Free business email in Germany: set up name@ihrunternehmen.de

German customers expect a .de domain and an Impressum with a real email address on it, and they notice when a Handwerksbetrieb or a freelancer sends invoices from GMX or web.de. This guide sets up name@ihrunternehmen.de with free mailboxes, from DENIC registration to Outlook and your phone.

Quick answer

Register ihrunternehmen.de with any DENIC-accredited registrar, create a free OquMail workspace, add the domain, paste four DNS records, create mailboxes. Up to 15 mailboxes are free with no card, so the domain is your only cost.

Domain choice: .de or .com

The .de domain is administered by DENIC and is one of the largest country domains in the world. It is open to registrants worldwide with no document check, and every German registrar sells it: IONOS, STRATO, united-domains, Hetzner, Netcup and many more. Germans overwhelmingly expect .de; a .com is used mainly by startups and exporters, and a German customer may find it slightly less trustworthy for a local business.

• .de: the default for any business in Germany; open, instant, inexpensive
• .com: fine for international SaaS and export businesses; register .de as well
• .eu: sometimes used by companies trading across the EU
• Register the domain in the company name so it survives changes of ownership

Why a domain address matters in Germany

Every commercial website in Germany needs an Impressum with a contact email, and an address on the company domain reads as legitimate where a GMX address does not. Handwerker quoting private clients, Kleinunternehmer invoicing companies, Etsy and eBay sellers, and freelancers in IT and design all deal with customers who take that signal seriously. Business banking, insurers and the Finanzamt correspondence all favour a company address, and it stays with the business when staff leave.

Step by step

1. Register ihrunternehmen.de with a DENIC-accredited registrar.
2. Create a free OquMail workspace at oqumail.com. No card.
3. Add the domain in the dashboard and copy the four DNS records.
4. In the registrar’s DNS panel (IONOS: Domains & SSL → DNS; STRATO: Domains → Manage DNS; Hetzner: DNS Console) add the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
5. Click Verify. The live check shows which record is still missing.
6. Create mailboxes: info@, buchhaltung@, and one per person, up to 15.
7. Send a test from webmail, then add the account to Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail or the phone mail app with the settings below.

The four DNS records OquMail needs

IONOS and STRATO packages pre-set MX records for their bundled mailboxes. Delete them before adding OquMail's, and keep only one TXT starting with v=spf1 on the root.

• MX — host @, value mail.oqumail.com, priority 10
• SPF (TXT at @) — v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all
• DKIM (TXT at your selector ._domainkey) — v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=… (the exact key is shown in your OquMail dashboard)
• DMARC (TXT at _dmarc) — v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

OquMail connection settings

• Incoming (IMAP): mail.oqumail.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
• Outgoing (SMTP): mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS
• Username: your full email address (you@yourdomain.com)
• Password: the same password you use for OquMail webmail

What it costs

A .de renewal is inexpensive and payable by SEPA direct debit or card at German registrars. The email is free: OquMail's free plan has no card step and includes 15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, webmail, IMAP/SMTP, delivery logs and a send API. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 charge per user per month, which a two-person GbR or a solo freelancer does not need to pay for basic mailboxes.

Pitfalls common in Germany

• Using a GMX, web.de or T-Online address for the business. It looks private and cannot be transferred when you hire.
• Bundled registrar mailboxes with no DKIM: invoices land in junk at corporate clients using Microsoft 365.
• Choosing SSL on port 587 in Outlook or Thunderbird. It must be STARTTLS.
• Umlauts in mailbox names. Keep addresses plain ASCII (mueller@, not an umlaut form) and put the correct name in the display name.
• Forgetting to update the Impressum and your Google Business Profile with the new address once the domain is live.

Common questions

Do I need a .de or is .com fine?

For a business serving German customers, .de. A .com is fine for international businesses, but register the .de too and run both on one OquMail workspace.

Does it work with Thunderbird and Outlook?

Yes. Both add IMAP accounts using the settings above. Use your full address as the username and your webmail password.

What are the limits?

15 mailboxes, 3 domains, 5 GB per mailbox, no expiry.