An Impressum without your home address: your options in 2026
As soon as you want to earn money with your channel, you need an Impressum (legal notice) — with an address where you can be served mail. It does not have to be your apartment.
Who the obligation applies to
Since May 2024, the Impressum obligation has been set out in §5 DDG (previously §5 TMG — nearly identical in substance). It applies to "business-like" digital services, and the bar is low: the mere intention to monetize is enough — affiliate links, collaborations, a media kit in your bio. That applies to your website just as much as to your Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube profile.
If the Impressum is missing or incomplete, you risk Abmahnungen (formal warning letters) from competitors and fines. The bigger everyday risk is the Abmahnung: it arrives with a bill and a cease-and-desist declaration — avoidable trouble.
"Ladungsfähig" — what does that mean?
The address in your Impressum must be one where documents can be formally served on you (lawsuits, injunctions). A PO box is therefore not enough, and neither is a plain letterbox you cannot access.
This guide explains the legal situation in general terms and to the best of our knowledge. What applies in your specific case is for a tax advisor, a lawyer, or the competent authority to determine — and we tell you in the app when that moment has probably come.
Your three options
- Publish your home address. Legally sound, personally often the worst choice: your home address sits permanently on the internet — with any real reach, a genuine safety risk.
- An office or coworking space with a mail service. Works if mail actually reaches you there and you can be reached there. Usually from €50–150/month, and keeping the Impressum up to date remains your job.
- An Impressum service (c/o address). A c/o address is permissible if delivery is guaranteed. That is exactly how StackManagement works: a serviceable address with a personal delivery code, mail is accepted and digitized on request, and your Impressum is generated automatically and updated when the law changes.
By the way: your creator name
Your creator name may appear prominently in the Impressum — but your legal name must remain identifiable as the owner. StackManagement gets both right: brand up front, legal name in the "owner" line beneath it.
An Impressum without your home address.
A serviceable address with a personal delivery code — your Impressum generated automatically and kept up to date.