Get a professional business address as a freelancer or sole trader
Choose a virtual office from our hand-picked offices and coworking spaces across Germany. Keep your home address private and get a serviceable address you can use for your Gewerbeanmeldung, the Finanzamt, your Impressum and everyday business.
- Valid for Gewerbeanmeldung, Finanzamt and Impressum
- No setup fees or deposit
- Monthly or annual plans – cancel anytime
Ludwig-Erhard-Straße
Hamburg • Neustadt
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Cologne
Leipzig
A professional address you can register, publish and rely on
Everything an independent needs – a private, professional address you can register with, publish in your Impressum and use right across your business.
Keep your home address private
Register your business and publish your Impressum without putting your home address on the public internet, your invoices or your contracts.
A professional address at a prime location
Present a credible city-centre address to clients, partners and platforms – for a fraction of the cost of renting your own office or desk.
Valid for Gewerbeanmeldung, Impressum and everyday business
One serviceable address that works for your trade registration, the Finanzamt, your Impressum, invoices and business bank accounts.
Can I use a virtual office as a freelancer or sole trader?
Yes. Freelancers and sole traders need a real, domestic serviceable address (ladungsfähige Anschrift) where official post is reliably received. If you run a trade (Gewerbe) you register it with your local trade office (§ 14 GewO); if you practise a liberal profession (Freiberufler) you notify the Finanzamt directly.
Either way, an Olea virtual office gives you a compliant address for your registration and your website's Impressum (§ 5 DDG) – without putting your home address on public record. As a sole trader or freelancer you are not entered in the Handelsregister, so no notary or share capital is required.
Legal foundations: GewO § 14, EStG § 18, DDG § 5, MStV § 18(2). Acceptance of a virtual business address for the Gewerbeanmeldung can vary by municipality – check with your local Gewerbeamt.
| What you need | What Olea provides |
|---|---|
| A domestic street address (no P.O. box) | A real office with workspace |
| Reliable receipt of official post | Mail received and made available |
| An address valid for registration and your Impressum | Accepted for registration and your Impressum |
| Proof you're entitled to use the address | Consent-to-use documentation (Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung) |
Everything you need, in one virtual office
Get a legal business address at one of our hand-picked offices or coworking spaces, receive your mail however you want, and book workspace whenever you need it
Legal business address
- Valid for Handelsregister, Impressum and more
- Choose from handpicked offices and coworking spaces
- Registration documents included
Mail handled your way
- Digital mailbox included
- Forwarding or pickup available
- Unlimited mail receipt
Workspace across the network
- Book desks, meeting rooms and private offices
- Availability across Olea locations
- Catering, events and special requests available
Use your business address everywhere
A legally valid address which replaces the need for a physical office.
Handelsregister
A serviceable address to register your GmbH or UG company.
Impressum
A compliant address for your website's legal Impressum notice.
Gewerbeanmeldung
A valid business address for registering your Gewerbe trade.
Finanzamt
Your address for tax registration and Finanzamt correspondence.
Business mail
A professional address for everyday business correspondence.
Business accounts
A verifiable address for banks and platform verification.
Choose how your mail is handled
Every location includes a digital mailbox, with pickup and forwarding options also available.
Mail Pickup
Collect in person at your location
- Available during business hours
- Keep your original documents
- Notification when mail is ready to collect
Digital Mailbox
RecommendedScanned weekly to your online mailbox
- 5 scans/month
- Unlimited mail receipt
- Searchable mail library
- Free 30-day storage and shredding
- 10 archives/month included
Book workspace whenever you need it
Access desks, meeting rooms and private offices at your address and across our network.
