Registration of a Foreigners' Association

Definition of a Foreigners' Association

A foreign association is defined as an association whose members or leaders are predominantly foreign nationals. a foreign association is defined as an association headquartered abroad whose organization or activities extend to Germany. The executive board is responsible for registration. If an association has no executive board, the obligation to register falls on the members authorized to represent the association. In the case of an organizational unit of a foreign association, the registration requirement also applies to the persons who manage the branch.

General Information

The application must be submitted in German and must include the following:

• the association’s bylaws or, if the association does not have bylaws, information regarding the name, registered office,
and purpose of the association
• the names and addresses of the board members or of the persons authorized to represent
persons
• Information on the countries in which the association has affiliate organizations
• The authorities issue a certificate of registration free of charge.

A violation of the registration requirement is subject to a fine.