> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://v2.docs.conduit.financial/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Germany > How to collect KYB documents from business customers in Germany (DEU) when onboarding through the Conduit API. ## Overview | Field | Value | | ------------ | ---------------------------- | | Region | Europe | | ISO 3166-1 | DE / DEU | | Registry | Amtsgericht (district court) | | Last updated | 2026-05-06 | ## Identifiers Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Germany and submit them as strings on the application body. | API field | Local name | Issuer | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | `businessInfo.taxId` | **Steuernummer** | Local Finanzamt | | `businessInfo.businessEntityId` | **Handelsregisternummer** | Amtsgericht (district court) | *Tax ID:* District-specific Steuernummer issued by the local Finanzamt (separate from the EU USt-IdNr / VAT number). *Registration number:* Format: HRB \[number] or HRA \[number] + court identifier (e.g. HRB 12345 Berlin). HRA = partnerships; HRB = capital companies. Found on Handelsregisterauszug. ## Sector regulators `BaFin` · `Deutsche Bundesbank` · `BNetzA/Bundesnetzagentur` · `Bundeskartellamt` ## Legal structures | Local name | Abbreviation | Description | | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung | GmbH | Most common quota-based private limited-liability company; minimum €25,000 share capital; shareholders listed in the Gesellschafterliste filed with the Handelsregister. Equivalent to a US LLC. | | Unternehmergesellschaft (haftungsbeschränkt) | UG | Low-capital GmbH variant requiring as little as €1; must retain 25% of annual profit as a reserve until the €25,000 GmbH threshold is reached. Closest US equivalent: SMLLC. | | Aktiengesellschaft | AG | Share corporation with minimum €50,000 capital; mandatory Vorstand (management board) and Aufsichtsrat (supervisory board); shares freely transferable. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | Societas Europaea | SE | Pan-European public share corporation formed under EU Regulation 2157/2001; minimum €120,000 capital; enables cross-border registered-office transfer without dissolution; governed alongside German AktG. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien | KGaA | Hybrid capital company with at least one personally liable general partner (Komplementär) and freely tradeable shares held by limited shareholders (Kommanditaktionäre); registered in HRB Section B. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | Kommanditgesellschaft | KG | Limited partnership with at least one general partner (Komplementär, unlimited liability) and one limited partner (Kommanditist, liability capped at contribution); registered in HRA. Closest US equivalent: LP. | | GmbH & Co. KG | GmbH & Co. KG | KG whose Komplementär is a GmbH, capping personal liability; common operating and holding structure; registered in HRA. Closest US equivalent: LP. | | Offene Handelsgesellschaft | OHG | General commercial partnership in which all partners bear unlimited joint liability; must conduct a full commercial trade and be registered in HRA. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership. | | Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts | GbR / eGbR | Civil-law partnership for two or more persons; may be unregistered (GbR) or registered in the Gesellschaftsregister (eGbR) since MoPeG effective 2024-01-01; all partners bear unlimited joint liability. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership. | | Partnerschaftsgesellschaft | PartG | Partnership reserved exclusively for members of recognised liberal professions (e.g. lawyers, doctors, architects); registered in the Partnerschaftsregister; all partners bear unlimited joint liability for professional negligence. Closest US equivalent: LLP. | | Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mit beschränkter Berufshaftung | PartGmbB | Variant of the PartG in which only the directly responsible partner bears personal liability for professional errors; requires mandatory professional indemnity insurance; available to regulated-profession chambers only. Closest US equivalent: LLP. | | Einzelunternehmen / Eingetragener Kaufmann | e.K. | Sole trader conducting business as a single natural person; may operate as a small trade (Kleingewerbe, no Handelsregister entry required) or as a registered merchant (e.K.) entered in the Handelsregister; owner bears unlimited personal liability. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. | | Eingetragene Genossenschaft | eG | Registered cooperative with at least three members; registered in the Genossenschaftsregister; members promote their economic interests collectively; liability may be limited or unlimited depending on statutes. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. | | Eingetragener Verein | e.V. | Registered non-commercial association; at least seven founding members; registered in the Vereinsregister at the local Amtsgericht; primary purpose must be non-commercial (ideal association). Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation (501(c)(3)). | ## How documents combine For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below. | Evidence area | Documents needed | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | Legal Registration | Handelsregisterauszug | | Constitutive Documents | *Any one of:* Gesellschaftsvertrag · Satzung | | Tax Registration | *All required:* Steuernummer-Bescheid + USt-IdNr-Bescheid | | Operating Permit | Gewerbeschein | | Ownership Records | Gesellschafterliste | | Governance Records | Handelsregisterauszug | | Signing Authority | *Any one of:* Gesellschafterbeschluss · Notarielle Vollmacht | | Address | *Any one of:* Mietvertrag · Versorgungsrechnung · Kontoauszug | | Good Standing | Handelsregisterauszug | ## Documents to collect The physical documents you'll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil's Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed. | Document | Proves | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | **Handelsregisterauszug (current printout — aktueller Ausdruck)** | Legal Registration, Governance Records, Good Standing | | **Gesellschaftsvertrag (GmbH/UG)** | Constitutive Documents | | **Satzung (AG/SE)** | Constitutive Documents | | **Steuernummer-Bescheid (tax number notification)** | Tax Registration | | **USt-IdNr-Bescheid (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern)** | Tax Registration | | **Gewerbeschein** | Operating Permit | | **Gesellschafterliste (GmbH)** | Ownership Records | | **Gesellschafterbeschluss (shareholder resolution)** | Signing Authority | | **Notarielle Vollmacht (notarised power of attorney)** | Signing Authority | | **Mietvertrag** | Address | | **Versorgungsrechnung (≤90 Tage)** | Address | | **Kontoauszug (≤90 Tage)** | Address | | **Sector-Specific License** | BaFin Erlaubnis, Zulassung | ### Collection notes * **Legal Registration:** Download free at handelsregister.de; confirms HRB/HRA number, legal form, registered office, current status. * **Constitutive Documents:** GmbH: notarised per GmbHG §2. AG: notarised per AktG §23. Filed with and retrievable from Handelsregister. * **Tax Registration:** Steuernummer is the primary domestic tax ID issued by the local Finanzamt. USt-IdNr (DE + 9 digits) is required for EU-VAT purposes and issued by BZSt. * **Operating Permit:** Required for most commercial activities; issued by local Gewerbeamt. * **Sector-Specific License:** Banking (KWG §32), payment services (ZAG §10), insurance (VAG §8), investment services (WpIG §15). Collect applicable authorisation only. * **Ownership Records:** GmbH Gesellschafterliste filed with and retrievable from the Handelsregister (handelsregister.de). * **Governance Records:** Lists Geschäftsführer (GmbH/UG), Vorstand members (AG), and Prokuristen with scope (Einzel- or Gesamtprokura); publicly searchable. * **Signing Authority:** Prokura registered in Handelsregister (HGB §§48–53) is self-evidencing from extract. For third-party representatives, use notarised Vollmacht. * **Address:** Conduit universal policy: lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks. * **Good Standing:** Germany has no separate certificate of good standing; the dated Handelsregisterauszug (aktueller Ausdruck) downloaded from handelsregister.de serves as the live-status proof (subsumed-by-extract jurisdiction). ## Person roles When you submit a person on the application body, set their `role` to one of Conduit's canonical `BusinessPersonRole` values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role. | Local role | Canonical API role | Description | | --------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Geschäftsführer (GmbH/UG) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | Managing director; day-to-day operational authority; registered in Handelsregister. | | Vorstandsmitglied (AG) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | AG management board member; executive authority; represents company externally. | | Komplementär (KG / GmbH & Co. KG) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | General partner; manages partnership; bears unlimited liability in pure KG. | | Aufsichtsratsmitglied (AG / large GmbH) | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | Supervisory board member; governance/oversight role; no operational authority. | | Prokurist | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Holder of Prokura (HGB §§48–53); broad commercial signing authority; registered in Handelsregister. | | Bevollmächtigter (POA holder) | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Holder of notarised Vollmacht; scope defined by instrument. | ## Notes * W-IdNr is not yet a KYB substitute for USt-IdNr. Phase 1 (VAT-registered entities) started 2024-11; Phase 2 (all economically active entities) expected from Q4 2026 per BZSt. Collect USt-IdNr as primary tax identifier until further notice.