Meeting rooms
- Host clients, interviews or team sessions
- Screens, whiteboards and catering available
Coworking desks
- A desk to work from whenever you need it
- Hot desks bookable across our network
Private offices
- A private, lockable office for focused work
- For you or a small team
Other uses for a virtual office beyond freelancing
GmbH & UG formation
- ✓Handelsregister, Impressum and more
- ✓No physical office needed
Startups
- ✓A credible business address from day one
- ✓Scale without an office lease
International companies
- ✓Prestigious German business address
- ✓Choose a location popular with your industry
Professional services
- ✓Professional address that builds client trust
- ✓No traditional office costs
Remote businesses
- ✓Permanent German business address
- ✓Workspace access when you need it
E-commerce sellers
- ✓A business address for your online store
- ✓Amazon, Shopify and marketplace verification
Website Impressum
- ✓Valid serviceable address for your Impressum
- ✓All official mail reaches you
Set up online in 3 steps
Choose your location and plan, complete our verification process and start using your address today.
Choose your location
- Search by city or postcode
- Filter by features and price
- Choose the one that fits your business
Complete verification
- Upload your ID and business documents
- Guided step-by-step process
- Verified on the same day
Start operating
- Register your company with your address
- Start receiving mail digitally
- Book workspace whenever you need it
Working as a freelancer or sole trader with a virtual office
Setting up as a freelancer or sole trader? Here's how a business address works for you, when you actually need to register and how to keep your home address private.
Freiberufler or Gewerbetreibender – which are you?
How you register depends on what you do – and the two routes are different:
- Freiberufler (liberal professions) – the "catalogue" professions under § 18 EStG and similar fields: doctors, lawyers, tax advisers, architects, engineers, journalists, translators, artists, teachers and the like. You do not register a Gewerbe. You notify the Finanzamt of your activity (via the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung on ELSTER), you pay no trade tax (Gewerbesteuer) and you are not entered in the Handelsregister.
- Gewerbetreibende (sole traders running a trade) – anyone trading, selling goods or providing commercial services that isn't a liberal profession. You must register a Gewerbe with your local trade office under § 14 GewO, you may owe Gewerbesteuer above the annual allowance and you are also not entered in the Handelsregister (unless you voluntarily register as an eingetragener Kaufmann, e.K.).
You can even be both at once, provided you keep the activities clearly separated. The Finanzamt has the final say on how your work is classified – if you're unsure, check with a tax adviser.
Your business address and where you'll use it
Your Olea business address is the address that represents your business to the outside world – and the same address works everywhere you need it:
- Gewerbeanmeldung – if you run a trade, your business address goes on your Gewerbeanmeldung at the local Gewerbeamt (§ 14 GewO). Acceptance of a virtual address varies by municipality, so confirm with your Gewerbeamt before you file.
- Finanzamt – Freiberufler give the address to the Finanzamt when registering for a Steuernummer (and a VAT ID where relevant). A business address is not automatically your place of management (Ort der Geschäftsleitung) or a permanent establishment (Betriebsstätte) – those depend on where you actually work and are determined by the Finanzamt.
- Impressum – a commercial website needs a serviceable address in its Impressum (§ 5 DDG, which replaced § 5 TMG in May 2024; § 18 Abs. 2 MStV applies to journalistic-editorial content). Using your Olea address keeps your home address off the public internet and means cease-and-desist letters (Abmahnungen) still reach you reliably.
- Everyday business – invoices, contracts, client and supplier correspondence, business bank accounts and platform verification.
Because you're not in the Handelsregister, you can't carry a Rechtsformzusatz like e.K., but you can trade under your name or a Geschäftsbezeichnung from your Olea address.
Keeping your home address private
For most independents this is the single biggest reason to get a business address. Without one, your home address ends up on your Gewerbeanmeldung, your website's Impressum, your invoices and contracts – and, from there, often in a simple Google search. A virtual office lets you keep your private address private while still being reliably reachable for official and legal post.
Your path from address to working
- Choose your address & location (≈5 minutes) – pick the city and location that will become your business address.
- Checkout & compliance check (≈10–15 minutes) – complete our initial compliance check, a legal requirement under the German Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG) for every business address, covering your ID and your business activity.
