Commercial register (Handelsregister)
Also: Handelsregister, HRA, HRB, companies register
In short
The commercial register is a public, electronically kept register of merchants and commercial companies, maintained by the register courts. Division A (HRA) lists, for example, sole traders, OHGs and KGs; division B (HRB) lists, for example, GmbHs, UGs and AGs.
Commercial register (Handelsregister) explained
Entries include the company name, registered office, business address, corporate purpose, capital, managing directors with their power of representation, and authorised signatories (Prokuristen). Every merchant must register their business name (Sec. 29 HGB), and a GmbH and UG only come into existence on registration. Applications are submitted electronically in publicly certified form, in practice via a notary (Sec. 12 (1) HGB). Anyone may inspect the register for information purposes, as well as the documents submitted, such as the articles of association and list of shareholders (Sec. 9 (1) HGB). There is the partnership register for registered GbRs, the register of associations for associations and the Partnerschaftsregister for partnership companies.
