How long does German VAT registration take?

Typically 4 to 8 weeks from submission of the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung to issuance of the Tax ID, plus 2 to 4 weeks for the USt-IdNr. from the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern. Incomplete paperwork is the most common cause of delay, missing apostille, untranslated incorporation documents, or submission to the wrong Finanzamt jurisdiction. Vaytax handles the full submission via a licensed tax advisor to avoid these issues.

Do I need a fiscal representative in Germany?

No. Germany does not require fiscal representation for either EU or non-EU companies. A licensed tax advisor acting as your tax agent is sufficient for all standard compliance. Some providers charge €1,000–€3,000/year for 'fiscal representation' with no legal basis for standard filings. Vaytax includes tax advisor representation in the €89/month fee.

What's included in the €1,299/year all-in plan?

The €1,299/year all-in plan covers German VAT registration (preparation and submission of the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung, all correspondence with the assigned Finanzamt, obtaining your Tax ID, applying for your USt-IdNr. (EU VAT ID) with the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, SEPA direct debit setup, and Dauerfristverlängerung application where applicable) PLUS your monthly and annual filings. If you already have a German VAT number, filing-only is €89/month.

What do I need to provide to register?

Company incorporation certificate (apostilled and translated if non-EU), proof of business address, passport copies for directors/legal representatives, description of your German activity, estimated annual turnover and VAT, IBAN for refunds/payments, and a signed Vollmacht (power of attorney) authorizing the tax advisor to act on your behalf. Vaytax generates the Vollmacht and Mandatsvereinbarung during the registration flow.

Can I file German VAT myself without a tax advisor?

Legally, yes, there is no requirement to use a tax advisor for routine UStVA filings. In practice, most foreign companies use one because filings are in German, must be submitted electronically (which requires a German digital certificate), and the Finanzamt corresponds in German by postal mail. Doing it yourself requires a fluent German speaker with the right credentials and time to respond to Finanzamt letters within 2–4 week deadlines.

Vaytax

For Foreign Companies · Filed by a licensed Steuerberater

German VAT Registration.
In English. Fixed price.

Q: Who needs to register for German VAT?

Any foreign company with a taxable activity in Germany: storing goods in a German warehouse (including Amazon FBA DE and Pan-EU FBA with Germany enabled), selling cross-border B2C to German consumers (above the €10,000 EU-wide threshold if you are established in the EU, from the first sale if you are not), providing digital services to German B2C customers outside of OSS, or having a permanent establishment in Germany. There is no turnover threshold for non-resident companies, registration is required from the first relevant transaction.

Foreign sellers can register for German VAT directly through a licensed Steuerberater. No fiscal representative required by German law. We handle the tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen), the Finanzamt, every letter in between. Your Steuernummer arrives in 4 to 8 weeks.

Start registration See pricing

✓ €1,299/year all-in, registration included ✓ No fiscal rep needed ✓ No per-transaction fees

€1,299/yr

All-in, registration included

from €89

per month if already registered

6–10 wks

Typical registration time

Reviewed06 Jul 2026by a licensed German tax advisor

Registered with the Steuerberaterkammer Rheinland-Pfalz

A product of FRADECO GmbH, licensed German tax advisory, serving international sellers since 2021

Registering foreign sellers from UK US EU Switzerland Asia

Quick answer · reviewed July 2026

A foreign company can register for German VAT directly through a licensed German Steuerberater, with no German entity and no fiscal representative required. There is no registration threshold for non-German businesses: the obligation begins at the first taxable sale, and the Finanzamt typically issues the Steuernummer in 4 to 8 weeks. Vaytax handles the registration and every monthly and annual filing, in English, for €1,299/year all-in.

Who needs this

Built for foreign companies with a German VAT obligation

Vaytax is for non-German companies that have triggered a German VAT duty. Not for German-resident businesses.

Amazon FBA sellers

Storing inventory in a German fulfilment centre (FBA DE or Pan-EU with DE enabled) triggers immediate VAT registration. No threshold.

