What your business website must show by law
Most countries do not let a business website stay anonymous. What you have to show depends on where you are established and what kind of business you run. This is the list for the UK, the EU, the US and Australia.
Quick answer
In the UK and the EU, almost any business website must show the business name, the geographic address where it is established, an email address, any trade register number (such as a company number) and a VAT number if registered. UK limited companies must also show their registered number, registered office address, the part of the UK they are registered in, and that they are limited. Germany and Austria call this the Impressum. The US has no general rule, but if you collect personal details from California residents, including through a contact form, you must post a privacy policy. Australia has no website-specific rule; companies must show their name and ACN on public documents, and a privacy policy is required once turnover passes A$3 million.
What each place requires on the website itself
| Where you are | Must show | Main source |
|---|---|---|
| UK, any business | Name, geographic address, email, register number, VAT number, professional body if regulated | Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, reg. 6 |
| UK limited company | Plus registered number, registered office, where registered, that it is limited | Company names and trading disclosures regulations (gov.uk guidance) |
| EU | Name, geographic address, email, register number, VAT number, professional details | E-Commerce Directive 2000/31/EC, art. 5 |
| Germany | Impressum: name, address, legal form and representatives, email, register, VAT ID | Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz § 5 (fines up to €50,000) |
| US | No general rule; a privacy policy if you collect personal information from Californians | California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) |
| Australia | No website rule; name and ACN on company public documents; privacy policy over A$3m turnover | Corporations Act s 153; Privacy Act 1988 |
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Work out which rules apply to you
The rules follow where your business is established, not where your visitors are. A UK sole trader follows the UK list even if most customers are abroad. The one big exception is privacy: California's privacy-policy law and the EU's GDPR reach businesses elsewhere when they collect personal details from people in those places. If you are a limited company, you carry two sets of duties: the general e-commerce list and the company disclosure list.
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UK and EU: the five things almost every business site needs
The UK regulations, copied from the EU directive, say a business providing an online service must make certain information "easily, directly and permanently accessible": its name, the geographic address where it is established, contact details including an email address, its entry in any trade register (a company number, for example), and its VAT number if it charges VAT. A PO box is not a geographic address. A contact form alone does not replace the email address.
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Regulated professions: add your professional details
If you work in a regulated profession, such as a solicitor, accountant, architect or healthcare professional, the same rule adds three items: the professional body you are registered with, your professional title and where it was granted, and a reference to the professional rules you work under, with a way to read them. Some regulators go further. Solicitors in England and Wales, for example, must display the SRA's digital badge.
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UK limited companies: the company disclosure list
On top of the general list, gov.uk says a limited company must show on its website its registered number, its registered office address, where it is registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland), and the fact that it is a limited company, usually by giving its full name including "Limited" or "Ltd". Directors' names are optional, but if you list any, you must list them all.
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Germany and Austria: the Impressum
German-speaking countries enforce the same EU rule strictly, through a page called the Impressum. In Germany it now sits in § 5 of the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, which replaced the old Telemediengesetz in May 2024 without changing the substance. It needs your name and a full postal address, legal form and authorised representatives for companies, an email address, register details and VAT ID. Missing or hidden details can be fined up to €50,000 and are a common reason for warning letters from competitors.
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United States: no general list, but check privacy
There is no federal law telling a US business what to display on its website. The rule most small businesses do meet is California's Online Privacy Protection Act: any commercial website that collects personally identifiable information from California residents must post a privacy policy, linked from the home page with the word "privacy". A contact form asking for a name and email counts as collection. Commercial emails are separate: under CAN-SPAM they must carry a valid postal address.
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Australia: documents and privacy, not a website list
Australian law has no website disclosure list like Europe's. A company must set out its name and ACN on its public documents, which covers things like invoices, order forms and written offers, so many advisers recommend showing the ACN on the website too. The Privacy Act generally applies once annual turnover passes A$3 million, with some exceptions, and then a clear privacy policy is expected. Below that it is not legally required, but it is a reasonable thing to publish.
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Put it where people expect to find it
"Easily, directly and permanently accessible" means a visitor can find it without searching or logging in. The usual place is the footer of every page, or a page called Legal Notice, Imprint or Impressum linked from the footer. Write it as plain text, not inside an image, so it can be read, copied and found. Keep it current: a company that moves its registered office has to update the website as well as Companies House.
Tips & best practices
- Use your exact legal name. A trading name on its own does not identify a limited company; show the registered name alongside it.
- A footer line covers most of this: "Example Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company no. 01234567, registered office: 1 High Street, Leeds LS1 1AA. VAT no. GB123456789. [email protected]".
- If your home is your registered office, you can use a registered office service instead, as long as it is an address where post is actually received.
- Social profiles are not exempt. In Germany, a business Instagram or Facebook page needs an Impressum too.
Common questions
Does a sole trader have to show their address?
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In the UK and the EU, yes. The rule asks for the geographic address at which the business is established, and that applies to sole traders as well as companies. A PO box does not meet it. If you work from home and do not want that address public, see our guide on keeping your home address off your website for the options and their limits.
Do I need a privacy policy as well?
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Usually, yes, and it is a separate requirement. If your site has a contact form, booking tool, analytics or newsletter sign-up, you are collecting personal data. In the UK and the EU, data protection law requires you to tell people what you collect and why. In the US, California's law requires a policy if you collect personal details from Californians.
What happens if I leave this off?
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Enforcement varies. In the UK the information duties are enforced by Trading Standards and a customer can claim damages for a breach. In Germany, competitors and associations send paid warning letters (Abmahnungen) for a missing Impressum, and authorities can fine. Payment providers and ad platforms also check: Stripe and Google Ads both look for clear business identity and contact details.
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