If your business is a registered company — a German GmbH or UG, an Austrian GmbH, a Cypriot Ltd — the law requires more on your invoices than your name and address. Missing registry data can make an invoice formally defective and, in Germany, can even trigger fines. This guide lists exactly what each country requires.
The quick matrix
| Country | Required on every invoice |
|---|---|
| Germany | Register number, register court, all managing directors |
| Austria | Firmenbuch number, Firmenbuch court, registered seat |
| Cyprus | Registration number (HE number) |
| United States | No registry data required |
Freelancers and sole traders are not affected — these rules only apply to companies entered in a commercial register.
Germany: § 35a GmbHG
A GmbH (and a UG) must state on all business letters — invoices included:
- The full company name exactly as registered, including the legal form suffix. A UG must spell out “UG (haftungsbeschränkt)” — abbreviating it is not allowed.
- The registered seat of the company.
- The register court and the commercial register number (e.g. Amtsgericht München, HRB 12345).
- All managing directors (Geschäftsführer) by family name and at least one written-out first name. If there is a supervisory board with a chairperson, the chairperson too.
An AG has the equivalent duty under § 80 AktG, listing all board members (Vorstand) and the chair of the supervisory board.
Austria: § 14 UGB
Companies registered in the Firmenbuch must state on business papers:
- The company name and legal form
- The registered seat
- The Firmenbuch number (FN) and the Firmenbuch court (e.g. FN 123456a, Handelsgericht Wien)
Unlike Germany, managing directors do not have to be listed on invoices.
Cyprus: Companies Law, Cap. 113
A Cypriot Ltd must show its registration number issued by the Registrar of Companies — the HE number (e.g. HE 123456) — together with its registered name on business correspondence and invoices. There is no register court and directors do not need to be listed.
United States
There is no federal or state requirement to print incorporation data on invoices. You may add your state file number if a client asks for it, but nothing is legally required beyond identifying your business.
Where does it go on the invoice?
Registry data conventionally sits in the footer, alongside your tax numbers and bank details — not in the letterhead. What matters legally is that it appears somewhere on the document.
How Billino handles it
Set your legal type to Company / Corporation in your sender profile and Billino shows the registry fields for your country — register number, register court, and managing directors where applicable. They print automatically in the invoice footer, and in Germany, Austria, and Cyprus Billino won’t let you issue an invoice while the required fields are empty.
