A structure report on a Germany entity sets out, from the public registers, how it is owned and controlled: the chain of ownership above it, the directors and officers on record, the filings it has made, and the beneficial owner where that record is open. It is used before you instruct, invest, buy, lend or litigate against a Germany company or a Dutch group that runs through one.
What the report establishes
As an EU member state, Germany keeps a central company register connected to the EU Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), and a beneficial-ownership register under the EU anti-money-laundering framework. Public access to the beneficial-ownership register has been narrowed across the EU since the Court of Justice ruling of 2022, so what is obtainable there depends on the standing you have. The company register itself, with directors, filings and annual accounts, is obtained on the standing any applicant has.
The facets it can cover
A structure report on this jurisdiction can be scoped to one facet or run across all of them. Each is a different question about the same entity.
- Ownership chain
- Who owns the entity and through what chain of holdings above it, as the register records it.
- Group map
- How the entity connects to a parent and to subsidiaries, drawn as a map of the group on the record.
- Beneficial owner
- The registered beneficial owner, where access to that register applies in this jurisdiction.
- Directors and officers
- Who the directors and officers of record are, and when they last changed.
- Filings
- What the entity has filed, including annual accounts, and whether filing is late or missing.
Where the material comes from
| Source | What it holds | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Germany company / commercial register | Entity, directors, filings, annual accounts | Obtained on the standing any applicant has |
| Germany beneficial-ownership register | Registered beneficial owner, where it applies | Regulated; obtained only where the applicable regime allows it |
| Dutch handelsregister (KVK) | The Dutch entity in the chain, where the group runs through the Netherlands | Open record |
| Official insolvency publications | Published insolvency or dissolution of the entity | Open record where published |
Everything in the report is obtained from the registers and open sources named above, on the standing any applicant has. Where Germany land or property is part of the picture, it is read from the Germany land and property registry. We hold no privileged or non-public access, and the report is not screening of a person.
What is closed, and cannot be obtained
- Where Germany's beneficial-ownership register is closed or restricted, the report says so rather than estimating it.
- Internal company documents that are never filed, such as board minutes or shareholder agreements, are not on any register.
- Where a register notifies the subject that their data has been requested, you are told this before the request is made.
- Where Germany's access regime is still being confirmed against the primary source, that line is quoted on request, not guessed.
The free availability check
Send the identifiers you have, the registered name, the number, and Germany as the country, and within two working hours you get back what exists, at what cost, in what time, and what does not exist. There is no charge and no commitment to order. Pricing is confirmed before you order, because it depends on the register's access regime and whether a contracted local processor is required.
What this does not cover
- It is not a legal opinion on your matter; it establishes the registered facts, not your position on them.
- It is not background screening, surveillance or investigation of an individual.
- It does not reach documents that are never filed on a public register.
- A closed register is reported as closed, not estimated.
Order a structure report
Send the registered name, number and Germany as the country, and we run the free availability check first. A fixed price is confirmed before you order. For the full picture of what a structure report covers, see the structure report; where the governance question behind the structure is live, see corporate law and governance.
Request the availability check
Last legal review: 2026-10-09