Is your German UG or GmbH still in the founding phase (in Gründung)? No problem! At Holvi, we offer founder accounts for UG and GmbH businesses with headquarters registered in Germany. This lets you open a Holvi founder account to deposit your share capital before official commercial registry entry.
Unfortunately, we can’t offer founder accounts for Austrian companies in foundation. For a smooth account opening, make sure to read this article in depth.
Contents
Eligibility & pricing
Supported legal forms: German UG i.G. (UG in Gründung) and GmbH i.G. (GmbH in Gründung) with headquarters in Germany.
Unsupported: Austrian companies in foundation or sole traders.
Fees: Service fees are waived during the founding phase. Plan fees only apply after your business is fully verified with a trade registry extract.
How do I open a founder account for UG or GmbH?
Step 1: Open your account
- Begin the online account setup for a business account.
- When selecting your company type, choose either UG i.G. or GmbH i.G.
- Select your Holvi plan.
- You won’t be charged service fees while your account is in the founding phase. Fees will only be charged once you’ve uploaded a registry extract and your account is fully verified.
- Provide the required personal identification and company setup details.
Important: Do not enter a commercial register number during setup. If you accidentally select a regular registered company status instead of i.G., the regular account will be closed. You will need to restart setup using the correct i.G. company type.
Step 2: Upload certified founding documents
Before an IBAN can be issued for share capital deposits, upload certified founding documents signed by your notary:
- Gesellschaftsvertrag (including Gesellschafterliste), or
- Musterprotokoll (bearing the official seal/signature of the notary or local court).
Keep an eye on your email
We’ll contact you via email once we verify your business and your IBAN is created – or if we have any questions.
Step 3: Deposit your share capital
Follow these deposit rules strictly to avoid processing delays or rejections:
- Shareholders only: Every transfer must come directly from an account held in that specific shareholder's name. Payments from one shareholder on behalf of another are not accepted.
- Payment reference: Clearly label the reference/message field as Stammkapital (Share Capital).
- One deposit per shareholder: Shareholders must make exactly one single transfer for their share capital.
Once all share capital transfers clear, navigate to Reports to download your PDF account statement. Provide this statement to your notary to complete entry into the commercial register (Handelsregister).
Account limitations during the founding phase
While operating under i.G. status:
- Allowed outbound payments: Founding-related expenses only (e.g., notary fees, district court/Amtsgericht, public order office/Gewerbeamt).
- Allowed inbound payments: Share capital deposits only.
- Prohibited: Customer payments, commercial revenue, direct debits, or general third-party inbound transfers. Using the IBAN for unauthorised activities will cause immediate account closure.
- Unavailable features: Debit/credit card orders and adding additional account users are disabled until full verification.
Step 4: Gain full account access
After your company is officially listed in the commercial register (Handelsregister):
- Log into your Holvi account.
- Enter your commercial registry number and select your local court.
- Upload your full trade registry extract (Handelsregisterauszug) — documents older than 6 months are not accepted.
- Enter your Tax ID and VAT ID (if not yet assigned, check the skip options and add them later).
Once reviewed and verified, all plan features and physical/virtual payment cards will be unlocked.