea location is a real German street address with arrangements for receiving formal and business correspondence in your approved name, so it can be the address the shop publishes. - **A serviceable street address** – A real German office address, not a Postfach or a parcel locker. - **Formal mail can reach you** – Eligible official and business letters are received in your approved name and handled through the mail option you select. - **Evidence for your business records** – Olea provides the approved use-of-address documentation after the applicable onboarding review. The address satisfies the address part of the Impressum. You remain responsible for the other details required for your legal form and activity, and for keeping them accurate wherever they appear. Marketplaces, payment providers, banks and authorities run their own checks and may ask for further evidence, so an external approval is never Olea’s to give. Legal basis: § 5 DDG · serviceable street address · approved-name mail receipt ## What you can use this address for ### Can I use an Olea address if my shop trades through a GmbH or UG? Yes. A GmbH or UG must state an inländische Geschäftsanschrift in its Handelsregister application under § 8 Abs. 4 GmbHG, and an Olea location can be that address. It is a real German street address where official documents can be received in the approved company name, and the same address can then appear in the shop’s Impressum and seller records. A sole trader selling online has no Handelsregister entry and needs none to use the address. **Who this is for** - Online shops trading through a GmbH or UG - Sellers incorporating before scaling a marketplace business - Registered companies moving the address behind an existing shop **What Olea provides** - A real German street address at the office you choose - A Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung after the applicable approval - Your company name recorded for receipt of official post once activated *Olea supplies the address and our supporting document. Your notary remains responsible for certifying and submitting the Handelsregister filing.* ### Can I use the address for my online shop’s Gewerbeanmeldung? Yes. Selling goods online is normally a commercial activity, so it is usually registered with the Gewerbeamt under § 14 GewO, and you can give your Olea address where it genuinely functions as your business or administrative address. The local Gewerbeamt decides the filing and may request supporting documents. If you also run a shop, warehouse, workshop or another permanent site, that location may need to be registered separately. **Who this is for** - Sole traders registering an online trade for the first time - Sellers moving a trade registration off a home address - Companies updating the trade address behind an existing shop **What Olea provides** - A real address at a staffed office or coworking location - A Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung to support the application - Reliable receipt and handling of Gewerbeamt correspondence *Municipal requirements vary. Olea provides the address and supporting document, but the local Gewerbeamt makes the decision based on the business and its actual operating setup.* ### Can I use the address for tax registration as an online seller? Yes. You can give your Olea address as the business correspondence address on the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung and for ongoing Finanzamt post. The address does not by itself establish a German Betriebsstätte or Ort der Geschäftsleitung, and it does not settle your VAT position or where cross-border sales are taxed – those follow from where the business is actually run and from the countries you sell into. **Who this is for** - Sellers applying for a Steuernummer or a USt-IdNr - Online businesses updating their Finanzamt correspondence address - Cross-border sellers whose management sits outside Germany **What Olea provides** - A business correspondence address for tax filings and notices - A Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung after the applicable approval - Receipt of tax letters through your selected mail-handling option *Your Finanzamt determines your Betriebsstätte and place of management from the facts of your business. Ask a tax adviser if your operating or management location is unclear.* ### Can I publish the address in my online shop’s Impressum? Yes. A commercial online shop must show a serviceable address alongside the other details required for its legal form and activity under § 5 DDG, and your Olea address can be that address. It is a real German street address with arrangements for receiving formal and business correspondence in your approved name, so the shop meets the address requirement without publishing a home address. **Who this is for** - Online shops and marketplace sellers running their own storefront - Sellers working from home who do not want that address online - Businesses updating an Impressum after changing address **What Olea provides** - A real serviceable street address - Reliable receipt of official and legal correspondence - Digital, forwarding or pickup mail handling according to the location *The address is one part of a compliant Impressum. You remain responsible for including the other information required for your business and legal form.* ### What business post can go to the address once my shop is trading? Eligible business letters – authority post, provider and bank letters, invoices, contracts and ordinary correspondence – are received at the office you chose and handled through your selected mail option, with a digital mailbox at every location and pickup or recurring forwarding where the location offers it. Product returns and parcels are a different service: acceptance depends on the location, so do not publish the address as a returns address unless that location confirms it. **Who this is for** - Sellers separating shop correspondence from personal post - Businesses handling German post from another country - Sellers who need posted verification letters received reliably **What Olea provides** - Unlimited receipt of eligible business letters in your approved name - A digital mailbox with 5 scans per month - Pickup or forwarding options shown for each location before purchase *Scanning is typically completed within 5–7 days of receipt. Use pickup or forwarding for originals or time-sensitive correspondence.