# Changing your GmbH or UG’s address: steps, costs and when to move the Sitz

> **Changing your GmbH or UG’s address means filing the new _Geschäftsanschrift_ with the _Handelsregister_ through a notary, for about €90 in court and notary fees.** Only when the company moves to a town its articles don’t name is it a _Sitzverlegung_, which also needs a notarised shareholder vote to change the articles: about €495, or about €555 if the register court changes. The notary adds its expenses and 19% VAT on top. Either way, the new address comes first, because the notary needs the provider’s confirmation that you may use it before anything is filed. An Olea address is usually ready within one business day – you buy online and the compliance check is done online – and with no setup fee, deposit or minimum term you pay month by month while the change goes through.

## Do you change the Geschäftsanschrift or move the Sitz?

Your company has two addresses in the _Handelsregister_, and they change in different ways.

- **The _Sitz_ (or _Satzungssitz_)** is a town, not a street. Your articles of association name it ([§ 4a GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__4a.html)), and it decides which register court keeps your file.
- **The _inländische Geschäftsanschrift_** is the German street address in the register where the company can be reached and documents can be served on it ([§ 10 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__10.html)).

The table sets out the four ways a company’s address can change: what each one changes, what you file, who does it and what it costs. In the first two, only the street address changes and one filing is enough. In the last two, the _Sitz_ moves, so the shareholders must first vote to change the articles.

| Your situation | What changes | What you file | Who does it | Court and notary fees (rounded) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **New address in the same town** | _Geschäftsanschrift_ only | Filing of the new address ([§ 31 HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__31.html)) | Managing director signs; notary certifies and submits | **€90** |
| **New address in another town, _Sitz_ unchanged** | _Geschäftsanschrift_ only; register court stays | Filing of the new address ([§ 31 HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__31.html)) | Managing director signs; notary certifies and submits | **€90** |
| **Company moves to another town, same register court** | _Sitz_ and _Geschäftsanschrift_ | Shareholder resolution amending the articles ([§ 53 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__53.html)), then a filing ([§ 54 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__54.html)) | Shareholders resolve (three-quarters of votes cast) before a notary; managing director files | **€495** |
| **Company moves to a town under another register court** | _Sitz_, _Geschäftsanschrift_, register court and register number | As above, filed with the old court, which passes the file to the new one ([§ 13h HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__13h.html)) | As above | **€555** |

Fees are rounded and net, for a company with share capital up to €3 million, before the notary’s expenses and VAT – the exact figures are under [what it costs](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/change-company-address-germany#cost).

**The second row is the one people miss.** The law asks only that the _Geschäftsanschrift_ be in Germany – it does not have to be in the _Sitz_ town. So a Berlin GmbH can take an address in Hamburg and file only the new address. It stays registered in Berlin, keeps its register number and still shows Berlin as its _Sitz_ on its business letters. If you want the company to belong in the new city – its register court, its letterhead – move the _Sitz_ too.

For the full test a registration-valid address must meet, see [what a ladungsfähige Anschrift is](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/ladungsfaehige-anschrift); for how the _Sitz_, _Geschäftsanschrift_ and _Betriebsstätte_ differ, see [registering a company without an office](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/register-company-without-office#terms).

## How do you change the Geschäftsanschrift? One notarised filing, no resolution

1. **Book the new address and get the provider’s confirmation.** The notary will want to see that the company may use the address. A registration-valid provider gives you a _Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung_ in the company’s name.
2. **Have the notary prepare the filing.** Your managing director signs it, and the notary certifies the signature – at the notary’s office or by video call.
3. **The notary submits it to the register court electronically.** Filings must be made this way; there is no route without a notary.
4. **The court enters the new address.** Anyone can then see it at handelsregister.de.
5. **Update everyone else** – see [who else needs your new address](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/change-company-address-germany#update).

No shareholder resolution is needed, and nothing in the articles changes. The filing is not optional: if a company doesn’t register a change it must register, the court can impose a coercive fine (_Zwangsgeld_) of up to €5,000 ([§ 14 HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__14.html)).

