Which documents do I need to open a GmbH account?

To open an account for a GmbH or UG, you'll need the following documents:Articles of associationNotarised deed of incorporationCommercial register extract (if available)Shareholder listTax numberWhether additional proof is required depends on the provider and legal form. Many providers now offer fully digital account opening where you simply upload documents online. That speeds up the process considerably — especially during the founding phase.

When should I open a GmbH account?

A GmbH account should be opened right at incorporation — to deposit the share capital and keep business activity cleanly separated. It builds trust with business partners and simplifies bookkeeping.

Who is the account holder for a GmbH?

The account holder of a GmbH business account is the GmbH itself — as a legal entity. Managing directors can initiate the account opening, but they act on behalf of the GmbH, not as private individuals. For easier financial management, an unlimited number of team members with individual access rights can be added once your Vivid Business account is open.

Can a GmbH in formation already do business?

Partially. A GmbH in formation can already get access to a business account with a broad feature set. That's especially helpful for proving the deposit of the share capital. Adding employees also lets you prepare team workflows in advance. Once the commercial register entry exists, the business account can be fully activated and payments can be made.

Should my UG have 2 business accounts?

No. One account for a UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is usually enough to manage all business transactions cleanly. With Vivid Business, you can create unlimited sub-accounts with their own IBANs to strictly separate finances or run different business areas apart. The integrated interest account and strategic investing features for ETFs, funds and crypto let you build reserves without opening further accounts. For most UGs, it's simply more practical to run finances on a single platform.

Can a UG be founded online?

Yes, a UG can be founded fully online. Many financial service providers and notary offices now offer digital incorporation processes where you complete all the necessary steps online. In our article “UG gründen” (in German), we explain the nine simple steps to start a UG. Founding online saves time and costs compared to traditional procedures and is especially attractive for founders who want to start quickly or whose founding team is spread across countries.

Does a UG have tax advantages?

No. Both legal forms — UG and GmbH — are treated almost identically for tax purposes. The UG offers no special tax advantages over other corporations like the GmbH. With its lower minimum capital (from 1 euro), the UG is however particularly attractive for founders with little starting capital. Tax advantages tend to come from smart tax planning and good support from tax advisors — for example through profit retention or a holding structure.

Business account for GmbH and UG

Open a business account for your GmbH or UG online — in 10 minutes, with its own German IBAN. Vivid Business keeps private and company assets cleanly apart. You get SEPA instant transfers, Visa cards for the team and an integrated interest account for your share capital. Treasury in ETFs, money market funds and bonds is built right in.

Open a business account

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Für Gründer

Open a Business Account for GmbH and UG Online

UG: from notary appointment to first transfer

Enter your UG's key details and verify your identity via video or selfie ident. That's how you open a UG business account online — fully digital. No branch appointment. No piles of paper. You can start making payments right after, and the app is available in German and English.

GmbH onboarding without a branch visit

To open a GmbH business account online, upload the articles of association, commercial register extract and shareholder list digitally. Vivid Business accepts the documents directly — no originals by post. After verification, the app is open to you right away.

A digital alternative to the traditional bank

Vivid Business replaces the mix of traditional bank, cashback provider and investment broker. One platform instead of three tools. Cards, sub-accounts, treasury and an interest account all run in one place. Costs stay transparent.

Top rated by founders

Excellent! | 26,000+ reviews

5.0

Good support, good app, great benefits

Our experience with Vivid has been very positive so far. We have an account for each of our two GmbHs and can especially praise the customer support. We already had a very urgent case where support helped us quickly and very well. Our account manager has also always responded fast to product questions and made sure we got all the information we needed promptly. Being able to book a call-back appointment with our advisor online is great too…

Tobias, Germany

Trustpilot

5.0

Great account for small companies

As a small UG we opened an account with Vivid because of the high bonus. We've now been using Vivid as a second account for several months and are super happy. The app runs great, transfers arrive and go out in seconds, and multi-user works at a very fair price.

Nicolas, Germany

Trustpilot

5.0

Everything top!

Unlimited instant transfers free of charge! Free company Visa cards, physical and digital in Apple Wallet! Straightforward setup of the company (in our case a GmbH & Co. KG). Everything clearly visible in the app! Bank transactions can be exported via DATEV or downloaded once a month in MT940 format and sent to bookkeeping, where they drop straight into DATEV accounting online via drag & drop! A new PIN can be set for any employee's Visa card at any time WITHOUT needing the old PIN — changed instantly!

Marcel, Germany

Trustpilot

5.0

TOP!

I am very happy with absolutely EVERYTHING offered for my UG!

Angela, Germany

Trustpilot

5.0

Easy to use

Clear start page. Very good value for money. Quickly opened for a GmbH too.

Torsten, Germany

Trustpilot

5.0

Vivid & GmbH — a great match

We are very happy with our GmbH. Everything works perfectly.

