> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nordiska.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Germany

> Legal forms, onboarding flows and checks for card onboarding in Germany

This page covers what is specific to onboarding customers in Germany. The API, the onboarding states and the webhooks are the same in every market; see [Card Onboarding](/card/onboarding) for those.

## Legal Forms

Each German legal form maps to an `onboardingType` and a type value in the request. Businesses set `company.registrationInfo.businessType`; corporates set `company.companyType`.

| Legal form | `onboardingType` | Type value | Identified by |
| - | - | - | - |
| Individual | `CONSUMER` | – | Applicant |
| Freelancer (Freiberufler) | `BUSINESS` | `FREELANCER` | Tax number |
| Small business (Kleingewerbe) | `BUSINESS` | `SMALL_BUSINESS` | Tax number |
| GbR | `BUSINESS` | `UNREGISTERED_CIVIL_LAW_PARTNERSHIP` | Tax number |
| Registered merchant (e.K.) | `BUSINESS` | `REGISTERED_MERCHANT` | Commercial register number |
| OHG | `BUSINESS` | `GENERAL_PARTNERSHIP` | Commercial register number |
| KG | `BUSINESS` | `LIMITED_PARTNERSHIP` | Commercial register number |
| PartG, PartG mbB | `BUSINESS` | `PARTNERSHIP` | Partnership register number |
| GmbH | `CORPORATE` | `LIMITED_COMPANY` | Commercial register number |
| UG (haftungsbeschränkt) | `CORPORATE` | `ENTREPRENEURIAL_COMPANY` | Commercial register number |
| AG | `CORPORATE` | `STOCK_CORPORATION` | Commercial register number |
| KGaA | `CORPORATE` | `PARTNERSHIP_LIMITED_BY_SHARES` | Commercial register number |
| SE | `CORPORATE` | `EUROPEAN_COMPANY` | Commercial register number |
| eG | `CORPORATE` | `COOPERATIVE` | Cooperative register number |
| GmbH & Co. KG | `CORPORATE` | `CORPORATE_LIMITED_PARTNERSHIP` | Commercial register number |

Legal forms without a register entry (freelancer, small business and GbR) are identified by tax number, and the applicant always uploads documents for them.

## Onboarding Flows by Legal Form

Every onboarding starts in `PROCESSING` and ends in `COMPLETED`, `REJECTED` or `FAILED`. The states in between depend on the legal form.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Consumer">
    The applicant is identified and credit-scored. Nothing is uploaded.

    <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/consumer.light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=ba3c7c8d84f0a5d23114ea964f25c473" alt="Consumer onboarding states" width="328" height="685" data-path="images/onboarding/consumer.light.svg" />

    <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/consumer.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=9970cd5bbe329d6b57e92c414ed2a2b0" alt="Consumer onboarding states" width="328" height="685" data-path="images/onboarding/consumer.svg" />
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Registered business">
    OHG, KG, PartG, PartG mbB and e.K. appear in a register, so the applicant uploads nothing. The flow is the same as for a consumer.

    <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/soletrader-hra.light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=b69e1128a83336d2d90ac25e5d04d307" alt="Registered business onboarding states" width="328" height="685" data-path="images/onboarding/soletrader-hra.light.svg" />

    <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/soletrader-hra.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=16c54c674e4c4d50597c3ef1767f931d" alt="Registered business onboarding states" width="328" height="685" data-path="images/onboarding/soletrader-hra.svg" />
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Freelancer and small business">
    A freelancer (Freiberufler) or small business (Kleingewerbe) appears in no register, so the applicant uploads a tax document. The documents are reviewed before signing, and the reviewer can ask for more.

    <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/freelancer.light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=20b89ca89f9d17de4008667103651c18" alt="Freelancer and small business onboarding states" width="456" height="973" data-path="images/onboarding/freelancer.light.svg" />

    <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/freelancer.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=8e58a8222057450364209beee29b6c45" alt="Freelancer and small business onboarding states" width="456" height="973" data-path="images/onboarding/freelancer.svg" />
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="GbR">
    A GbR appears in no register, so the applicant uploads the partnership agreement and a tax document, which are reviewed before signing. Signing completes once every partner has signed. The `PRIMARY_SIGNING_COMPLETED` webhook fires when the first one has.

    <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/gbr.light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=bad893ea581d173affde58dd8c5e3d7c" alt="GbR onboarding states" width="456" height="990" data-path="images/onboarding/gbr.light.svg" />

    <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/gbr.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=a34edae3dfd8c32c8671029841ad4f59" alt="GbR onboarding states" width="456" height="990" data-path="images/onboarding/gbr.svg" />
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Corporate">
    GmbH, UG, AG, KGaA, SE, eG and & Co. KG forms take one of three paths out of `PROCESSING`: straight to signing, through a document upload and review when the company data isn't enough to decide on credit, or through a manual review that a person has to clear.

    <img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/corporate.light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=c27eb89d2a4a7d73ee6ac73360b17b66" alt="Corporate onboarding states" width="774" height="990" data-path="images/onboarding/corporate.light.svg" />

    <img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/nordiska/C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7/images/onboarding/corporate.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=C8gvuZEc3p7u8SQ7&q=85&s=0429b965ffee2fd46e8728c5e9ffee25" alt="Corporate onboarding states" width="774" height="990" data-path="images/onboarding/corporate.svg" />
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

A technical error can end the onboarding in `FAILED` from `PROCESSING`, `AWAITING_SIGNING` or `AWAITING_CARD_CREATION`.

## Credit Checks

* **Individuals**: Credit assessment through Schufa.
* **Businesses**: Creditreform checks the company. The credit decision follows the applicant's Schufa score, because the owner is personally liable.
* **Corporates**: Creditreform checks the company, and the credit decision comes from the company's data.

## Signing

Customers sign the credit agreement with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), in German or English. Set the applicant's `locale` to `de` or `en`.

## Test Cases

The test environment has German test companies and identities for every flow above. See [Test Cases](/card/germany/test-cases).


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