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Do you want to discontinue your business, move to a location that falls under the jurisdiction of a municipality other than the one that was previously responsible, or do you want to change the legal form of your business? Then you must deregister your business.

If you wish to discontinue the operation of your business, you are required to deregister your business.

The same applies if you move the headquarters of your business or a branch or dependent branch of your business to a new location and this results in the jurisdiction of a different municipality. First, deregister your trade or business at the previous location. Then re-register it at the new location.

If you change the legal form of your trade or business, a trade deregistration is also required. First, you must deregister your business under the previous legal form. Then, you re-register your business under the new legal form.
If you move the headquarters of your business or a branch office or a dependent branch of your business to a new location without any change in the jurisdiction within the municipality, a business re-registration is sufficient.
The deregistration must be carried out by the following persons or their authorized representatives:

• In the case of sole traders, by the trader himself/herself,
• in the case of corporations (e.g. GmbH, AG) by the legal representatives.

In the case of partnerships (e.g. OHG, KG, GbR/BGB-Gesellschaft, GmbH & Co. KG), trade deregistrations must be carried out by all partners authorized to manage the business.

• Copy of ID card or passport with certificate of registration, or presentation on site. In the case of electronic business re-registration, depending on the municipality, further suitable and appropriate procedures for establishing identity (for example PIN/TAN procedure, the electronic ID function, De-Mail or a self-declaration of identity).
• Copy of the extract from the commercial register, if your company is entered in the commercial register (also: register of cooperatives, register of associations).
  

• liquidation of your business or
• relocation of your registered office or the registered office of a branch or dependent branch outside the previous municipality, or
• change of the legal form of your business
  

The costs are based on the respective administrative fee regulations of the state or on the fee statutes of the bodies responsible under state law.

You can deregister your trade in person, in writing (for example, by fax or letter) or by electronic means.

• If you deregister in person or in writing, you must fill out the form "Trade Deregistration" - GewA 3 and sign it personally.
  • The form "GewA 3" is available at the office responsible for deregistration or, depending on the offer, can also be downloaded.
• In the electronic procedure, the same data is collected as in the personal deregistration. However, it is possible to deviate from the form and you do not have to sign it personally.
• The office responsible for deregistration may use suitable and appropriate procedures to establish your identity when deregistering electronically using the online procedure (for example, PIN/TAN procedures, the electronic ID function, De-Mail or a self-declaration of identity).
• You will receive a certificate from the authority for the receipt of your trade deregistration.
• The office responsible for deregistration forwards the trade deregistration to other offices, such as the tax office, the employers' liability insurance association, the chamber of crafts or the chamber of industry and commerce and, if applicable, the registration court.
  

If you have filled out the form correctly and your documents are complete, the authority will certify receipt of your deregistration immediately if you come in person. If you deregister in writing or electronically, you will receive the receipt of your trade deregistration within 3 days.

You are obliged to deregister your business at the time of the closure of the business or at the time of the transfer of the business to the jurisdiction of another municipality or the change of the legal form.

If the cessation of the business is clearly established and you do not deregister your trade, the deregistration will be carried out ex officio.

Pursuant to Section 15(1) of the GewO, the office responsible for deregistration shall certify receipt of the deregistration notification within three days.

• Trade deregistration
• A trade deregistration is required when
  • the business operation is discontinued
  • if the company's registered office or the registered office of a branch or dependent branch is moved outside the previous municipality, or,
  • if the legal form of the business changes.
• If the business is relocated within the area of responsibility of the municipality that was previously responsible, a new business registration is sufficient.
  

Local regulatory authorities (Section 1 (1) of the Ordinance on Responsibilities in Commercial Law [Ordinance on Responsibilities in Commercial Law - GewRZV])

The duties of the local regulatory authorities are carried out by the local authorities, the independent municipalities, the association municipalities, the co-administrating municipalities, the co-administered municipalities and the independent cities (Section 3 of the Regulatory Authorities Act - OBG)

• Forms: yes
• Online procedure possible: yes (if offered)
• Written form required: no
• Personal appearance required: no