## How do you move the Sitz to another town? A resolution, new articles and a new entry

1. **Book the new address in the new town** and get the provider’s _Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung_.
2. **The shareholders resolve to change the _Sitz_ clause of the articles.** The resolution needs three-quarters of the votes cast and is notarised. For a one-person GmbH or UG, the sole shareholder resolves alone.
3. **The managing director files the amendment and the new address**, with the full new wording of the articles and the notary’s certificate that it matches the resolution. The notary usually prepares both documents in the same appointment.
4. **The filing goes to the court of the old _Sitz_.** If the new town has the same register court, that court checks and enters the move. If it has a different one, the old court sends the file to the new court, which enters the move in its own register, under a new register number ([§ 20 HRV](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hdlregvfg/__20.html)).
5. **The new _Sitz_ takes effect on entry, not before** ([§ 54 Abs. 3 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__54.html)). Until then, keep the old _Sitz_, register court and number on your letters.
6. **Tell the _Finanzamt_ within one month** and update everyone else – see [who else needs your new address](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/change-company-address-germany#update).

**Can it be done online?** Yes, if every shareholder votes for it: a unanimous resolution can be notarised by video, and the filing can be certified by video too. Otherwise the shareholders sign at a notary’s office or by power of attorney. For signing from abroad, see [setting up a GmbH if you don’t live in Germany](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/set-up-gmbh-non-resident-germany#notary).

## What does changing the address cost? Official fees, then the new address

The fees are set by law – the court’s by the register fee schedule ([HRegGebV](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hreggebv/anlage.html)), the notary’s by the notary fee act ([GNotKG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gnotkg/anlage_1.html)) – so every notary charges the same for the same filing.

| Fee (net) | New _Geschäftsanschrift_ | _Sitzverlegung_, same court | _Sitzverlegung_, new court |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Notary: shareholder resolution | – | €250 | €250 |
| Notary: drafting and certifying the filing | €30 | €67.50 | €67.50 |
| Notary: electronic filing data | €15 | €27 | €27 |
| Register court | €45 | €150 | €210 |
| **Total** | **€90** | **€494.50** | **€554.50** |

**How the figures arise.** A filing made only because an address changes is valued at €5,000 ([§ 105 Abs. 5 GNotKG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gnotkg/__105.html)); a change to the articles of a GmbH or UG at 1% of its share capital, at least €30,000 ([§ 105 Abs. 4](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gnotkg/__105.html), [§ 108 Abs. 1 GNotKG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gnotkg/__108.html)). Adding the new address to that filing brings it to €35,000. The notary’s fee is a fraction of the [GNotKG table fee](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gnotkg/anlage_2.html) for that value – 2.0 for the resolution, 0.5 for drafting the filing (at least €30) and 0.2 for the electronic data (at least €15). The court charges €45 for a new address, €105 plus €45 for a _Sitz_ and address at the same court, and €210 at the new court, which covers the whole move. The notary then adds expenses and 19% VAT on its own fees. A company with share capital above €3 million pays more for the _Sitzverlegung_; one whose articles are still the statutory model protocol (_Musterprotokoll_) pays less, because the €30,000 minimum doesn’t apply to it ([§ 105 Abs. 6 GNotKG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gnotkg/__105.html)).

**The new address itself** is the other cost, and what you pay on day one matters while the change goes through. With Olea there is no setup fee or deposit, so on monthly billing the first month – from €69 at Zehdenicker Straße in Berlin to €299 on Maximilianstraße in Munich – is all you pay to start. See [all locations](https://oleaoffice.com/en/locations).

