Key takeaways
- Section 5 DDG applies to business digital services that are usually offered for payment.
- An Impressum has to list your name, address and contact details including email, and a VAT or economic ID number only if you hold one.
- A bare P.O. box is generally seen as not enough, so have a lawyer check your address before you publish it.
When does the Impressum duty apply to creators?
Section 5 DDG covers providers of business digital services that are usually offered for payment. The details have to be easy to recognize, directly reachable and permanently available. For your own website, blog, newsletter page or link-in-bio page that promotes your offer, the duty generally applies.
For profiles on Instagram, TikTok, X or Reddit that you use commercially, the widespread reading is that you need one as soon as you promote your offer through them, although much of this is open to interpretation. How far the duty reaches on your profile on the platform itself, such as OnlyFans or Fansly, isn't settled for every case, so you'll want that checked. A missing or incomplete Impressum can draw a formal warning letter (Abmahnung), which is why it shouldn't wait until later.
What has to be in an Impressum, and where does it go?
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Name | Your civil name, and for legal entities the legal form and authorized representatives. |
| Address | The address where you are established. The next section goes into this. |
| Contact | Details that allow fast electronic contact and direct communication, including an email address. On common readings an email alone isn't always enough, so a contact form or a phone number is a good addition. |
| Tax IDs | A VAT identification number or an economic identification number, if you hold one. If you have none, you list none. |
| Register, supervisory authority | Only if you are entered in a commercial register or your activity needs an official license. |
Other laws can add further duties (section 5 (2) DDG), and you can read the statute itself at gesetze-im-internet.de.
On your own site, the "Impressum" link belongs in the footer of every page, and on social profiles you link to a page in your bio that opens without a login. A quick check on your phone will show whether a visitor gets there in about two clicks. Your address and email need to stay current, and a template from another creator won't help much because their situation isn't yours.
How can you protect your home address?
The Impressum has to show your name and the address at which you're established. A bare P.O. box is generally seen as not sufficient, because you can't be served there. That view comes from case law and legal commentary and isn't spelled out in the statute itself.
People discuss a few alternatives to a home address, and each one carries a different risk:
- A business address where you can be reached, such as an office or a coworking space with mail handling.
- An address provided by a service company, where it depends on the details whether it holds up.
- A company such as a limited company, in which case the Impressum shows the legal form, seat and authorized representatives. Your home address stays out, but your name doesn't.
Made-up or borrowed addresses are no solution. Before you publish anything, a lawyer should confirm which model is allowed for you.
Can you have an Impressum and stay anonymous?
Only to a limited extent, because an Impressum names an identifiable person. If your stage name appears on a page, your civil name appears next to it, and every channel with an Impressum is one through which fans, acquaintances and employers can find you.
That's why you need to decide before launch which channels need one and which you can run through the platform itself. We plan and post for Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and X only after you approve, and if a channel would trigger an Impressum, we bring it up with you before the link goes in your bio. For the bigger picture on keeping your stage name and private life apart, see our guide on sharing access safely.
What applies in Austria and Switzerland?
In Austria the E-Commerce-Gesetz (section 5) requires details such as name, geographic address and email, and the Mediengesetz (section 25) adds disclosure duties that apply to websites in general. The WKO publishes practical guides on this. In Switzerland the unfair competition act (UWG, Art. 3 para. 1 lit. s) requires clear and complete details of identity and contact address, including email, for online offers. Because the details vary by case, a local lawyer is the right person to ask. For tax questions, see our overview of OnlyFans taxes in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an Impressum for my Instagram or TikTok account?
If you use the profile commercially and promote your offer through it, many lawyers say yes. How far the duty goes on platform profiles is partly open to interpretation, which is where a legal opinion can help.
Does my legal name have to be in the Impressum?
The statute asks for a name, so assume your civil name is needed. A stage name alone is not a safe option, and a lawyer should look at it before you rely on one.
Does the duty also apply if I use the small-business VAT rule?
Yes, because the duty depends on the business digital service and has nothing to do with your VAT status. You only list a VAT ID if you have one.
What your audience gets to know about you is your decision, and we plan chat, pricing, marketing and leak protection around it. You can read how we work in the German-speaking market, and if your page is already active, tell us about it. We'll get back to you within 12 hours.