Europe's most common company form, head to head.
| EU Inc. | German GmbH | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital | €0 | €25,000 |
| Registration | 48 hours | 2-4 weeks |
| Notary | No | Yes (formation + transfers) |
| Cross-border | 27 EU states | Germany only |
| Employee equity | EU-ESO | Complex (dry income) |
| Digital share transfers | Yes | No |
The German GmbH requires €25,000 in minimum capital — €12,500 of which must be paid in at registration. It requires a notary for formation and for share transfers. Registration takes two to four weeks.
For a German company staying in Germany, the GmbH is a known quantity with deep case law and investor familiarity. EU Inc. would eliminate the capital requirement and the notary, and reduce registration to 48 hours.
The tradeoff: no established case law, 27 national courts potentially interpreting EU Inc. differently, and an instrument that does not yet exist.
Pan-European operations, avoiding €25k capital, digital share management, EU-ESO for employees
Germany-only operations, established case law, investor familiarity, existing structures
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Old pan-European form meets new.