## Who sells registration-valid addresses for an existing company?

Any provider whose tier is valid for a _Handelsregister_ entry works for an existing company as well as a new one. These are the ten providers in [our Germany comparison](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/best-virtual-office-germany), by what you pay to start.

| Provider | Starting price | Minimum term | Setup fee / deposit | Cash needed on day one |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| YourGermanAddress | €39.99/month | Monthly | None / none | €39.99 |
| Smarvo | €59/month | 12 months, paid monthly | None / none | €59 |
| **Olea** | €69–€299/month by address | Monthly | None / none | One month, from €69 |
| Teeberg | €79/month, advertised as an offer (list price €149) | Monthly | None / none | €79 |
| Office Club | €199/month, advertised as a special price | 3 months | €49 / none | €248 |
| Clevver | €79.95/month | 3 months, paid upfront | None / three months’ fees | €479.70 |
| CONTORA | €169–€369/month by building | Monthly | None / three gross monthly fees | €772.33 |
| Satellite Office | €179/month (Französische Straße, Berlin) | Not published | €99 / three months’ fees, quoted on enquiry | €815 |
| ecos work spaces | €159/month (Munich) | None; three months’ notice | €95 / three gross monthly fees | €821.63 |
| Regus (IWG) | Virtual office plans not valid for registration | – | – | Private office on request |

Prices exclude VAT and use each provider’s shortest term for its registration-valid tier. For mail handling, workspace and full profiles, see [the best virtual office in Germany](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/best-virtual-office-germany); for what each fee adds up to, see [how much a virtual office costs in Germany](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/virtual-office-cost-germany).

## How long does it take, and what keeps working meanwhile?

**No law sets a deadline for the court.** Registration of a filing usually follows within a few weeks of the notary submitting it. A _Sitzverlegung_ to another register court takes longer, because two courts handle it.

**The new address can be live before the entry.** You need it before the notary appointment anyway, for the _Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung_. With Olea, you buy online, complete the identity and ownership check online – usually done within one business day – and download the _Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung_ from your account once it is approved.

**Keep the old address receiving post until the register shows the new one.** Courts and authorities may serve documents on the company at the address in the register, and a letter that lands where no one collects it can start a deadline without you. Give notice on the old address, or set up forwarding, so that it ends after the entry.

## Who else needs your new address?

- **_Finanzamt_** – tell it your new address. It stays your _Finanzamt_ unless the place the company is managed from moves; a move of the _Sitz_ or of management must be reported within one month.
- **_Gewerbeamt_, if the company carries on a trade** – the _Gewerbeanmeldung_ records the _Betriebsstätte_, the place where the business is actually carried on, and you decide which address that is. When the _Betriebsstätte_ moves, file a _Gewerbeummeldung_; a move to another municipality is reported only to the new office, which tells the old one ([§ 14 Abs. 1 GewO](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gewo/__14.html)).
- **_Impressum_** – the address where the company is established and, after a move to another court, the new register court and number ([§ 5 DDG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ddg/__5.html)).
- **Letterhead, emails and invoices** – business letters show the _Sitz_, register court and register number ([§ 35a GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__35a.html)).
- **Bank, payment providers and marketplaces** – Stripe, PayPal, Amazon and any others that hold your business address.
- **Contracts, insurers and customers** – anyone who writes to you.
- **Google Business Profile**, if you have one.
- **_Transparenzregister_ – no.** It records your beneficial owners, not the company’s address, and a GmbH or UG in the _Handelsregister_ doesn’t report a move of _Sitz_ to it. Update it only if a beneficial owner’s own details change.

## How Olea fits

When you change address, the new address is the first step: the notary can’t file anything until you have it and the provider’s confirmation. So it helps to have one you can set up quickly and that doesn’t tie you in while the register catches up. Olea sells registration-valid addresses at staffed business centres and coworking spaces in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Hanover and Potsdam, from €69 to €299/month.

- **Bought online, with everything on the website.** Each address shows its price, mail options and terms before you buy, and you choose and pay online.
- **No setup fee, deposit or minimum term.** On monthly billing the first month is all you pay to start, so the new address costs one month while the change goes through. Annual billing is 15% cheaper.
- **Compliance checks online, usually done within one business day.** You verify your identity and the company’s ownership online. Once you’re approved, you download the _Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung_ for the notary from your account.
- **An address the court can serve, with rooms when you need them.** Your company name is on the mailbox at a staffed address, with unlimited mail receipt and a digital mailbox. Meeting rooms, desks and private offices can be booked at the addresses. Workspace is booked and paid for when you need it, not included in the monthly price.

