Category

Business in Germany

Business in GermanyBusiness Tax & Fiscal ObligationsGerman Corporate LawStarting BusinessStarting or Expanding Business

3 Ways to expand your Business to Germany

Establish a real German Company, register a Branch Office or start with a mere Representative Office If you want to sell your goods or services to Germans it is in most cases a huge advantage to be actually present in Germany. A German business address and phone number shows that you are seriously committed to doing business in Germany long term and thus builds trust with customers and business partners. But how to go about…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
July 9, 2014
Business in GermanyGerman Labor Law

Germany introduces minimum wage in January 2015

After 10 years of heated discussion Germany will implement a nationwide universal minimum gross wage (flächendeckender Mindestlohn) of EUR 8.50 per hour starting 1 Januar 2015. The act still needs to be formally passed but is expected to go through without relevant changes. Thus the details of the future „Tarifautonomiestaerkungsgesetz“ can already be found in the government draft of the bill here. There will be transitional provisions and some exceptions for certain business sectors. Fore…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
June 24, 2014
Business in GermanyBusiness Tax & Fiscal ObligationsGerman Labor LawGerman Tax LawStarting BusinessStarting or Expanding BusinessTrustee & Escrow Services

10 Things to do when starting a German Business

Get started on the fast track If you have read our previous postings "Guide for doing Business in Germany", "Establish a German Limited Company (GmbH): FAQ and Checklist" and "Open a Business Bank Account in Germany?" you already have a pretty good idea how to go about starting your own German business. With this posting we provide ten - personal and probably subjectively biased - practical tips how to get a head start: #1: Choose…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
August 9, 2013
Business in GermanyBusiness Tax & Fiscal ObligationsGerman Corporate LawStarting Business

Establish a German Limited Company (GmbH): FAQ and Checklist

If you wish to establish a German Limited Company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, in short: GmbH) from abroad, you will probably not get very far without the assistance of experienced professional service providers. For more than 10 years the German law firm Graf & Partners advises and assists foreign shareholders and company directors on how to: establish a German company or subsidiary, buy a German company or open a branch office or engage a fiduciary…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
August 7, 2013
Business in GermanyGerman Corporate LawStarting or Expanding BusinessTrustee & Escrow Services

Buying a German Company: A quick Checklist

How to acquire a German Business In case you think about buying or merging with an existing German enterprise there are many legal and tax aspects to consider (for the formation of a new Germany company see here). Below we have compiled a few issues from the perspective of a German lawyer that may be of interest for a potential buyer: What kind of legal entity is the target company? There are various legal forms…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
May 13, 2013
Business in GermanyStarting BusinessStarting or Expanding BusinessTrustee & Escrow Services

Fiduciary, Trustee and Escrow Services in Germany

To start or expand a business in Germany an existing enterprise can: (i) either trade directly from the UK; (ii) use a German partner as agent or distributor; (iii) set up a branch office in Germany or (iv) establish a separate legal entity for the German activities, which makes good sense when one wants to separate the risks of the specific German business. The best choice for option (iv) will in most cases be a…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 22, 2013
Business in GermanyContract TemplatesGerman Labor Law

Model Employment Contract (German Law, English Language)

In this article here we have explained the basic principles of German labour law, in particular the protection of employees against dismissal. To give you an idea what a typical German employment agreement looks like we have posted a model Employee Agreement here: Model_Employment_Contract_Germany_english_2013 The contract is based on German labour law, but drafted in English language. To use an English contract is of course only acceptable if the employee is fluent in English otherwise he/she…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
February 19, 2013
Business in GermanyBusiness Tax & Fiscal ObligationsContract TemplatesGerman Corporate LawGerman Labor LawStarting BusinessStarting or Expanding Business

Checklist: Formation of a German Company. And then what?

Setting up a German Limited Liability Company and everything that comes with it The most popular company form in Germany is the "Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung" which translates "company with limited liability". We explain the formation process here (see PDF guideline) and provide a sample set of documents (articles of association, statutes etc.) here. If you have decided to set up a German subsidiary or register a branch office of your existing company in Germany,…
Bernhard Schmeilzl
October 17, 2012