28.08.2026 –"Entrepreneurs make it clear to us in the current DIGKH Report on Company Formation that duplicate entries, media disruptions, and weeks-long waiting periods must become a thing of the past. Therefore, the new nationwide combined application, which integrates previously separate processes of business registration with tax filing and the provision of the tax number, is an essential first step towards simplifying and accelerating the formation process.

Ultimately, however, a fully digital company formation process across all procedural steps must be implemented. The proposed Company Formation Acceleration Act is a fundamentally suitable tool for this. Along the way, the expertise of the chambers of industry and commerce, derived from over 200,000 start-up consultations annually, should continue to be utilised to holistically address the interests of entrepreneurs."

Background

Those establishing a sole proprietorship can now enter information for both their business registration and tax filing in a combined online process at www.gruenden.gov.de/en. In the coming weeks, direct data submission to the relevant authorities will gradually be enabled in Aachen, Berlin, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Fulda (including Petersberg), Goslar, Hamburg, Husum, Mannheim, and Munich. At these locations, the information can be transmitted entirely digitally to the relevant business and financial authorities. In all other regions, the portal assists with completing the business registration form and produces a final document that can be sent via email or post to the respective business office. Tax filing continues to be processed digitally nationwide through the tax administration.