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Sole proprietor (Einzelunternehmer) & Freelancers (Freiberufler)
Sole proprietor (Einzelunternehmer) & Freelancers (Freiberufler)
Updated over a week ago

What documents does Qonto require when registering as a sole trader or freelancer?

Qonto offers business accounts for companies registered in the German Commercial Register, as well as for sole traders and freelancers.

Sole proprietorships are companies, that are founded by a single person who have registered their activities with the Trade Licence (Gewerbeschein). The sole proprietor owns their business 100% and can make decisions without having to consult a co-owner or a co-managing director beforehand.

Freelancers are entrepreneurs with particular professional activities or particular academic backgrounds (e.g. lawyers), who render their services independently and who have declared their activity to the tax office (Finanzamt).

📃 What documents does Qonto ask for?

  1. A valid proof of identity

    The documents accepted as proof of identity can be found under the following link.

  2. Legal Documents

    After registering or re-registering the company, you shall receive a legal document. Find a sample document below:

    • Sole Traders

      Trade Licence (Gewerbeschein)

      Trade licence must be signed and stamped (except if it is explicitly mentioned that it’s valid without signature and stamp).

    • Freelancers

      Tax Letter (Brief vom Finanzamt)

      The tax letter must explicitly mention your tax number and activity.

    During the registration process, you’ll need to upload the legal document and the proof of address, if necessary (see step 3).

    Since this information is legally required, if we don’t receive the document and the tax number, after the 30-day period, your account will be suspended for the 30-day closing period.

    Note that this closing process takes another 30 days. During this closing period, you won’t be able to take any actions, but you’ll only have the view access. Nonetheless, you will still have the option to upload the missing information. If not, we will unfortunately need to close your account permanently.

    If you don’t have a trade license (GewA1 or GewA2), contact your local trade office (Gewerbeamt) or tax office for a tax letter (Finanzamt) to request a new copy.

  3. An official proof of address (optional)

    If the address on the legal document is no longer current, upload a current proof of address (no older than three months). That could be an electricity bill or your tax assessment notice. If not available, take another document from an official source that proves your new address.

⚠️ Important: Ensure that all documents are uploaded in sufficient quality (resolution, legibility, completeness). We recommend that you take photos with a smartphone camera, bearing the following in mind:

DOs

❌ DONTs

High quality/resolution

Blurred/pixelated

Indirect and sufficient room lighting

Light reflections (e.g. from scanner or flash)

All edges and corners visible

Missing pages

Fully visible and legible information

Screenshots or photos of secondary screens

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