Requirements at Qonto for German companies in formation
The following requirements must be met in order to open an account with Qonto for your company in formation.
Accepted legal form
Account opening is currently supported for the following legal forms in formation:
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Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH i.G.)
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gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (gGmbH i.G.)
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Unternehmergesellschaft (UG i.G.)
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gemeinnützige Unternehmergesellschaft (gUG i.G.)
Who can open a business bank account for companies in formation with Qonto?
The Qonto business account can be opened by a legal representative or an authorized representative. It is important that at least one of the founders is resident in Germany.
However, if all founders have an address outside Germany, we will have to reject the registration.
Company headquarters
The registered office of the company must be in Germany. If one of the shareholders is a legal entity - a company - it must have its registered office in one of the following countries: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland or Austria.
Activity
The company's activity must comply with Qonto's guidelines and must not be an unauthorized activity. The list of activities that are not allowed on Qonto can be found here.
Shareholder structure & shareholders
When the company is founded, the shareholder structure may consist of natural persons and legal entities. Both entities can participate in the capital contribution, which is determined by the contract and list of shareholders.
The following requirements apply to the company's shareholders:
Natural persons
According to the German Civil Code (BGB), every person is a natural person with their own legal personality.
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You need a valid proof of identity
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for emancipated minor shareholders, a court judgment signed by a judge is required
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in the case of non-emancipated minors, at least one parent must also be a shareholder and a certificate signed by the parents with custody rights must be submitted
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At least one shareholder or the legal representative of one of the companies holding shares in the company must be permanently resident in Germany
Legal entities
A legal entity is an association of persons or assets that is itself the bearer of rights and obligations and has its own legal capacity. A distinction is made between partnerships (OHG, KG), corporations (AG, GmbH, UG) and public corporations.
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Qonto does not accept public corporations as shareholders
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If one of the shareholders is a legal entity, it must have its registered office in one of the following countries: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland or Austria.
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At least one shareholder or the legal representative of one of the companies holding shares in the company must be permanently resident in Germany
Share capital
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The paid-up share capital, the shareholders and the distribution must correspond to the information in the notarized incorporation documents (the issuer name and the amount)
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The share capital of an entrepreneurial company must be at least EUR 1.00.
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The share capital of a limited liability company must be at least EUR 25,000.00. It is possible to start with a share capital of at least EUR 12,500.00, which can be later increased.
Do you meet all the necessary requirements?
Let's go! Click on this link to start your account opening with Qonto! 🚀
We look forward to welcoming you as a customer!