Virtual offices let you manage your workplace digitally without registering your business with an in-person location, such as an overpriced office space. This gives you more control over your business, whether you’re adopting a hybrid work model or simply changing locations.
Setting up your virtual office leaves you with many factors to consider, including the services you can use and local registration rules. Keep reading to learn how to set up a virtual office in Berlin, Germany.
Understanding the Concept of a Virtual Office
Virtual offices give your organization a digital space to conduct business, eliminating the need for a professional business address and other related services. This can save significant money, make your business feel legitimate, and help you embrace the digital landscape.
Most virtual offices are operational domains or services offered by providers with packages that also give you access to other services, including:
- P.O. box address services
- Mail, package, and shipment handling
- Local phone number and email address services
- In-person meeting spaces
- Administrative and technical support
- Live receptionist services
Why Should Your Business Set Up a Virtual Office?
Virtual offices benefit various types of businesses, including remote, hybrid, distributed, and fully in-person workforces. Remote organizations can use virtual offices to meet legal standards without ever needing an in-person space. Meanwhile, distributed and in-person teams may benefit from virtual offices when changing locations or operating under a short-term lease.
Consider the following advantages of virtual office solutions:
- Creating a professional image: Having a virtual business address, a phone number with a local area code, and receptionist services can help your business appear more professional.
- Managing client trust and expectations: Comprehensive virtual office solutions let you offer the same services that clients and customers would expect from a non-virtual office, such as answering calls and responding to emails in real time. This can help you build trust and confidence with customers, including those wary about remote workplaces.
- Legal requirements for GmbH structures in Berlin: Your business must have a registered business address to be established as a German limited liability company (GmbH).
Local Business Registration Rules in Berlin
Berlin requires you to register your professional business address when you register your business with the city. You must also update all changes to your business address that may occur, whether you switch your in-person office or your virtual office P.O. box. These changes must be made at the regulatory agency in your new address’s jurisdiction. Additionally, if you move your business to another city or jurisdiction later, you must delete your business from Berlin’s register before registering in the new one.
Due to these complex rules, it may be easier to register your Berlin business using a virtual office if you’re operating on a short-term lease or considering changing locations in the next year.
Essential Services Offered by Virtual Offices
Your business may benefit from the following virtual office services:
- Mail handling services: Some virtual office packages also include P.O. box addresses and virtual mail handling and scanning services, allowing you to access your mail digitally. This lets you and your business access, forward, and respond to important letters remotely and as quickly as possible.
- Local phone number acquisition: Many service providers let you set up a professional business phone number using your location’s area code. This can help your business still seem local to nearby customers and clients, even if you don’t have a physical presence there.
- Access to meeting rooms: Some providers also offer access to in-person meeting rooms and business spaces, letting you still conduct business in person without dealing with long-term leases. This meeting space may be in an office space the provider runs or in another coworking space they found for you.
Choosing the Right Virtual Office Location
Consider your target market when choosing where to put your virtual office and business address. Having a local area code and establishing your business’s presence within a major city can boost trust with locals — even if you don’t live there yourself. For example, if you work out of Munich but your clients are in Berlin, setting up a virtual office in Berlin can help your business stand out even more and appear local.
Other factors to consider include:
- City and region-specific business requirements
- Current employees’ locations
- Available in-person meeting spaces
- Mail and package handling
- General business needs
The Setup Process for Your Virtual Office
To set up your virtual office, you must first find a service provider. Consider what features and virtual office solutions your business needs, such as a phone number, a P.O. box address, or an occasional in-person meeting space. The rest of your setup process will then depend on your provider and your location.
Necessary Documentation for Registration
You’ll need the following documents when registering your virtual office in Berlin:
- Valid identification for business owners
- Management Board List
- Proof of business address verification
- Your provider’s office service agreement
- Commercial register application documents
- Tax office registration forms
- Share Capital Certificate
- Notarized Articles of Association (for GmbH businesses)
Step-by-Step Registration Process
Follow these easy steps to register your virtual office in Berlin:
- Choose your virtual office provider.
- Choose your virtual office location.
- Prepare your documents for registration.
- Set up your virtual office, such as your mail and phone services, with your provider.
- Register your new address.
- Update your new address on all marketing and paperwork.
Cost-Effective Virtual Office Solutions in Berlin
A comprehensive virtual office may require you to combine multiple office solutions to maximize your business’s capabilities. Even if your office is virtual, you may still need an affordable office space for colleagues and clients to meet with each other in person.
Industrious’s location in Eichhornstraße, Berlin, offers excellent coworking space for virtual offices in Berlin. Reserve meeting rooms, host video conferences with reliable Wi-Fi, and impress clients with a professional in-person atmosphere. Check out our Berlin location to learn more.