Corporate purpose (Unternehmensgegenstand)
Also: Unternehmensgegenstand, Gegenstand des Unternehmens, Geschäftszweck, object of the company, business purpose
In short
The corporate purpose describes in the articles of association what the company does. It is part of the mandatory content of the articles of association of a GmbH or UG and is entered in the commercial register.
Corporate purpose (Unternehmensgegenstand) explained
The purpose should be specific enough for outsiders to recognise the field of activity; wording that is too general often leads to queries from the register court and delays registration. It has practical consequences: if it covers an activity requiring a permit, such as security services or estate agency, you need the permit before you start. With the model protocol, too, the purpose is entered individually. Anyone who later wants to do something completely different changes the purpose by amending the articles of association before a notary. For a holding company, it typically reads as holding and managing shareholdings.
