What is the difference between a business address and a commercial address?

Business address, business address, summonable address - which of these do you really need? And which address can you provide as a founder, self-employed person or online entrepreneur? In this article, you will find out the difference, what counts legally - and how you can quickly find the right solution.

Table of contents

1. Business address vs. commercial address: The definitions
2. When do you need a business address?
3. What counts as a business address?
4. Which address may be used in the legal notice?
5. What is a summonable address?
6. Virtual business address as a clever solution
7. Conclusion: Start legally compliant & professional

1. commercial address vs. business address: The definitions

Many people use the terms synonymously - but there are subtle differences:

• Business address: The address you provide to the trade office. It is stored in your trade license.
• Business address: The address at which your company appears to the outside world - e.g. in the legal notice or on invoices.

Both addresses can be identical - but they don't have to be. The decisive factor is what you want to achieve with them.

2. when do you need a business address?

As soon as you register a business, you must provide a valid address. This will be used for the following purposes, among others:

• Registration with the trade office
• Notification to the tax office
• Dispatch of official mail and notifications

Many people enter their private address here - but this is not always ideal, especially if you want to protect your privacy.

3. what is considered a business address?

The business address is your external business card. It appears:

• In the imprint of your website
• On business documents & invoices
• In the commercial register (for GmbH, UG etc.)

The requirements are stricter: in many cases, the address must be capable of being used as a summons - i.e. it must be legally valid as an address for service.

4. which address may be used in the imprint?

According to Section 5 of the German Telemedia Act (TMG), a full address where you can be contacted must be given in the legal notice. A PO box is not sufficient, nor is a fantasy address or just an e-mail address.

For many, this means either publishing their private address - or using a professional alternative.

5 What is a summonable address?

A summonable address is an address for service at which you can be officially contacted. It is required, for example, by the tax office, notaries or courts. The requirements:

• Physical existence of the location
• Receipt of letter post possible
• Legally clearly assignable to a person / company

Virtual business addresses such as Teeberg 's fulfill these criteria - if they are used correctly.

6. virtual business address as a clever solution

If you don't want to make your private address public - and don't need an office - a virtual address is ideal:

• Representative: Berlin address with a professional appearance
• Legally compliant: For imprint, trade office, tax office & Co.
• Flexible: Can be booked completely digitally, incl. post-scan & forwarding

At Teeberg we offer two packages:

• Postal address: For imprint and customer correspondence
• Virtual Office: For all legal purposes incl. commercial register & trade office

7 Conclusion: Start legally compliant & professional

Whether you are just starting up or have been self-employed for some time, choosing the right address is crucial to your success. While the business address counts for the state, the business address is your figurehead to the outside world.

With a virtual business address from Teeberg, you can combine both - securely, reliably and efficiently.

👉 Secure a virtual business address in Berlin now