GEBA – Publication of the Specification for Germany’s Electronic Business Address

📅 September 12, 2025 🏢 KoSIT Germany ⏱ 5 min read

On September 12, 2025, the Coordination Office for IT Standards (KoSIT) published Version 1.0 of the specification for the German Electronic Business Address (GEBA). This marks the first official framework for a unique electronic business address for companies in Germany.

Background

In addition to countries like Finland and France, which already operate with their own formats, Germany now introduces GEBA as its standardized addressing scheme for electronic business transactions.

Structure

GEBA is based on the new Business Identification Number (W-IdNr) and can be extended with optional elements:

W-IdNr (mandatory) – unique base number, similar to the VAT ID.
Distinguishing marker (optional) – five-digit suffix, assigned by the tax authority.
Sub-addressing (optional) – freely defined, e.g. for departments or business units.

Examples:

Use in the Peppol Network

GEBA is used in the Peppol network as the Participant ID for registrations in SMP and SML, entries in the Peppol Directory, and electronic addresses in Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 (e.g. seller ID BT-34, buyer ID BT-49).

Important Note:
GEBA is not mandatory. It is an additional option that can be used alongside existing addressing formats within the Peppol network.