Notification obligations in the case of foreign relations

The German tax authority must be notified of the participation in foreign companies. The notifications must be submitted to the tax authority using the officially prescribed form by the end of February of the year following the legal year in which the matter to be notified were realized.

The tax authorities have now again issued a current letter on the implementation of the provision as of January 1, 2022, with the latest administrative instruction replacing some older letters.

It now applies for indirect investments to be reported if they were simultaneously co-acquired through the acquisition of a direct investment in a corporation, association of persons or asset fund. Regarding the EUR 150,000-threshold, which is relevant for triggering the notification obligation, this threshold is to be determined on a company-by-company basis.