What Is a Serviceable Address? German Legal Address Explained

A serviceable address (in German, "ladungsfähige Anschrift") is an address where a person can actually be reached and can accept formal deliveries: lawsuits, official notices, or court documents. The term shows up wherever German law demands a real address instead of just a way to get in touch: in a website's Impressum, in the commercial register, and in contracts.

Legal basis

For websites, Section 5 DDG (formerly Section 5 TMG) requires a serviceable address in the Impressum. For corporations, Section 8(1) No. 1 of the German GmbH Act additionally requires a domestic business address for the commercial register entry. Both rules serve the same purpose: authorities, courts, and business partners need to be able to actually reach the person or company behind a website or entity.

What makes an address "serviceable"?

Three things have to be true at once:

1. It's a real address, not a PO box and not a made-up one.
2. Deliveries actually arrive, someone has to be reachable there to accept mail and formal documents.
3. That reachability is permanently organized, not occasional or accidental.

Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) spelled this out for pure mail-forwarding addresses: a postal provider that only forwards mail, without anyone reachable there to accept deliveries, is not enough (BGH, ruling of 7 July 2023, case no. V ZR 210/22). What matters is that the address is organizationally set up so mail can be reliably delivered and accepted.

Why doesn't a PO box qualify?

A PO box has no mailbox where a courier can ring a bell or hand over a document in person. Formal service under German civil procedure law requires exactly that: an address where a document can be physically handed over. That's why a PO box doesn't work for an Impressum or a commercial register filing, no matter how reliably the box itself is managed.

Two levels: an Impressum address vs. a GmbH's business address

Not every serviceable address automatically satisfies both purposes:

• For an Impressum, a real address where mail is reliably received and forwarded to you is enough, for example a digital mailbox staffed at the location.
• For a GmbH or UG's business address in the commercial register, register courts additionally expect the company to actually be reachable there and able to accept formal court service. Many German cities have tightened checks on pure "sham addresses" since 2023. A Registered Office that includes a rental agreement and an explicit commitment to accept formal service is the right tier for this case.

For everything else that belongs in a complete Impressum besides the address, see our Impressum checklist and templates. The same address requirements apply on Instagram and other social profiles, covered in Instagram Impressum for content creators.

Example

A solo founder incorporates a UG and registers it with the local register court. He works out of different coworking spaces and has no fixed office. He books a Registered Office with a rental agreement, lists that address as the company's business address in the commercial register, and has incoming mail forwarded digitally. A year later he also launches an online shop and uses the same address in the website's Impressum. Register now and pick the address tier that fits.

FAQ

Is a rented business address a serviceable address? Yes, as long as someone there actually accepts mail and formal deliveries in person. A pure forwarding service with no acceptance point doesn't qualify, according to the BGH.

Does a serviceable address have to be in Germany? For a German GmbH or UG's business address in the commercial register, yes, Section 8 GmbH Act requires a domestic address. For a plain website Impressum it's not strictly required, but a domestic address makes dealing with German authorities much easier in practice.

Can my home address be serviceable? Yes, your home address is usually serviceable, but that also makes it publicly visible, which is exactly what many freelancers and creators want to avoid.

Does an address that works for an Impressum also work for a commercial register entry? Not automatically. An Impressum only needs reliable mail acceptance; a commercial register entry additionally requires that the company can receive formal court service there. Still have questions? → Contact us