Impressum and legal notice: what your business website needs

What an Impressum is

An Impressum (German for "imprint") is a page or section on a website that identifies who is responsible for it. It tells visitors, customers and authorities which business runs the site and how to contact it. In German speaking countries it is a well established expectation, and a missing or incomplete Impressum can lead to complaints or formal warnings from competitors.

Outside Germany and Austria the name differs, for example "legal notice", "mentions légales" in France or "aviso legal" in Spain, but the underlying idea is shared across the EU. This guide gives general information only. It is not legal advice, and you should check the official sources or an adviser for your situation.

The EU baseline

The EU's E-Commerce Directive (Directive 2000/31/EC) requires providers of online services to make certain general information easily, directly and permanently accessible. You can read the text on EUR-Lex. In broad terms it covers:

• The name of the service provider.
• The geographic address where the provider is established.
• Contact details, including an email address, that allow rapid and direct contact.
• The trade or similar public register the business is entered in, and its registration number.
• The relevant supervisory authority, where the activity requires authorisation.
• For regulated professions: the professional body, professional title and the country where it was granted, and a reference to the applicable professional rules.
• The VAT identification number, where the business has one.

Each member state has written this into its own law, sometimes adding requirements. So although every EU business website should show these basics, the exact list depends on the country you are established in.

Germany and Austria in particular

Germany

In Germany, the provider identification duty for websites is set out in the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG), which replaced the earlier rule in the Telemediengesetz. Business websites are generally expected to have an Impressum showing details such as the full name and legal form, address, a fast contact route including email, register court and number, VAT identification number where available, and the authorised representatives of a company. Websites with journalistic or editorial content can have additional duties under the state media rules. The full text of federal laws is published at gesetze-im-internet.de, and your local chamber of commerce (IHK) publishes practical guidance.

Austria

In Austria, information duties for websites come mainly from the E-Commerce-Gesetz, alongside a disclosure duty under the Mediengesetz and company law requirements for registered companies. The Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) publishes guidance for businesses on what to show. Official legal texts are available through the federal legal information system at ris.bka.gv.at.

If you trade in either country, it is worth reading the chamber of commerce guidance carefully, because templates found online are not always current. Our country pages for Germany and Austria give more context on running a website there.

What typically goes in a legal notice

The table below is a general starting point. Not every item applies to every business, and your country may require others.

Item	Typically applies to
Business or company name and legal form	All businesses
Full postal address (not only a PO box)	All businesses
Email address and another quick contact route	All businesses
Names of directors or authorised representatives	Companies
Register name and registration number	Businesses entered in a commercial register
VAT identification number	Businesses that have one
Supervisory authority	Activities that need authorisation
Professional body, title and rules	Regulated professions, for example lawyers, architects, tax advisers
Person responsible for editorial content	Sites with journalistic or editorial content, depending on country

Sole traders working from home

Many freelancers and sole traders worry about publishing their home address. In several countries the rules still expect a geographic address where you can be reached, and a PO box alone is generally not accepted. Some people use a business address service or shared office instead, where that address is genuinely where they are established or can receive post. Whether that works for you depends on national rules and your registration, so check with your chamber of commerce or an adviser before changing anything.

Where to put it on your website

The general principle is that the information must be easy to find and always available. In practice:

• Create a dedicated page called "Impressum" in German speaking markets, or "Legal notice" or the local equivalent elsewhere.
• Link to it from the footer of every page, with a clear label. Avoid hiding it behind vague labels or inside the privacy policy.
• Make sure it works on mobile and is not only an image, so it can be read and copied.
• Keep it separate from your privacy information. They serve different purposes, though both should be linked from the footer. Our GDPR checklist covers the privacy side.

Common mistakes

• Copying an old template. Laws change. For example, many older templates still refer to the EU online dispute resolution platform, which has since been discontinued, so check current guidance rather than copying blindly.
• Only a contact form. A form alone is generally not considered enough; an email address is usually expected.
• Missing legal form or representatives. Companies often forget to name directors or show the full legal form.
• Out of date details. A move, a new director or a new VAT number should be reflected straight away.
• Forgetting social profiles. In Germany in particular, business profiles on social networks may also need a link to your Impressum. Check the guidance for your sector.

A simple process to get it right

1. Find the guidance from your chamber of commerce or business register for the country you are established in.
2. List the items that apply to your legal form and profession.
3. Gather the exact details from your registration documents.
4. Write the page and link it in the footer of every page.
5. Ask your accountant or adviser to check it if you are unsure.
6. Review it whenever your business details change, and at least once a year.

On The Website Builders, you can add a legal notice page like any other page and link it from the footer; if you are unsure how, the set-up help from a real person is included.

Frequently asked