With Qonto, you can complete your business registration entirely online and much faster than through traditional channels. You benefit from:

Time savings & convenience:

• Business registration, tax number, and business account — all in one place
• A straightforward online form instead of complex paper applications
• No trips to government offices — everything is handled digitally through us

Security & support:

• Automatic data validation prevents errors and follow-up queries
• Automatic identification of the relevant trade office
• Legally valid digital signature
• Personal support from our experts whenever you need it

Self-registration:

You answer all questions online, step by step. You then receive the completed registration form as a PDF by email. You can submit your business registration to the trade office in whichever way suits you — in person, by post, or online if your local office offers that option. Whether online submission is available depends on your local trade office.

With full support:

Once you've answered all the questions, we submit your registration directly on your behalf — fully digitally or, depending on your trade office's requirements, by post. Processing is handled by the trade office and usually takes just a few days; in some cities, delivery of the trade certificate by post can take up to four weeks.

With Qonto, you can complete your online business registration for free. Enter your details and we'll provide you with a completed PDF registration form ready to submit to your local trade office. At the same time, we'll take care of applying for your tax number.

With our all-inclusive service for €59, we also handle the submission of your business registration for you, so you can focus entirely on launching your business.

Please note that a fee is payable to the trade office upon registration. This is added to the €59 for our all-inclusive service.

Below are some trade offices and their fees for business registration:

• Berlin (Bezirksamt Pankow) – €15
• Munich – €60
• Hamburg-Nord – €20
• Cologne – €26
• Düsseldorf – €26
• Stuttgart – €60

At this time, we offer online business registration for sole traders only.

Forming a holding without Qonto:

• You risk waiting up to three months for commercial register entry for both parent and subsidiary, frequent delays and additional costs from formal errors, and having to coordinate every appointment with the notary, bank, trade office, and tax authority yourself.
• Missing notary or bank appointments are common. The process is paper-heavy, complex, and prone to coordination errors between the two companies.

Forming a holding with Qonto:

• You book the holding formation package, receive personal support throughout the entire holding process, and benefit from a fully digital, transparent experience.
• We coordinate all steps with the authorities, arrange notary appointments within seven days — online or in person — and submit the commercial register application within days.

Here's how to form your holding with Qonto — lean, digital, and structured:

• Define the holding structure and draft the articles of association: Our experts guide you through the specific steps for both parent and subsidiary. You create the articles of association online in around 10 minutes — tailored to the holding, its investment purpose, and group services.
• We handle the formalities: We check the company names for both entities, coordinate notary appointments (online or in person on request), and prepare all documents for the holding structure — typically within seven business days.
• Open business accounts and deposit share capital: Open Qonto business accounts for both the holding and the subsidiary, deposit the respective share capital (UG from €1, GmbH €25,000 — of which €12,500 is payable at formation), and receive your deposit confirmations.
• Official registrations handled by us: We initiate the commercial register entries for both parent and subsidiary and prepare the trade registrations — so your holding launches on solid legal footing.

Yes, you can form a holding as a private individual — typically as a GmbH or UG holding that holds shares in an operating subsidiary. You'll need share capital (UG from €1, GmbH €25,000 — of which €12,500 is payable at formation), a notarized articles of association, commercial register entry, and tax registration.

Financially, this makes most sense if you hold equity stakes, reinvest profits, or plan exits. Without equity holdings and with purely freelance activity, a holding rarely offers meaningful advantages over a single limited company.

The biggest advantage is the tax-privileged receipt of dividends and capital gains at holding level, leaving more capital available for reinvestment. You also improve liability protection and risk separation between assets and operating business.

You can ring-fence IP or real estate separately, simplify succession and investor structures, and centralize group services. Particularly for growth-oriented businesses and investment portfolios, a holding provides flexibility in structure, financing, and exit strategies.

Setting up a holding company without Qonto:

• You risk waiting up to three months for commercial register entries for both the parent and subsidiary, frequent delays and additional costs due to formal errors, and having to independently coordinate all appointments with the notary, bank, trade office, and tax authority.
• Missing notary or bank appointments are not uncommon. The process is paper-heavy, complex, and prone to coordination errors between entities.

Setting up a holding company with Qonto:

• You book the holding incorporation package, receive dedicated support throughout the entire process, and benefit from a fully digital, transparent experience.
• We coordinate all steps with the relevant authorities, arrange notary appointments within seven days — online or in person — and submit the commercial register application within days.

Here's how to set up your holding company with Qonto — lean, digital, and structured:

• Define the holding structure and draft the articles of association: Our experts guide you through the specific steps for both the parent and subsidiary. You create the articles of association online in around 10 minutes — tailored to the holding, its investment purpose, and group services.
• We handle the formalities: We verify the company names of both entities, coordinate notary appointments (online or in person on request), and prepare all documents for the holding structure — typically within seven business days.
• Open business accounts and deposit share capital: Open Qonto business accounts for both the holding and the subsidiary, deposit the respective share capital (UG from €1, GmbH €25,000 — of which €12,500 is payable at incorporation), and receive your payment confirmations.
• Official registrations handled by us: We initiate the commercial register entries for both the parent and subsidiary and prepare the trade registrations — so your holding company launches on solid legal footing.

Yes, you can set up a holding company as a private individual — typically as a GmbH or UG holding that holds shares in an operating subsidiary. To do so, you'll need share capital (UG from €1, GmbH €25,000 — of which €12,500 is payable at incorporation), notarized articles of association, a commercial register entry, and tax registration.

From a financial perspective, this is most worthwhile if you hold equity stakes, reinvest profits, or plan exits. Without equity holdings and with purely freelance activity, a holding company rarely offers significant advantages over a single limited liability company.

The biggest advantage is the tax-privileged receipt of dividends and capital gains at holding level, leaving more capital available for reinvestment. You also benefit from improved liability protection and risk separation between assets and operating business.

You can ring-fence IP or real estate separately, simplify succession and investor structures, and centralize group services. For growth-oriented businesses and investment portfolios in particular, a holding company provides flexibility in structure, financing, and exit strategies.