As Twilio, our telephony service provider only supports phone numbers registered to businesses and not individuals, an excerpt from the commercial register (Handelsregisterauszug) is the only document that can be used to register numbers in Germany. Please note that the document's date of issue has to be less than 3 months.
For Sole traders that don't have a commercial register (Handelsregisterauszug), you will need to submit:
- Trade license (‘Gewerbeanmeldung’, ‘GewerbeUmmeldung’, or ‘Empfangsbescheinigung für Gewerbeanmeldung’)
- Tax ID Number Notification Letter (‘Bestätigung Freier Beruf Finanzamt’) as proof of VAT ID or tax number (Steuernummer).
If you have an excerpt from the commercial register (Handelsregisterauszug), the rest of this doc doesn’t apply to you.
How to submit documents for sole traders only
Go to Settings > Communication > Phone & Voicemail > Regulatory Bundles > +New Regulatory Bundle
Choose the Number Type you want (local or mobile) and the User Type as "Business." Then fill out re required data. For the "Business Registration Number" use your VAT ID or tax number (Steuernummer).
Business Name
In the case of Sole Traders, the business name is usually the same as their individual name, unless it's defined differently.
Business Address
There are 2 addresses within the Trade license, usually, they are the same, but not necessarily.
The business address is under the "Angaben zum Betrieb" section. When procuring numbers, the business address area code is used. Fill out this address on the form.
### Bestätigung Freier Beruf Finanzamt
If you use this document, this is the only attachment you will need to upload. Make sure that you check the box in front of "This document provides proof of address" and fill out the Business Name and the Business Registration Number exactly as you did when filling out the form, then Save and Submit.
Gewerbe Anmeldung
If you use this document, you can only use this as the proof of the Busines Name and the addess, you will still have to upload the "Bestätigung Freier Beruf" document afterwards to complete the registration.
Gewerbe Anmeldung vs. Gewerbe Ummeldung
If a sole trader makes a change to their business registration, their original trade license changes from a "Gewerbe Anmeldung" to a "Gewerbe Ummeldung". If this is the case, the best would be to combine both documents into a single PDF - essentially providing the initial registration document (Gewerbe Anmeldung) plus any additions/changes to it (Gewerbe Ummeldung).
Document Expiration Date
Usually, the commercial register (Handelsregisterauszug) has to be less than 3 months old, but in the case of Sole proprietorships in Germany, Twilio made an exception as you get these documents only once - when you register your sole proprietorship so Gewerbe Anmeldung/Ummeldung don't have any expiration limits.