Layer 1: the Handelsregister - does the company exist?
The Handelsregister is maintained by the local courts and published at handelsregister.de. This is the legally authoritative record. A large number of commercial lookup sites resell the same data behind more marketing, and some have names close enough to the official register to cause confusion - we cover that specific question in our review of online-handelsregister.de and its official alternatives.
What to extract and record:
| Field | Why it matters | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Register number (HRB / HRA) and court | The company's unique legal identity | Supplier cannot supply it, or it does not resolve |
| Registered name (Firma) | Must match the name on the contract and invoice exactly | Trading name differs from registered name with no explanation |
| Registered office (Sitz) | Legal jurisdiction and service address | Address is a virtual office or mail-forwarding service |
| Share capital (Stammkapital) | A GmbH minimum is €25,000; a UG can be founded with €1 | UG (haftungsbeschränkt) counterparty on a large contract |
| Managing directors (Geschäftsführer) | Who can legally bind the company | Your contract is signed by someone not listed and without power of attorney |
| Representation rules (Vertretungsregelung) | Sole or joint signature authority | Joint signature required but only one director signed |
| Date of first registration | Company age | Registered weeks before approaching you |
Layer 2: the Bundesanzeiger - does it file accounts?
German companies above defined size thresholds must publish annual financial statements in the Bundesanzeiger (federal gazette). Search by company name at bundesanzeiger.de.
What you are looking for is a pattern, not a number:
- Filings current and consistent. Accounts published each year, within the statutory deadline. This is the normal, healthy pattern.
- Gaps of two or more years. The most useful single warning signal available for free. Non-filing correlates strongly with distress, and it also indicates a company that is comfortable ignoring statutory obligations.
- Abbreviated filings only. Small companies file reduced accounts legally. This limits what you can learn but is not itself a problem - it simply means you need Layer 4 for a real credit view.
- Equity trending negative. Where a full balance sheet is available, check equity (Eigenkapital). A negative or rapidly declining figure in a supplier you intend to prepay is a stop signal.
Layer 3: insolvency and VAT checks
Insolvency register
Search insolvenzbekanntmachungen.de, the official publication platform for German insolvency proceedings. Free, authoritative, and takes under a minute. Proceedings are published by court and are searchable by company name.
VAT identification number
Validate the USt-IdNr through the EU VIES system. For intra-EU trade this is not optional diligence - it determines whether you can zero-rate the transaction. Save the confirmation, including the consultation number, as evidence of the check.
Impressum cross-check
German law requires commercial websites to publish an Impressum with the register number, registered address, managing directors and VAT ID. A missing, incomplete or inconsistent Impressum on a company claiming to be an established German manufacturer is a genuine anomaly.
Layer 4: Creditreform and commercial credit data
Creditreform is the dominant German business credit agency. Its data sources include the Handelsregister and Bundesanzeiger, insolvency announcements, proprietary research and reported payment experience from its members' credit management - which is the part you cannot obtain yourself.
| Source | What it adds | Indicative cost | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| handelsregister.de | Legal existence, signatories, capital | A few euros per document | Always |
| bundesanzeiger.de | Filed accounts, filing discipline | Free to search | Always |
| insolvenzbekanntmachungen.de | Insolvency proceedings | Free | Always |
| EU VIES | VAT ID validity | Free | All intra-EU trade |
| Creditreform report | Payment behaviour, credit limit recommendation | Roughly €25 - €120 per report | Before prepayment or credit exposure |
| On-site or third-party audit | Production capability actually exists | €300 - €1,500+ | First large order, or capability claims that matter |
What legitimate German suppliers do that fraudulent ones do not
- Provide the HRB number and court unprompted, usually in the email footer.
- Invoice from the registered company name and a German bank account matching that name.
- Publish a complete Impressum with a real street address and named managing directors.
- Accept a letter of credit or documentary collection instead of demanding wire prepayment.
- Have a filing history in the Bundesanzeiger going back years.
- Agree to a video call from the actual production floor.
Related reading
- Is online-handelsregister.de legitimate? Official alternatives
- How to verify a German supplier is legitimate
- How to verify German supplier certifications
- German supplier contact database
Frequently asked questions
What is the official German commercial register?
The official register is the Handelsregister, maintained by the local courts (Amtsgericht) and published nationally at handelsregister.de. It is the legally authoritative source for a company's registration number (HRB or HRA), registered address, share capital, managing directors and authorised signatories. Commercial sites that resell this data are not the official register, even when their names suggest otherwise.
Is Creditreform the same as the Handelsregister?
No. Creditreform is a private business credit agency founded in 1879 with over 130 locations in Germany and presence in more than 20 countries. It aggregates Handelsregister and Bundesanzeiger data with insolvency notices, its own research and reported payment experiences to produce a credit assessment. The Handelsregister tells you a company legally exists; Creditreform estimates whether it pays.
How do I check whether a German company is financially healthy?
Check the Bundesanzeiger for filed annual accounts. German companies above defined size thresholds must publish them. Two or more consecutive years with no filing is a meaningful warning sign. Then check insolvenzbekanntmachungen.de for insolvency proceedings, and if the transaction is material, buy a Creditreform or Schufa business report for payment behaviour.
What does HRB mean in a German company registration?
HRB (Handelsregister Abteilung B) covers corporations such as GmbH and AG. HRA (Abteilung A) covers partnerships and sole traders such as OHG, KG and registered merchants. The number is only unique in combination with the registering court - for example HRB 12345 Amtsgericht Munchen. Always record both the number and the court.