E-commerce sellers shipping to Germany

Cross-border sales to German consumers require local VAT registration or OSS: above the €10,000 EU-wide threshold if you are established in the EU, from the first sale if you are not.

SaaS & digital services

B2C digital services to German customers outside the OSS scheme, or services with a German permanent establishment.

Foreign entities with German operations

UK Ltd., US LLC, or EU companies with a Betriebsstätte (permanent establishment) or employees in Germany.

How it works

From signup to filing, in four steps

Sign up & pay

Create your account and complete the online registration form. €1,299/year all-in, with German VAT registration included.

We file with Finanzamt

Your licensed tax advisor submits the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung (tax registration form) to the correct Finanzamt for foreign companies.

Get your Tax ID

6–10 weeks later, you receive your tax number. We handle every Finanzamt letter in between.

File monthly from €89

Enter your numbers in the Vaytax dashboard each month. We file via the Finanzamt. Takes 5 minutes.

Want the full walkthrough before signing up? Read our step-by-step German VAT registration guide.

Jurisdiction

Where will your German VAT be registered?

German tax law assigns one specific Finanzamt to each foreign country. You do not choose; the regulation does.

Under the Umsatzsteuer-Zuständigkeitsverordnung (UStZustV), every foreign company is routed to a pre-assigned Finanzamt based on the country where the business is established. The assigned office is the only one with jurisdiction to process your registration and every UStVA that follows. We file at the correct Finanzamt for your country automatically, you do not have to figure out which one.

Country of establishment	Your assigned Finanzamt
United Kingdom	Hannover-Nord (Niedersachsen)
United States	Bonn-Innenstadt (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Netherlands	Kleve (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
France	Offenburg (Baden-Württemberg)
Italy	München (Bayern)
Spain	Kassel (Hessen)
Portugal	Kassel (Hessen)
Belgium	Trier (Rheinland-Pfalz)
Austria	München (Bayern)
Switzerland	Konstanz (Baden-Württemberg)
Czech Republic	Chemnitz-Süd (Sachsen)
Poland	Hameln / Oranienburg / Cottbus / Nördlingen (see note below)
Sweden	Hamburg-Nord (Hamburg)
Denmark	Flensburg (Schleswig-Holstein)
Turkey	Dortmund-Unna (Nordrhein-Westfalen)
China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea	Berlin International (Berlin)
All other countries (UStZustV catch-all)	Berlin International (Berlin)

Poland is split four ways by company-name initial: A–G to Finanzamt Hameln-Holzminden, H–Ł to Oranienburg, M–R to Cottbus, S–Ż to Nördlingen. This is set by the UStZustV xlsx published by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and applies to every Polish foreign-company VAT registration.

Your file sits in one of 24 offices like this one, chosen by where your company is registered, not by where your goods are.The office decides your paperwork and your IBAN

Assigned office Catch all, for countries not named

01Finanzamt FlensburgDK

02Finanzamt RostockEE

03Finanzamt Hamburg-NordIE · SE

04Finanzamt BremenFI · LV · NO

05Finanzamt Hannover-NordGB · IM

06Finanzamt Hameln-HolzmindenPL A-G

07Finanzamt KleveNL

08Finanzamt Dortmund-UnnaTR

09Finanzamt Bonn-InnenstadtUS

10Finanzamt NeuwiedBG

11Finanzamt TrierBE

12Finanzamt SaarbrückenLU

13Finanzamt KasselES · HR · PT

14Finanzamt MühlhausenLT

15Finanzamt MagdeburgBY · RU · UA

16Finanzamt OranienburgSI · PL H-Ł

17Finanzamt CottbusPL M-R

18Finanzamt Chemnitz-SüdCZ · RO · SK

19Zentralfinanzamt NürnbergHU

20Finanzamt NördlingenPL S-Ż

21Finanzamt MünchenAT · IT

22Finanzamt OffenburgFR · MC

23Finanzamt KonstanzCH · LI

24Finanzamt Berlin InternationalAE · CN · GR · HK · JP · KR · MK · and every country not named

Poland, split four ways

By the first letter of your company name: A to G Hameln-Holzminden, H to Ł Oranienburg, M to R Cottbus, S to Ż Nördlingen.

