Check if a Germany company is active
Free, official, source-cited — updated 2026-06.
Search Company Records in Germany
3 free lookups per day. No sign-up required.
How do I check whether a company is still active in Germany?
Search the company by name or registration number and read its status field. On Handelsregister, an "active" or "registered" status means the entity is currently on the register; "dissolved", "struck off" or "liquidation" means it is not trading legally.
Step-by-step
- 1
Find the company
Search by name or registration number to open the correct record.
- 2
Read the status field
The status is the register's own verdict on whether the entity currently exists. Treat anything other than active/registered as a red flag before contracting.
- 3
Check the last filing date
An entity can be nominally active but years behind on filings. A long gap since the last filing is a warning sign even when the status reads active.
- 4
Confirm at the source
Status changes propagate from Handelsregister at https://www.handelsregister.de. For a decision with money attached, confirm there.
https://www.handelsregister.de
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a Germany company is still trading?
The register's status field is the authoritative answer. An active/registered status on Handelsregister means the entity is currently on the register. It does not by itself prove the business is operating, so also check the most recent filing date.
What does "dissolved" or "struck off" mean?
The entity has been removed from the register and can no longer legally trade or enter into contracts. Any invoice or agreement issued under that name after removal should be treated as invalid.
Is checking company status in Germany free?
Yes — status is part of the free public record on Handelsregister. No account is needed.
How do I search the German company register?
The Handelsregister is searchable online at handelsregister.de. You can search by company name, registration number, or registered location. Basic searches are free, but accessing full documents may require a fee.
People also ask about check whether a company is still active in Germany
The exact questions searchers type into Google — answered from the primary source.
Is the Germany company register free to search?
Yes. Basic company lookups on the Handelsregister are free — you can search by company name or registration number, view legal status, registered address and (usually) directors at no cost. Some jurisdictions charge a small fee only for downloading full filed documents.
What is the official Germany business registry?
The Handelsregister is the official public register of companies incorporated in Germany. It is operated by the government and is the primary source cited on this page — https://www.handelsregister.de.
Related guides and tools
More Germany guides
- Search companies by name
Find any registered company from a partial name — free, no signup.
- Search the company register
What the official register holds, and how to search it free.
- Search the business registry
Match a trading name to the registered legal entity behind it.
- Find the right entity
Tell apart several entities registered under near-identical names.
Germany data
- Germany company search
Search every Handelsregister record.
- Handelsregister guide
Handelsregister der Bundesrepublik Deutschland