German email signature requirements (Pflichtangaben)
In Germany, business emails must carry the same mandatory details (Pflichtangaben) as business letters. That has applied since 1 January 2007, when the EHUG reform extended the rules to email. A GmbH must show its full company name with legal form, its registered seat, the register court, its commercial register number and every managing director. Registered traders (e.K.), partnerships and AGs have similar lists in their own laws. The register court can enforce this with a penalty of up to €5,000.
This is general information, not legal advice.
What each legal form must show
| Legal form | Law | Mandatory details |
|---|---|---|
| Registered trader (e.K.) | § 37a HGB | Firm name with "e.K.", place of business, register court, register number |
| GmbH | § 35a GmbHG | Firm name with legal form, registered seat, register court, register number, all managing directors (surname and at least one first name in full), chair of the supervisory board if there is one |
| AG | § 80 AktG | As for a GmbH, plus all management board members and the board chair |
| OHG, KG | §§ 125a, 177a HGB | Firm name, legal form, seat, register court, register number; extra details if no partner is a natural person |
Share capital is optional. If you mention it, state the subscribed capital, and say if it is not fully paid in.
Where to put it
The details belong in the email itself, usually in the signature block below your contact details. A link to the imprint page alone is not the safe choice, because the rules attach to the business letter, which here is the email.
For a whole company, use a central footer or managed signatures so that a new managing director is added to every signature at once. See update signatures when titles change.
What happens if they are missing
The register court can impose a penalty payment (Zwangsgeld) of up to €5,000 to enforce the details. Competitors can also send a cease-and-desist letter (Abmahnung), although courts disagree on whether missing email details are a competition breach.
FAQ
Do internal emails need Pflichtangaben? The rules apply to business letters to a specific recipient outside the company. Internal emails between colleagues are generally not business letters.
Do replies in an ongoing thread need them? Many companies include them on every outgoing email to be safe, since the signature block is added anyway.
Is the VAT ID required? Not under these rules for emails. It is required on invoices.
Sources
- § 37a HGB: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hgb/__37a.html
- § 35a GmbHG: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/__35a.html
- § 80 AktG: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/aktg/__80.html
- IHK fact sheet on mandatory details on business letters: https://www.ihk.de/blueprint/servlet/resource/blob/1913478/9c326efed1874f9d21d830a117dd9836/merkblatt-pflichtangaben-auf-geschaeftsbriefen-data.pdf
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