* ### Can I use the address for Amazon, Stripe or a business bank account? You can give your Olea address as the business address wherever it accurately matches the details the provider asks for, and Olea can receive eligible posted verification letters after activation. Each marketplace, payment provider and bank runs its own identity, address, activity and eligibility checks, and may require a register extract, tax record, bank statement or proof of residential address that the Olea document does not replace. The decision stays with the provider. **Who this is for** - Sellers onboarding with Amazon, eBay, Etsy or a comparable marketplace - Businesses opening payment-provider accounts for online sales - Sellers opening or re-verifying a German business account **What Olea provides** - A real, verifiable German street address - A Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung after the applicable approval - Receipt and handling of posted verification letters *Banks, payment providers and marketplaces set their own policies. Olea can support address verification, but cannot guarantee that a particular provider will approve an account.* ## Running an online shop with a virtual office Understand what address to publish in your Impressum, how registrations and provider checks fit together, and which seller obligations remain separate from your virtual office. ### What address does an online shop need in its Impressum? A commercial online shop generally needs an Impressum under § 5 DDG. The operator must identify the business and state the address where it is established. The address has to support genuine reachability and formal service, so a Postfach, a parcel locker or a mail-forwarding label without serviceable arrangements behind it is not enough. An Olea location provides a real German street address with reception and mail-receipt arrangements for the approved customer name, so it can be published as the shop’s serviceable business address. Olea solves the address and mail-receipt part. You remain responsible for the other details required for the business’s legal form and activity, including names, representatives, register information, tax identifiers and contact details where they apply. ### Using the same address across the business You can use the Olea address consistently across the Impressum, invoices, contracts, customer correspondence and your business records. Consistency avoids verification mismatches, but each record still has to reflect the business accurately. - Registered companies – align the address with the company’s current register and business records where required. - Sole traders – align the address with the Gewerbeanmeldung and tax records where applicable. - Marketplaces and payment providers – give the registered or operating details each provider actually asks for, rather than assuming one field means the same thing everywhere. - Customer returns – publish and operate the return process consumer law and the sales contract require. Do not assume the Olea mail address accepts product returns. ### Gewerbeanmeldung and Finanzamt Selling goods online is normally a commercial activity and commonly requires a Gewerbeanmeldung under § 14 GewO. The Olea address can provide a genuine business or administrative address for the filing. The local Gewerbeamt decides the application and may require supporting evidence. If you operate a shop, warehouse, workshop or another permanent site, that location may need separate registration. The address can also be the business correspondence address for tax registration and Finanzamt post. It does not by itself establish a German Betriebsstätte or Ort der Geschäftsleitung – those are assessed from the actual premises, activity and management arrangements. VAT registration, tax residence and the competent Finanzamt are fact-specific, so take tax advice where the setup is not clear-cut. ### Marketplace, payment-provider and bank checks Marketplaces, payment providers and banks commonly verify the business, the people behind it and the address during onboarding or in a later review. The Olea address and its supporting documentation can help establish a real business correspondence address, and Olea can receive eligible posted verification letters after activation. That support is not an approval. A provider may ask for a register extract, a Gewerbeanmeldung, a tax record, a bank statement, a utility document, proof of inventory or activity, proof of a residential address, or another document in a prescribed format. A Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung does not replace a different document a provider has specifically asked for. Provider policies also change, vary by country and account type, and can be applied differently in individual reviews. ### What Olea provides - A selectable address at an available German partner office - A serviceable street address for the approved business name - The approved supporting address documentation after the applicable onboarding milestone - Digital Mailbox at every location after activation - Mail Pickup or recurring Mail Forwarding where the location supports the option - Access for active customers to request separately booked and paid workspace at participating locations ### What remains your responsibility - Accurate business, ownership and seller-account information - A complete and current Impressum - Gewerbeanmeldung and tax registrations where they apply - Consumer information, withdrawal and returns processes - Product safety, labelling and sector-specific rules - Packaging registration and system participation under the VerpackG where applicable, including LUCID obligations - VAT, customs and cross-border selling obligations - Platform-specific verification and ongoing account compliance - Updating the address everywhere when it changes ### Product returns, parcels and customer correspondence The core mail service covers eligible business letters. It suits authority letters, provider letters, invoices, contracts and ordinary correspondence that meets the shared eligibility rules. Product returns, inventory, oversized items and parcels are operationally different. Parcel acceptance depends on the location’s capacity and current rules. An Olea address is not a warehouse, a fulfilment centre or a customer-returns hub. Use a separate approved