Business registrations, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

According to Section 14 of the Trade Regulations (GewO), traders are subject to the obligation to notify. Business registrations are mandatory. A trader is anyone who, full-time or part-time, is self-employed and has a long-term profit-making activity. Exceptions are so-called freelance activities (e.g. doctor, architect, tax consultant), primary production (e.g. agriculture and forestry), personal services of a higher kind and mere management of one's own assets. In the case of partnerships (e.g. BGB companies, OHG, KG), the shareholders authorized to manage the company are to be regarded as traders. In the case of legal entities (e.g. GmbH, AG), the obligation to notify lies with the legal representative (s) (e.g. managing director of a GmbH). If a representative is to undertake the business registration, his / her personal visit is required. The representative needs a written power of attorney and must be able to identify himself.