- Get your consent-to-use letter – generate your Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung (your consent-to-use letter) from the Customer Portal to evidence your right to use the address.
- Register your business – if you run a trade, file your Gewerbeanmeldung with the local Gewerbeamt (§ 14 GewO); if you're a Freiberufler, notify the Finanzamt via the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung on ELSTER. Use your Olea address on either.
- Go live – publish your Impressum, put the address on your invoices, contracts and platform or bank verification. Your mail handling and digital mailbox are active and ready to receive your post.
After you're set up
The same address carries you straight into operating: handle Finanzamt correspondence and your Steuernummer, manage Gewerbeamt post where you run a trade, keep a compliant Impressum and use it to open business bank and payment accounts or verify on marketplaces. If you qualify as a small business under the Kleinunternehmer rule (§ 19 UStG) you can opt out of charging VAT – a tax decision separate from your address. Official post is received at your location and made available in your digital mailbox, forwarded, or held for collection.
Questions about a business address for freelancers and sole traders
Everything you need to know about using a business address as an independent.
The best virtual office for an independent is one that gives you a genuine serviceable address (ladungsfähige Anschrift) you can use for your Gewerbeanmeldung or Finanzamt registration and your Impressum, keeps your home address private and is a real office you can actually visit and book. Every Olea location meets these criteria – with consent-to-use documentation available from the Customer Portal – starting from €69/month.
Yes. You need a real, domestic serviceable address where official post is reliably received. Gewerbetreibende register their trade with the local Gewerbeamt (§ 14 GewO); Freiberufler notify the Finanzamt directly. An Olea address meets this requirement and can also be used for your Impressum (§ 5 DDG), without exposing your home address.
No. Liberal professions under § 18 EStG – for example doctors, lawyers, tax advisers, architects, engineers, journalists, translators and artists – don't register a Gewerbe. You notify the Finanzamt of your activity via the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung on ELSTER and receive a Steuernummer. Only Gewerbetreibende file a Gewerbeanmeldung at the Gewerbeamt. If you're unsure which you are, your tax adviser or the Finanzamt can confirm.
Yes. Anyone running a trade in Germany must register it with the local trade office (§ 14 GewO), and you can use your Olea address as the business address on that registration. Acceptance of a virtual business address varies by municipality, so it's worth confirming with your local Gewerbeamt before you file – it works in most cases.
Yes. A commercial website needs a serviceable address in its Impressum (§ 5 DDG, which replaced § 5 TMG in May 2024; § 18 Abs. 2 MStV covers journalistic-editorial content). Listing your Olea address keeps your home address off the public internet and means any official letters or Abmahnungen still reach you reliably.
No – and as a sole trader or freelancer you don't need a Handelsregister entry. Freelancers and sole traders aren't entered in the Handelsregister at all; you register your trade with the Gewerbeamt or notify the Finanzamt, and you can run your business entirely from your Olea address without a Handelsregister entry. (If you later choose to register voluntarily as an eingetragener Kaufmann (e.K.), the same address works for that too.)
Yes. That's one of the main reasons independents use a business address. Instead of putting your home address on your Gewerbeanmeldung, Impressum, invoices and contracts, you use your Olea address – keeping your private address off public records while staying reliably reachable for official post.
Our virtual offices start from €69/month, with the exact price depending on the location you choose. Every location includes the same complete service; the price simply reflects the address. Annual plans save 15%, with no setup fees or deposits – which suits independents keeping fixed costs low.
No. You can complete the entire address setup remotely – choose your location, check out and submit your verification online, and we deliver all documents digitally. Your Gewerbeanmeldung or Finanzamt registration is a separate step you handle with the relevant authority, increasingly online, once you have your address.
Once your account is active, incoming mail is received at your location and made available in your digital mailbox (scanned, typically within 5–7 days), forwarded by post (from €10/month + postage), or held for in-person collection. Options vary by location.