Markus, Germany

Trustpilot

Business account for GmbH and UG in formation

Ready from the notary appointment

As soon as the notary appointment is set, you need a business account for your GmbH in formation. Without the share capital deposit, there's no commercial register entry. With Vivid Business, you open the account directly with the articles of association and shareholder list — even before registration. Once the deposit is booked as starting balance, the notary initiates the register entry. From then on, you use full online banking — SEPA transfers, Visa cards and the interest account throughout the founding phase.

Free business account for GmbH — what's included

Multiple sub-accounts with their own IBAN

In the free GmbH business account — €0/month on the Standard plan — you create unlimited sub-accounts with their own IBANs, right in the app and without an application. Separate reserves for taxes and social contributions or map business areas individually. Every movement lands on the right account. Month-end closing gets faster.

Bookkeeping and DATEV connection built in

Photograph receipts right in the app and match them to the right transaction. Export account statements in DATEV or MT940 format for your tax advisor. The tax office team gets its own access — no manual forwarding. That saves hours of work every month.

Cards, cashback and treasury for the whole GmbH

The account comes with physical and virtual Visa Business cards — for you and the whole team. You control limits, cashback rules and blocks in real time. Add cashback on business spending, an integrated interest account and treasury in ETFs, money market funds and bonds. No external brokerage account needed.

Why open your GmbH account with Vivid

GmbH and UG with daily payment flows

Opening a GmbH account gets you a dedicated German IBAN. Private money stays out. Supplier invoices, salaries and incoming payments run through an account dedicated to GmbH activity. The DATEV interface hands everything straight to your tax advisor.

Established GmbH with a team

As the team grows, every employee gets their own Visa Business card — with individual limits and real-time blocking. Multi-user access, approval flows and the DATEV connection keep bookkeeping and compliance clean. No spreadsheets required.

Holding and investment GmbH

Holdings run several participations — often with their own reporting lines. Unlimited sub-accounts with a dedicated IBAN per subsidiary are ready for that. Integrated treasury puts idle funds into ETFs, money market funds or bonds. You control it all from the app.

Open a business account for GmbH and UG — step by step

Add your GmbH or UG details

Start opening a business account for your GmbH or UG right in the app or browser. Enter the company's key details, then upload the articles of association and commercial register extract.

Verify via video or selfie ident

As managing director, you verify your identity digitally — via selfie ident in two minutes or video ident with an agent. Your choice. That's how a UG account gets opened. Multiple shareholders complete the process in parallel.

Activate the account and get going

Once approved, the account is ready to use. Deposit the share capital, issue cards and make transfers. Connect your bookkeeping via DATEV.

Open a business account

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Prices & fees at a glance

Compare GmbH and UG business accounts: base price, account fees and included services at a glance. You see cashback tiers, statements and treasury per plan — and find the one that fits.

Monthly

Payment period

Annual

Save up to 24%

Optimal for growing companies with high activity and advanced needs — built to keep fast teams in sync

Free Start
Suited for newly registered companies setting up finances and looking to try key banking features for free
0 € / month
Free of charge at all times
Get started
- Accounts & Interest
  - Free accounts with German IBANs
    Unlimited
  - Initial fixed interest rate p.a.*
    4%
  - Fixed interest rate p.a. after 4 months*
    0,1%
  - Initial fixed interest rate p.a., USD/GBP*
    5%
  - Fixed interest rate p.a. after 5 months, USD/GBP*
    0,2%
- Cards & Cashback
  - Guaranteed unlimited cashback
    0,1%
  - Cashback on selected categories and brands, up to
    2%
  - Virtual and physical cards
    Free
  - Card spending limits for ads & IT services
    Unlimited
- Transfers
  - SEPA Instant
    Free
  - Incoming SWIFT
    Free
  - Outgoing SWIFT
    5 €
- Support
  - 24/7 human support
    Yes
  - Dedicated customer success team
    No
Basic
Great fit for small businesses with steady transactions needing reliable everyday banking at a low cost
6,9 € / month
2 months free trial
Get started
- Accounts & Interest
  - Free accounts with German IBANs
    Unlimited
  - Initial fixed interest rate p.a.*
    4%
  - Fixed interest rate p.a. after 4 months*
    0,5%
  - Initial fixed interest rate p.a., USD/GBP*
    5%
  - Fixed interest rate p.a. after 5 months, USD/GBP*
    1%
- Cards & Cashback
  - Guaranteed unlimited cashback
    0,2%
  - Cashback on selected categories and brands, up to
    4%
  - Virtual and physical cards
    Free
  - Card spending limits for ads & IT services
    Unlimited
- Transfers
  - SEPA Instant
    Free
  - Incoming SWIFT
    Free
  - Outgoing SWIFT
    5 free per month, then 5 €
- Support
  - 24/7 human support
    Yes
  - Dedicated customer success team
    No
Pro
Optimal for growing companies with high activity and advanced needs — built to keep fast teams in sync
18,9 € / month
2 months free trial
Get started
- Accounts & Interest
  - Free accounts with German IBANs
    Unlimited
  - Initial fixed interest rate p.a.*
    4%
  - Fixed interest rate p.a. after 4 months*
    1,3%
  - Initial fixed interest rate p.a., USD/GBP*
    5%
  - Fixed interest rate p.a. after 5 months, USD/GBP*
    2%
- Cards & Cashback
  - Guaranteed unlimited cashback
    0,5%
  - Cashback on selected categories and brands, up to
    6%
  - Virtual and physical cards
    Free
  - Card spending limits for ads & IT services
    Unlimited
- Transfers
  - SEPA Instant
    Free
  - Incoming SWIFT
    Free
  - Outgoing SWIFT
    10 free per month, then 5 €
- Support
  - 24/7 human support
    Yes
  - Dedicated customer success team
    Yes