**Find the new address for your GmbH or UG** Compare Olea’s addresses by city, from €69/month, with no setup fee, deposit or minimum term – or contact us if you need help choosing. → [View locations](https://oleaoffice.com/en/locations) · [Contact us](https://oleaoffice.com/en/contact)

## FAQs

### Can I change my GmbH’s address without a notary?

No. Every filing with the _Handelsregister_ must be submitted electronically in publicly certified form ([§ 12 Abs. 1 HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__12.html)), which only a notary can do. You don’t have to go to an office, though: the same section allows the certification by video. The managing director signs the filing ([§ 78 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__78.html)); the duty to file the new address is in [§ 31 Abs. 1 HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__31.html).

### Can my GmbH keep its Sitz in one city and use an address in another?

Yes. The _Geschäftsanschrift_ must be in Germany ([§ 8 Abs. 4 Nr. 1 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__8.html)), not in the _Sitz_ town, so you file only the new address. The company stays with its register court and keeps its register number, and its letters still show the old town as its _Sitz_ ([§ 35a GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__35a.html)). With Olea, that address can be in any of nine cities.

### Does a new address change my Finanzamt or trade-tax municipality?

Not by itself. A company’s _Finanzamt_ is the one where it is managed; the _Sitz_ decides only if the company is managed from abroad ([§ 20 AO](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ao_1977/__20.html)). Trade tax is levied where the company has a _Betriebsstätte_ ([§ 4 GewStG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gewstg/__4.html)), not where its articles put the _Sitz_. A move of _Sitz_ or management must still be reported to the _Finanzamt_ within one month ([§ 137 AO](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ao_1977/__137.html)).

### Can the Sitzverlegung be done entirely online?

Yes, if the resolution is unanimous. [§ 53 Abs. 3 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__53.html) lets a unanimous resolution amending the articles be notarised by video, as for a formation ([§ 2 Abs. 3 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__2.html)), and the filing can be certified by video ([§ 12 Abs. 1 HGB](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__12.html)). A resolution passed by majority, without every shareholder’s vote, is notarised at a notary’s office. The new address can be bought online too – every Olea address is.

### What happens to post sent to the old address?

It still counts. Declarations and documents can be served on the company at the _Geschäftsanschrift_ in the register ([§ 35 Abs. 2 GmbHG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__35.html)), so until the court enters the new one, keep someone receiving post at the old address or have it forwarded. After the entry, the new address is where you are served.

### Do I have to update the Transparenzregister?

No. It records each beneficial owner’s name, date of birth, place of residence, nationalities and interest ([§ 19 Abs. 1 GwG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwg_2017/__19.html)) – not the company’s address. Only entities that aren’t in the _Handelsregister_ report a change of _Sitz_ to it ([§ 20 Abs. 2 GwG](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gwg_2017/__20.html)).

## Definitions

- **Sitz** – The German municipality named as a GmbH’s seat in its articles; it decides which register court keeps the company’s file.
- **Geschäftsanschrift** – The domestic street address in the Handelsregister where a GmbH or UG can be reached and documents can be served on it.
- **Sitzverlegung** – Moving a company’s Sitz to another municipality by a notarised shareholder resolution amending the articles, effective on entry in the register.
- **Nutzungsüberlassungserklärung** – A provider’s written confirmation that a company may use its address, which the notary asks for before filing.

## Notes

- This guide is general information on German company and tax law, not legal or tax advice. Statutes are linked at each claim and fees were calculated from the GNotKG and HRegGebV as in force on 21 October 2026; provider prices and terms were checked on each provider’s site on 21 October 2026 and can change. For your own case, ask a notary, lawyer or tax adviser.
- Published 21.10.2026, the date this guide's `Article` structured data carries as `datePublished`. Live Olea prices are always [pricing.md](https://oleaoffice.com/pricing.md).
- Human pages: [German (primary)](https://oleaoffice.com/de/ratgeber/geschaeftsanschrift-aendern-sitz-verlegen) · [English](https://oleaoffice.com/en/resources/guides/change-company-address-germany)
- 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 2026-10-22T11:17:56Z from the same sources as the human pages; regenerated at least hourly.