returns address or fulfilment process unless the location record and your purchase information expressly confirm a suitable returns service. ### Keeping a home address off the public shop Publishing the Olea address in the Impressum means you do not need to publish a home address there, where the Olea address is the correct serviceable business address for the operator. It does not mean a residential address is hidden from every authority, register, payment provider or KYC process. Those parties may still require residential details under their own rules. ### After activation Once Olea confirms activation, the approved name can receive eligible business letters through the selected mail workflow. You can then update the Impressum and your business records, and complete any authority or provider process using the exact evidence that process asks for. Keep copies of the current Olea agreement and supporting address document, but do not submit them in place of unrelated identity, residential-address, tax or activity evidence. ## FAQ ### Can I use an Olea address in my online shop’s Impressum? Yes. A commercial online shop generally needs an Impressum with the operator’s name and a serviceable address under § 5 DDG. An Olea location is a real German street address with arrangements for receiving formal and business correspondence in your approved name. You remain responsible for the other Impressum details required for your legal form and activity. ### Will the address keep my home address private? You can publish the Olea address in the shop’s Impressum instead of a home address, where it is the correct serviceable business address for the operator. Authorities, registers, banks, payment providers and marketplaces may still require residential information in their own non-public verification processes. ### Will Amazon, eBay, Etsy or another marketplace accept the address? You can use the Olea address as your business address where it accurately matches the business details requested. Each marketplace runs its own identity, address, activity and eligibility checks and may ask for additional evidence in a specific format. Olea provides the address and the approved supporting documentation but cannot guarantee a provider’s decision. ### Can I use the address with Stripe, PayPal or a business bank? The address can support payment-provider and bank onboarding, and Olea can receive eligible posted verification letters after activation. Each provider applies its own KYC, risk, country and product rules, and may require residential-address, register, bank, tax or activity evidence that the Olea document does not replace. ### Do I need a Gewerbeanmeldung to sell online? Selling goods online is normally a commercial activity and commonly requires a Gewerbeanmeldung. You can use the Olea address where it genuinely functions as your business or administrative address. The local Gewerbeamt decides the filing, and a warehouse, shop, workshop or another permanent operating site may need separate registration. Take professional advice if the activity or setup is unclear. ### Can I use the address with the Finanzamt? Yes, as the business correspondence address for tax registration and ongoing Finanzamt post. The address alone does not establish a German Betriebsstätte, Ort der Geschäftsleitung, tax residence or VAT position. Those depend on the actual business and management arrangements. ### Does the Virtual Office cover LUCID or packaging-law obligations? No. Packaging registration and system-participation obligations under the VerpackG are product-side responsibilities, not address services. Any applicable LUCID registration and packaging compliance is handled separately, whatever address you use. ### Can customers send product returns to my Olea address? Do not assume so. The core mail service is for eligible business letters. Parcel and return acceptance depends on the selected location’s current capacity and rules. Use a separate approved returns address or fulfilment process unless the location record and your purchase information expressly confirm a suitable returns service. ### What mail is included? Every location includes unlimited receipt of eligible business letters and a Digital Mailbox with 5 letter-content scans per month, plus 10 archived paper originals in total. Scans are typically available within 5–7 days of receipt. Mail Pickup and recurring Mail Forwarding depend on the location, and eligible originals can be forwarded one-off under the shared service rules. ### What address document does Olea provide? After the applicable onboarding approval, Olea provides the Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung or equivalent use-of-address evidence for the selected location. It supports your right to use the address. A marketplace, bank, authority or payment provider may ask for a different document, and the Olea document does not replace that requirement. ### How much does the Virtual Office cost? The current available-network price is shown dynamically on the page and varies by address. Every location includes the same core Virtual Office service, with Digital Mailbox included. Annual billing saves 15%; annual prices are shown as a monthly equivalent and the annual total is billed upfront. Paid mail options, workspace and usage-based extras are separate. ### How quickly can I start using the address? Choose and purchase the address online, then complete Olea’s onboarding review. You can start using the address once Olea confirms approval and activation. Review timing depends on receiving complete information. ### Can a seller outside Germany set this up? The address purchase and Olea onboarding are completed online. Whether you also need a German entity, trade registration, tax registration, customs setup or another local presence depends on the business model and the countries involved. The address alone does not create those registrations or determine tax treatment. ## Notes - Human pages: [German (primary)](https://oleaoffice.com/de/onlineshop) · [English](https://oleaoffice.com/en/ecommerce-sellers) - Pricing in markdown: [pricing.md](https://oleaoffice.com/pricing.md) · Full catalogue: [locations.md](https://oleaoffice.com/locations.md) · Site index for LLMs: [llms.txt](https://oleaoffice.com/llms.txt) - Generated 2026-09-13T07:46:07Z from the same sources as the human pages; regenerated at least hourly.