Features you get on every plan

Invoicing
Free
Document uploads for bookkeeping (on every paid plan)
Unlimited
Integrations (sevDesk, Lexware Office, DATEV, ...)
Free
Business travel cashback up to
30%
Crypto Earn rewards up to
8% APY
Maximum loan amount & repayment term
200,000 €,
12 months
Fee for receiving card payments from clients (EEA cards), from
0,79% (+0,25 €)
Business Brokerage (stocks, ETFs, crypto)
Free
Tax filing (for freelancers)
Free
POS terminal
Free
Flat transaction fee (all cards)
Up to 1.49%
Digital employees (personal and legal AI assistants)
Free

Compare all features

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Which documents do I need to open a GmbH account?
To open an account for a GmbH or UG, you'll need the following documents:
Articles of association
Notarised deed of incorporation
Commercial register extract (if available)
Shareholder list
Tax number
Whether additional proof is required depends on the provider and legal form. Many providers now offer fully digital account opening where you simply upload documents online. That speeds up the process considerably — especially during the founding phase.
When should I open a GmbH account?
A GmbH account should be opened right at incorporation — to deposit the share capital and keep business activity cleanly separated. It builds trust with business partners and simplifies bookkeeping.
Who is the account holder for a GmbH?
The account holder of a GmbH business account is the GmbH itself — as a legal entity. Managing directors can initiate the account opening, but they act on behalf of the GmbH, not as private individuals. For easier financial management, an unlimited number of team members with individual access rights can be added once your Vivid Business account is open.
Can a GmbH in formation already do business?
Partially. A GmbH in formation can already get access to a business account with a broad feature set. That's especially helpful for proving the deposit of the share capital. Adding employees also lets you prepare team workflows in advance. Once the commercial register entry exists, the business account can be fully activated and payments can be made.
Should my UG have 2 business accounts?
No. One account for a UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is usually enough to manage all business transactions cleanly. With Vivid Business, you can create unlimited sub-accounts with their own IBANs to strictly separate finances or run different business areas apart. The integrated interest account and strategic investing features for ETFs, funds and crypto let you build reserves without opening further accounts. For most UGs, it's simply more practical to run finances on a single platform.
Can a UG be founded online?
Yes, a UG can be founded fully online. Many financial service providers and notary offices now offer digital incorporation processes where you complete all the necessary steps online. In our article “UG gründen” (in German), we explain the nine simple steps to start a UG. Founding online saves time and costs compared to traditional procedures and is especially attractive for founders who want to start quickly or whose founding team is spread across countries.
Does a UG have tax advantages?
No. Both legal forms — UG and GmbH — are treated almost identically for tax purposes. The UG offers no special tax advantages over other corporations like the GmbH. With its lower minimum capital (from 1 euro), the UG is however particularly attractive for founders with little starting capital. Tax advantages tend to come from smart tax planning and good support from tax advisors — for example through profit retention or a holding structure.

Discover more products for your GmbH and UG

Business Account

With a quick registration you unlock unlimited IBANs. Discover the ease of managing all your finances from a single platform.

Interest Account

Earn 5% fixed annual interest* on uninvested cash. Your money grows while staying available at all times.

Cards & Cashback

Start cutting costs with up to 10% monthly cashback on the team’s card purchases at Google Ads, Amazon and others.

Bookkeeping

Keep financial records from all your bank accounts organized. Quickly share data with your team or accountants.

Invoicing

Issue comprehensive invoices, track what's owed and send reminders.

Online payments

Boost your revenue by making online payments effortless — whether customers pay via invoice, link or through your website.

Business Travel

The first tool to let you search, book and pay for hotels directly from your account — including up to 30% travel cashback!

Integrations

Streamline all your money management by connecting with powerful accounting tools and financial applications.