Gesellschaftsregister

The Gesellschaftsregister (GsR), from 2024, serves as the central public register for registered civil law partnerships (eGbR) and other partnerships not recorded in the commercial register. Managed by the registry courts of the district courts, the Gesellschaftsregister provides transparency by legally documenting the company name, location, partners, representation authority, and changes of the GbR. Entrepreneurs, real estate buyers, and business partners can access extracts from the Gesellschaftsregister online for free via the central business register to verify the economic identity of an eGbR. With registration in the Gesellschaftsregister, the GbR gains legal subjectivity in land registry and real estate transactions, along with a unique register number, comparable to the commercial register number for merchants. The publication requirement enhances external publicity, minimizes liability risks, and facilitates financing, as banks can utilize reliable data sources. For founders, the new Gesellschaftsregister offers an easy way to achieve legal certainty and market protection without immediately establishing a general partnership (OHG) or limited liability company (GmbH). Those wishing to continue an existing GbR in 2024 should timely assess whether voluntary or mandatory registration in the Gesellschaftsregister is necessary to avoid missing business opportunities.