Service Address

The service address – often also referred to as business address or delivery address – is the official address where a company receives legally binding documents, official correspondence, and court mail. According to § 8 para. 4 of the German Commercial Code (HGB), every company registered in the commercial register must provide a current service address; since 2009, this information has been a legal requirement. Changes to the business address must be promptly reported to the commercial register to ensure that official deliveries can continue to be effective. Although the service address does not appear in the public announcement, it is displayed in many register extracts and thus serves as a central contact and communication point. For foreign branches, it is often necessary to additionally appoint a domestic authorized recipient to ensure reliable accessibility for German authorities. A correct, current service address protects companies from missing deadlines, dunning procedures, and liability risks. Synonymous terms such as company address, mailing address, business address, or official address are often equated, but only the service address registered in the commercial register holds full legal relevance. Entrepreneurs should therefore regularly check whether their service address is current, correctly formatted, and always reachable by mail.

Service address is the business address registered in the commercial register where official correspondence is delivered. Through the handelsregister.ai API, this service address can be retrieved from company data and historically tracked, which is crucial for compliance checks, delivery security, and address monitoring.