Frequently asked questions about business addresses

A business address is a professional, legally valid address that you use for your business communications – for example, for your website, public image, customer contact and correspondence with public authorities. It protects your home address and helps you project a professional image.

The registered office is the company’s official headquarters as recorded in the commercial register and determines, amongst other things, the place of jurisdiction and tax jurisdiction. The business address is the address at which your company can be contacted by post and for business purposes – it may be the same as the registered office, but does not have to be.

Ideal for freelancers, start-ups, online shops, consultancies, creative professionals and businesses that work flexibly and need a reliable business address.

A professional image, clear business contact details and protection of privacy. It also enables structured mail handling and a consistent online presence – without the need for a physical office.

The registered office is the address of a company as recorded in the commercial register. It serves as the official address for dealings with public authorities, courts and business partners, and is relevant, amongst other things, for determining the place of jurisdiction and tax classification.

The address must be valid for service of process – this means: a real, physical location with a reliable postal service and the actual ability to receive deliveries (not just a PO box, nor a purely ‘virtual’ address), as well as a clear link to the company. Office Club addresses fully meet these requirements.

You’ll be provided with a registered address at a prestigious location. We’ll collect your post, keep you reliably informed about incoming items and offer flexible additional services such as company signage, a post-scanning service, mail forwarding and secure lockers. You can book meeting rooms as and when required.

The Virtual Office includes all the features of a business address and extends them to allow the address to be used as an official company domicile or head office – including eligibility for registration in official registers (e.g. the Companies Register).

The business address is the basic solution for an official address that can be used for legal purposes (correspondence, public image, post). The Virtual Office is the right choice if the address is to serve as the company’s registered office or headquarters, be included in the legal notice, and be used for registration purposes.

Yes, that’s correct. Your business address naturally does not need to include ‘c/o’ or mention Office Club. You also have the option at any time to have your own company sign installed in the club to complete the overall look.

Yes. Renting a business address is entirely legal in Germany – provided that the address is valid for service of process and that reliable postal delivery is guaranteed. Both of these conditions are met by Office Club.

Yes. Virtual business addresses are permitted in Germany, provided they are associated with a real, physical location where post is reliably collected and the addressee can be clearly identified.

No. A PO box alone cannot be used for service of process and therefore does not meet the legal requirements for a business address – neither for the legal notice nor for official business correspondence.

Yes. The registered office (e.g. in the commercial register) and the business address at which the company can be contacted by post may differ – for example, if the company has a different head office but uses the business address for correspondence and its public image.

In principle, it is permitted to use your home address as a business address – provided your landlord agrees to this. However, this means it will be publicly visible in your legal notice, the Companies Register or to public authorities – something many freelancers and start-up founders wish to avoid for data protection and security reasons. A separate business address protects your privacy.

“Suitable for service of process” means that official documents – such as those from courts, public authorities or business partners – can be served at that address in a manner that is legally valid. This requires a real, physical location with a reliable postal service; a PO box alone is not sufficient.

Yes. Several companies can share the same business address – this is common practice in shared office spaces, co-working spaces and with business address providers such as Office Club, and is legally sound provided that the mail can be clearly attributed to the relevant company.

There is no legal requirement to provide an imprint for purely private, non-commercial websites with no commercial purpose. As soon as a website serves even a partial commercial purpose (e.g. advertising, affiliate links, sales), the legal requirement to provide an imprint applies under Section 5 of the Digital Services Act (DDG) (formerly the Telecommunications Act (TMG)).

A c/o address is only permitted in the legal notice to a limited extent: it is not sufficient if the underlying address is not valid for service of process or if deliveries cannot be reliably made. It is advisable to use a direct, valid business address without the ‘c/o’ suffix.

A sole proprietorship does not have a formal ‘registered office’ in the legal sense (unlike, for example, a limited liability company), but rather a business address – usually the location where business activities are actually carried out. This address must be provided when registering the business and in the legal notice.

A business address can generally be used in the legal notice, provided that it is a valid address for service and that postal delivery is guaranteed. However, for legally compliant use in the legal notice, we recommend our Virtual Office: it is designed as a fully-fledged business branch with a registered office function and unquestionably meets the requirements for a legally valid legal notice address. In concrete terms, this means: a real, physical location with genuine business premises (not merely a postbox), reliable mail collection and legally valid delivery, as well as suitability for registration (e.g. in the commercial register). This ensures that the address is legally sound even if courts apply strict standards to a legal notice address.

Prices vary depending on location and contract term. You can find the current terms and conditions on our pricing page.

No. Additional services (e.g. mail forwarding, scanning, use of facilities) are only charged if they are booked. You can find a clear overview of all our prices on our website.

Booking is straightforward and can be done online via our website: simply select your preferred location and contract term, enter your company details, and submit the required documents digitally. Our team will then get in touch to activate your address. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us via our contact form and we will advise you in detail on our products and services.

You can also opt to add services such as a company sign, a mail-scanning service, mail forwarding, a telephone service, lockers, and the use of conference and meeting rooms.

You can choose between 3, 6 or 12 months. Each term runs until the agreed end date and is automatically renewed for the same period unless notice of termination is given in good time before the end of the term.

There is no provision for monthly cancellation. The terms selected (3, 6 or 12 months) apply. Cancellation is possible at the end of the agreed term, subject to the notice period.

The notice period depends on the chosen contract term and is set out in the contract. Important: Notice of termination must be received in good time before the end of the contract term to prevent the contract from being automatically renewed for the same period.

Office Club offers business addresses in a number of attractive locations across Europe. You can find an up-to-date list of all available cities on our locations page.

Very quickly. Once your booking has been confirmed and a few simple set-up steps have been completed, your address will be active – from then on, you can use it straight away for your website, business presence, correspondence and receiving post.

Some basic details and proof of identity; business or registration documents, if available. The process is digital and straightforward, and our colleagues on site will be happy to help you with this and are available to answer any questions you may have.

We collect your post, notify you when it arrives and, if you wish, make it available to you for collection, forwarding or as a digital scan.

Yes. With our Post-Scan service, you receive your incoming post digitally – quickly, securely and accessible from anywhere.

Yes. Our team is on hand to offer you personalised support at every location. What’s more, Office Club Support is always just a phone call away and is ready to help with any queries you may have regarding your address, contract or services – in a friendly, reliable and straightforward manner.