(1) Applications for registration in the Commercial Register are to be submitted electronically in officially certified form. The public certification via video link as provided for in section 40a of the Law on Attestations (Beurkundungsgesetz – BeurkG) is permissible. The same form is required for a power of attorney granted for purposes of making an application. A certification of a notary pursuant to section 21 (3) of the Federal Regulations for Notaries may be submitted instead of a power of attorney. Legal successors of a party are to prove the succession, to the extent feasible, by means of public records and documents.
(2) Documents are to be submitted electronically in a data format that is machine-readable and searchable. If an original document or a plain copy is to be submitted, or if the written form is prescribed for the document, transmission of an electronic record will suffice; if a notarially recorded document or an officially certified copy is to be submitted, a document with a simple electronic certification (section 39a of the Notarial Recording Act) is to be transmitted.