Newsletter Legal Notice: Mandatory Information

The legal notice (Impressum) in the newsletter footer is one of the most underestimated legal topics. While website footers are usually well reviewed, newsletter legal notices often get copied from tool defaults — with incomplete or wrong entries. A single warning letter costs between 500 and 2,500 euros; repeat violations get expensive fast. This guide shows what must be included, what is optional, and the mistakes to fix immediately.

The legal basis

For commercial newsletters in Germany: §5 Telemediengesetz (TMG). In Austria correspondingly §5 ECG. In Switzerland less strict but practically similar via Art. 322 OR.

A newsletter is a "tele-service" and therefore requires a legal notice if it pursues commercial intent. "Commercial" means: product promotion, content marketing, service references — effectively every business newsletter.

Mandatory information

For every company (minimum)

1. Company name (legal form)
2. Address: street, number, postcode, city — no PO Box.
3. Authorised representative: for legal entities, managing director or board.
4. Contact: email address AND a second option (usually phone).
5. Commercial / association register with number and court.
6. VAT ID (if applicable).
7. Supervisory authority — only if you are under special supervision (e.g. financial services, doctors).

Example: GmbH (Germany)

Mailaura GmbH
Musterstraße 1, 12345 Berlin
Managing Director: Max Mustermann
Commercial Register: HRB 12345 B, Amtsgericht Berlin (Charlottenburg)
VAT ID: DE123456789
Phone: +49 30 1234567
Email: hallo@mailaura.io

Example: sole trader (Germany)

Lisa Example
Beispielweg 3, 10115 Berlin
VAT ID: DE987654321 (or small-business rule §19 UStG)
Phone: +49 30 9876543
Email: lisa@example.de

Example: association (Germany)

Musterhilfe Association e.V.
Vereinsstraße 5, 10115 Berlin
Board: Anna Example, Tom Muster
Association Register: VR 98765, Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg
Phone: +49 30 5551234
Email: info@musterhilfe.de

Example: GmbH (Austria)

Mailaura GmbH
Musterstraße 10, 1010 Vienna
Managing Director: Max Mustermann
Company Register: FN 123456 a, Commercial Court Vienna
UID: ATU12345678
Phone: +43 1 123456
Email: hallo@mailaura.io

How to place the legal notice in the newsletter

Position: footer. Directly before or after the unsubscribe link. Never hidden, not grey-on-grey or tiny font.

Visibility: the information must be "easily recognisable". That means:

• Font size not smaller than 12 px.
• Sufficient colour contrast (dark grey on white is enough).
• Not hidden on a linked page — displayed directly inside the newsletter.

Placeholder vs. text: many tools offer an "auto footer". In Mailaura you enter the data once and it is inserted automatically into every campaign. If your company address changes, everything updates in one go.

Top 5 mistakes

Mistake 1: link only instead of full text

"Find our legal notice here" with a link is not enough. The mandatory entries must be in the newsletter itself.

Mistake 2: PO Box instead of deliverable address

A PO Box is not sufficient. A real street and house number must be given where you can be reached (no mailbox service).

Mistake 3: only email as contact

"Email: xyz@xyz.com" is not enough. You need a second contact option — usually phone.

Mistake 4: forgetting VAT ID

If you have a VAT ID, you MUST include it. Omission is actionable.

Mistake 5: representative missing

For every legal entity (GmbH, Ltd, association) the authorised representative must be named personally. Not just "Management" or "Board".

Edge cases

Transactional email

An order confirmation or password reset is not legally required to carry the notice — but it does not hurt to include it. Mailaura does so by default.

Double opt-in confirmation email

Yes, legal notice required — because it is a business email.

Freelancer / solopreneur with small-business rule

You do not need a VAT ID, but the phrase "Small business per §19 UStG" can be sensible when clients ask.

Entries often forgotten (optional but smart)

• Editorially responsible person per §18 Medienstaatsvertrag — for journalistic/editorial content. Formally: "Editorially responsible per §18 para. 2 MStV: Max Muster, Musterstraße 1, 10115 Berlin."
• Alternative dispute resolution (§36 VSBG) — reference to the EU OS platform. Permanent link: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
• Privacy policy link — not strictly part of the legal notice but GDPR-relevant.

Review tips

• Have the legal notice reviewed when your company grows or changes legal form.
• At every address change immediately update all templates.
• Use the auto-footer feature in your tool — not manual copy-paste footers.
• Cross-check against your website legal notice — they must match.

International angle

If you send internationally (e.g. US, UK), recommended:

• DE/AT legal notice as default.
• Additional short English block with company name, address and registration.
• CAN-SPAM compliance for US recipients: "physical postal address" is required.

Conclusion

The newsletter legal notice is a three-line block that prevents three-digit warning letters — if it is correct. Seven mandatory items, set up once in the tool, never forgotten again. Mailaura makes it so easy that you cannot miss it. All other legal points are covered in our GDPR checklist.