Transparent pricing

Fixed price. No surprises.

No per-transaction fees. No setup costs. No hourly billing.

€89

per month

Filing-only, for companies that already hold a German VAT number. Need registration? It is included in our €1,299/year all-in plan.

Registration with your assigned Finanzamt
Tax ID & USt-IdNr. (EU VAT ID)
Monthly UStVA (VAT return) filing with the Finanzamt
Licensed German tax advisor included
All tax-office correspondence handled
Dauerfristverlängerung (optional, free)
Online filing dashboard in English

Start registration

Scope

What’s included (and what isn’t)

The monthly fee covers your routine recurring VAT filings. One-off work like incoming-invoice review or advisory beyond VAT is quoted separately.

Included in €89/month

Monthly UStVA preparation & filing
Annual VAT return (annual VAT return (Jahreserklärung)
Electronic filing with the Finanzamt by your licensed tax advisor
All Finanzamt letter handling
Dashboard in English
Dauerfristverlängerung (one-month filing extension)
SEPA direct debit setup for VAT payments
EU sales list (Zusammenfassende Meldung) (ZM) filings

Not included

Incoming invoice review / bookkeeping
Annual financial statements (Bilanz)
Corporate income tax (Körperschaftsteuer)
Legal advice
Tax advisory beyond VAT (billed at €200/hr on request)
Payroll (Lohnbuchhaltung)

StBerG Regulated profession

Steuerberater Licensed tax advisor

Finanzamt Filed on your behalf

6–10 wks Registration time

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Who needs to register for German VAT?

Any foreign company with a taxable activity in Germany: Amazon FBA storage, cross-border e-commerce sales to German consumers (the €10,000/year threshold applies only if you are established in the EU), digital services to German B2C customers outside OSS, or a permanent establishment in Germany. No turnover threshold applies for non-resident companies.

How long does registration take?

6–10 weeks for the Tax ID, plus 2–4 weeks for the USt-IdNr. Most delays come from incomplete paperwork. We handle every document to avoid rejection.

Do I need a fiscal representative?

No. Germany does not require fiscal representation for EU or non-EU companies. A licensed tax advisor is sufficient, and included in your monthly fee.

What does the €1,299/year all-in plan cover?

German VAT registration is included: the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung, Tax ID application, USt-IdNr. application, SEPA setup, Dauerfristverlängerung, and all tax-office correspondence during registration, plus your monthly and annual filings. If you already hold a German VAT number, filing-only is €89/month.

Do I need to speak German?

No. Everything you see is in English: the dashboard, contracts, support. We handle the German-language tax-office correspondence for you.

What documents do I need to provide?

Company incorporation certificate (apostilled if non-EU), business address, director passport copies, description of your German activity, IBAN, and a signed power of attorney. We generate the Vollmacht and Mandatsvereinbarung during sign-up.

Reviewed June 2026 by a licensed German tax advisor.

Urgent · Finanzamt letter

estimated assessment (Schätzbescheid), payment reminder (Mahnung), or a Finanzamt query already in hand?

If your problem is one specific letter rather than ongoing monthly filing, send it for a fixed-price quote within 24 hours (weekdays). A licensed German tax advisor reviews your case. No subscription, no charge to ask.

Send your letter

Keep reading

Seller situations, country setups, and the deep-dive guides that back up this page.

Not sure you need to register?

Find out exactly what applies to your company first.

Answer a few quick questions about how and where you sell. We will tell you whether Germany requires you to register, and what it costs, in plain English. No account, no obligation.

Ready to register for German VAT?

Fixed price. No hourly billing. A licensed tax advisor handles the entire registration. Start today and you’ll have your Tax ID in 6–10 weeks.