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Plain-English answers for businesses outside the EU that deal with a German tax office: which office is responsible, what a registration needs, and what its letters mean.
What brings you here?
- I need to register for German VATWhich form, which tax office and when you need a German address.
- I got a letter from a German tax officeWhat the letter says, which type it is and what to do next.
- I need to know my deadlinesWhen a letter counts as delivered and how long you have to respond.
- Which tax office is mine?Find your Finanzamt by the country where your company is based.
START HERE · 8 MIN READ
Authorised recipient for the German tax office (Empfangsbevollmächtigter, § 123 AO)
What an authorised recipient is, what § 123 AO says word for word, what happens without one, and why a German address on its own is not enough.
7 MIN READ
German VAT registration form for non-resident businesses: how to fill in the authorised recipient section
Field by field through the authorised recipient section of the German VAT registration form: what to enter, typical mistakes and an example.
Registration & VAT
Start here: Authorised recipient for the German tax office (Empfangsbevollmächtigter, § 123 AO) · German VAT registration form for non-resident businesses: how to fill in the authorised recipient section
10 MIN READ
Section 22f German VAT Act: what marketplace sellers outside the EU need
What marketplaces record under § 22f UStG, when sellers outside the EU and the EEA must name an authorised recipient, and what § 25e liability means for your account.
5 MIN READ
VAT in Germany for non-EU sellers: what you actually need
Which German tax office handles your country, how VAT registration works, and the one requirement many sellers overlook.
5 MIN READ
German VAT number for UK companies: why you also need an authorised recipient in Germany
Why marketplace sellers outside the EU and the EEA must name a German authorised recipient with their VAT registration, and what happens without one.
Tax office letters
10 MIN READ
Got a letter from the German tax office? How to read it
Where to find the tax number, date, amount and deadline on a German tax office letter, the common letter types, and what to do next.
9 MIN READ
Tax advisers: how to support clients based outside Germany
For tax advisers: who receives the tax office's letters for a client abroad, three ways to set it up, and the steps for your office.
16 MIN READ
Finanzamt letter types A–Z: what each German tax office letter means
Twelve German tax office letters from A to Z: the words in the subject line, the deadline, the law and what to do next.
Deadlines
10 MIN READ
German tax deadlines and deemed delivery: when a letter counts as received
When a German tax office letter counts as received, how weekends move the date, which deadlines start, and a worked example with real dates.
FREE TOOL
German tax deadline calculator: when a letter counts as notified and when the objection period ends
Enter the date a tax office letter was posted and see when it counts as notified and when the objection period ends.
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Responsible tax offices & countries
11 MIN READ
How to contact Finanzamt Berlin International (until 2023: Finanzamt Neukölln)
Phone hours, address, contact form and the e-mail rules of Finanzamt Berlin International, and where your tax number is on the letter.
6 MIN READ
Got a letter from Finanzamt Hannover-Nord? Here is what it means
What the most common letters from the tax office for UK sellers mean, which deadlines apply and how to check a letter is genuine.
6 MIN READ
Finanzamt Berlin International (until 2023: Finanzamt Neukölln): what its letters mean
Which countries Berlin International handles since it took over from Finanzamt Neukölln in December 2023, what its letters mean and why you need a German address.
6 MIN READ
Finanzamt Bonn-Innenstadt: the German tax office for US companies
Why US companies get letters from Bonn-Innenstadt, what they mean, which deadlines apply and why you need a German address.
6 MIN READ
Finanzamt Dortmund-Unna: the German tax office for Turkish companies
Why Turkish companies get letters from Dortmund-Unna, what construction firms need to know and why you need a German address.
FREE TOOL
Finanzamt finder: which German tax office handles your VAT?
Choose your country and see which German tax office handles your VAT, with the legal basis from § 1 UStZustV.
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Guides by country
German VAT and tax office letters for companies from these countries. Every one of them is handled by Finanzamt Berlin International.
Your delivery address in Germany for tax office letters
PortoDoc receives your letters in Germany and scans them into your account. Every plan includes an English AI translation; depending on your plan, you also get an AI summary: non-binding aids, not tax advice; the original letter counts.