The company exists from the moment you decide to create it. [0]
This company is already an "entity" and can act accordingly. It can, for example, make contracts, hire, buy stuff and open a bank account. The main difference is that the owners are still liable. Liability only ends once the process has been completed.
In practice these processes happen concurrently. You call the notary to make an appointment and a bank to create an account. Then you show up at the bank first and the notary later and then afterwards submit the documents you received to the bank and you are done.
To me this seems neither complicated nor strange.
edit: I think you have a point about the timeframe. I can't remember this exactly, it may be that the bank account is completed after the notary. Nevertheless it just starts concurrently and the "i.G." exists from the very start, even before the notary. The process is concurrent and short and both the bank and notary will tell you whatever you need (except your company statute/contract which you need to draw up before or use a template). So I'm surprised the author found a need to do much by themselves.
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[0] "die Gesellschaft besteht vom Zeitpunkt des Zusammenschlusses der Gründer", "Mit dem formgültigen Satzungsbeschluss der GmbH" ("at the moment the founders formally pass the statute" - this is when you formally create the company. This can be over a beer at home if you want. You draw up a contract and shake hands and from that moment the company starts to exist.) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vor-GmbH
You have a GbR (or OHG) then, not a GmbH i.G., so you'll create the GbR, and then convert it into the GmbH. I assume that step comes with extra costs?
Feels overly complicated, the process I know is to see the Notary and then go see the bank with the company papers (GmbH i.G. / Vor-GmbH), create the account as the company and deposit the required amount. You'll then inform the Notary and provide the proof of deposit, and he'll complete the registration.
No. The GbR does not have to be created formally. It exists just by deciding to start a company. There is no formality at all. This is, by the way, a fully functional company. It does not have an "i.G." suffix itself, because there is no process that could be completed. It already exists. It's kind of like you don't have to register to be a "participant in traffic" when you ride a bike, but you do when you ride a car. But there is not formal process to become a "participant in traffic".
Now what you want to do is to limit liability and to do that you create the GmbH. This GmbH will then get the "i.G." suffix.
In any case this is really only interesting for a lawyer to decide on edge cases. Such as what would happen if you break a law before being at the notary and things like that. In practice the process is just to draw up the contract (download and adapt a template), then go to the bank and notary in parallel. Then you're done. (Afterwards you also submit the data to the central register).
This company is already an "entity" and can act accordingly. It can, for example, make contracts, hire, buy stuff and open a bank account. The main difference is that the owners are still liable. Liability only ends once the process has been completed.
In practice these processes happen concurrently. You call the notary to make an appointment and a bank to create an account. Then you show up at the bank first and the notary later and then afterwards submit the documents you received to the bank and you are done.
To me this seems neither complicated nor strange.
edit: I think you have a point about the timeframe. I can't remember this exactly, it may be that the bank account is completed after the notary. Nevertheless it just starts concurrently and the "i.G." exists from the very start, even before the notary. The process is concurrent and short and both the bank and notary will tell you whatever you need (except your company statute/contract which you need to draw up before or use a template). So I'm surprised the author found a need to do much by themselves.
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[0] "die Gesellschaft besteht vom Zeitpunkt des Zusammenschlusses der Gründer", "Mit dem formgültigen Satzungsbeschluss der GmbH" ("at the moment the founders formally pass the statute" - this is when you formally create the company. This can be over a beer at home if you want. You draw up a contract and shake hands and from that moment the company starts to exist.) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vor-GmbH