No. Unlike most of the domains on this site, .de has no eligibility test. A company anywhere can hold one in its own name, and the one extra duty for a holder abroad only applies if DENIC asks.
DENIC accepts holders from any country. If your company has no seat in Germany, section 3(4) of DENIC's domain terms obliges you to name an authorised recipient in Germany within two weeks of a request, and DENIC only makes that request in a dispute. A UG or GmbH changes nothing about your right to the domain.
What DENIC requires from a holder abroad
The rule is section 3(4) of the DENIC domain terms. A holder whose seat is outside Germany must, when DENIC requests it, name an authorised recipient for service who lives in Germany, with the powers of one under section 184 of the German Code of Civil Procedure. You give the recipient's name and street address; a PO box does not count. DENIC makes the request when a third party has applied for a dispute entry against the domain, so most holders abroad never receive one.
Watch out
What happens if you cannot name one
The older rule requiring an administrative contact in Germany no longer exists. DENIC has not recorded an administrative contact since May 2018, and the current terms contain no such section.
A German address without a company
If you want the recipient in place before anyone asks, you have two options that fall well short of a company. A local-presence service supplies the recipient and keeps you on the record as holder. Or you rent a German business address: published Berlin prices start at €39 a month plus VAT on a 12-month contract. An address alone is not a recipient unless the person there agrees to accept service for you, so check what the contract covers.
What a UG or GmbH costs
A UG (haftungsbeschränkt) can be formed with share capital of €1, paid in full before registration. A GmbH needs €25,000, of which at least €12,500 must be paid in. Using the statutory template deed, court and notary fees come to €330 for a one-shareholder UG and €390 with two or more, plus VAT on the notary's part. A GmbH with its own articles costs several hundred euros more. A simple registration takes about a week at the register court.
After that, every year:
- Annual accounts filed with the Unternehmensregister within 12 months of the year end, with fines of €2,500 to €25,000 for not filing.
- Chamber of commerce (IHK) membership. In Munich the 2026 base fee for a registered company with a loss or small profit is €150.
- Trade tax on profit, at a municipal rate no lower than 280% of the 3.5% base, and bookkeeping, which we have not priced.
Five years, three ways
| Route | Set-up | Each year | Five years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold it directly | None | €5 to €19 renewal | €25 to €95 |
| Directly, with a Berlin address | None | About €470 plus VAT and renewal | About €2,400 plus VAT |
| UG, one shareholder | €330 plus VAT on notary fees | IHK fee, filing, bookkeeping, an address | Several thousand euros |
Renewal figures are from .de registrar prices. The address row uses the lowest published Berlin price, €39 a month.
When a German company makes sense
When you are trading in Germany and need the entity for tax, banking or customers anyway. The domain then sits in that company's name as a side effect. Forming one for the domain alone buys nothing that holding it directly does not already give you.
Keep reading on .de
Sources
- DENIC, domain terms and conditionsSections 3(4) and 7(2). Only the German text is binding.
- DENIC, frequently asked questionsRegistration from abroad, and the end of the administrative contact.
- GmbHG sections 5, 5a and 7 (share capital)
- IHK Koblenz, fees of the commercial register procedure
- Federal Office of Justice, disclosure obligations
- IHK München, Wirtschaftssatzung 2026
- P7 Global Office, virtual office Berlin
Last updated September 2026. This is not tax or legal advice. Check your case with a German adviser before forming a company.