Germany

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Trade Registration Required

Yes. Every commercial mover must complete a Gewerbeanmeldung (trade registration) with the local trade office (Gewerbeamt), regardless of vehicle size. Fees are modest (typically €10 to €60) and vary by municipality.

Goods-Transport Licence Required, Now Issued Only as the EU Community Licence

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles, and recently changed. Commercial goods transport, moving included, requires authorization from the transport authority. Following the Second Act Amending the Güterkraftverkehrsgesetz, published 26 February 2026 and effective 27 February 2026, Germany no longer issues the old domestic-only Güterkraftverkehrserlaubnis to new applicants; instead, all German operators now receive a Gemeinschaftslizenz (EU Community Licence), which covers both purely domestic transport and cross-border transport within the EU/EEA and Switzerland under a single licence. Operators who already hold a national licence issued before this change may continue using it until it expires, or, if it was issued without a fixed term, until a general transition deadline of 27 February 2036. Where a mover hires another company to carry the goods, that carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs.

Three Qualifying Conditions

Required for the licence: good repute (Zuverlässigkeit), financial standing (finanzielle Leistungsfähigkeit), and professional competence (fachliche Eignung), matching the EU Regulation 1071/2009 framework used across the EU/EEA.

Financial Standing Threshold

Yes, for licence holders. Equity and reserves of at least €9,000 for the first qualifying vehicle, plus €5,000 for each additional vehicle, maintained and evidenced on an ongoing basis (not just at application).

Professional Competence Exam

Yes, for licence holders, via the IHK. Demonstrated through a Fachkundeprüfung (professional competence exam) before the locally competent Chamber of Industry and Commerce, held by the business owner or an appointed Verkehrsleiter (transport manager). The exam covers commercial/financial management, market access rules, technical standards, and road safety, in two written sections plus an oral component. Equivalent qualifications or verified prior senior experience in the industry can substitute for the exam in some cases.

Licence Duration

Varies by licence type and source. Legacy national licences (Güterkraftverkehrserlaubnis, no longer issued to new applicants as of 27 February 2026) could run for up to 10 years. For the Gemeinschaftslizenz, BALM’s own guidance (citing Article 4(1) of EU Regulation 1072/2009 directly) states it is issued for a renewable period of up to 10 years, though at least one regional authority’s public guidance states a flat 5-year term. Confirm the current duration directly with the issuing Verkehrsbehörde, since practice appears to vary.

Moving-Specific Liability Framework

Yes. §§ 451 to 451h of the Handelsgesetzbuch (HGB) govern the “Umzugsvertrag” (moving contract) specifically, rather than leaving movers to general consumer protection law alone. This includes a liability cap of €620 per cubic metre of load space required for the move (§ 451e HGB) and a limitation period of generally 1 year (up to 3 years in certain cases, § 439 HGB). Under § 451g HGB, this cap and other liability limitations fall away entirely in three specific situations: (1) if the mover fails to inform a consumer sender, at the time the contract is concluded, of the liability provisions and the option to agree to extended liability or insure the goods, in which case liability becomes unlimited in amount; (2) if the mover fails to inform the recipient, at the latest at delivery, of the required form and deadline for reporting damage and the consequences of not doing so, in which case the mover loses the protection of the short exclusion periods under § 451f HGB, and the customer can still claim after those deadlines pass; and (3) if the damage results from intentional conduct, or reckless conduct carried out with awareness that damage would probably result (a standard roughly equivalent to gross negligence or willful misconduct). A mover’s own disclosure practices are directly relevant to whether the cap applies at all, not just to the amount of damages.

Industry Association

Yes. AMÖ (Bundesverband Möbelspedition und Logistik e.V.) is Germany’s national umbrella association for the moving and logistics industry, with 18 regional member associations and roughly 1,100 member companies. Membership of an industry association is not a government licence and does not replace the registration and licence described on this page.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Germany does not license movers state-by-state: the underlying legal framework is uniform nationally (and largely EU-wide), though administration is regional. Any commercial mover needs a basic trade registration (Gewerbeanmeldung). A mover that operates its own vehicles also needs a goods-transport licence from the transport authority covering its registered office, which in turn requires proving good repute, financial standing, and professional competence, the same three-part test used across the EU under Regulation 1071/2009. As of 27 February 2026, this licence is issued only as the EU Community Licence (Gemeinschaftslizenz), following a legislative change that folded the old domestic-only permit into the single EU-wide credential; movers who already hold a legacy national licence can keep using it until it expires or, at the latest, 27 February 2036. Where a mover subcontracts road transport, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs.

Separately, and distinctively, Germany has a dedicated statutory framework for moving contracts: §§ 451 through 451h HGB, which set out the mover’s liability, exclusions, and limitation periods in primary legislation rather than leaving this to general consumer protection law, and which tie the liability cap itself directly to the mover’s own disclosure practices, not just the value of the claim.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing

1. Complete a Gewerbeanmeldung with the local Gewerbeamt before starting operations.
2. Where the mover operates its own vehicles, hold a Gemeinschaftslizenz (EU Community Licence) from the transport authority (Verkehrsbehörde) covering the company’s registered office; as of 27 February 2026, this is the only licence newly issued, covering both domestic and EU/EEA/Swiss transport in one credential. Confirm current transitional rules directly if the business already holds a legacy national-only licence.
3. Demonstrate good repute, financial standing, and professional competence as part of the application. Financial standing requires equity and reserves of at least €9,000 for the first qualifying vehicle plus €5,000 for each additional one, maintained on an ongoing basis.
4. Pass the IHK Fachkundeprüfung (or provide an equivalent qualification or verified senior industry experience) for the owner or an appointed Verkehrsleiter, at the IHK covering the applicant’s place of residence.

Subcontracted transport

5. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

6. Apply the § 451 HGB moving-contract framework in contracts and liability information, including the €620-per-cubic-metre liability cap and the three circumstances under § 451g HGB where it falls away entirely (missing pre-contract liability information to the sender, missing delivery-time damage-notice information to the recipient, or intentional/reckless conduct with awareness that damage would probably result).

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Gewerbeanmeldung (trade registration) completedVerified by DocumentRequired
• Goods-transport licence held (Gemeinschaftslizenz for new applicants; legacy national licence valid until its own expiry or 27 February 2036), with good repute, financial standing and professional competence demonstratedWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Fachkundeprüfung passed (or equivalent) by the owner or VerkehrsleiterWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Financial standing (€9,000 for the first vehicle plus €5,000 per additional vehicle) maintained on an ongoing basisWhere applicable (mover holds a goods-transport licence)Verified by AffirmationRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Customer practices

• Moving contracts follow §§ 451 to 451h HGB, with the § 451g HGB pre-contract liability information to consumer senders and delivery-time damage-notice information to recipients givenWhere applicable (mover relies on the § 451e HGB liability cap and § 451f HGB exclusion periods)Verified by AffirmationRequired