In focus: the OZG application portal of the Chamber of Tax Advisors

Last Updated on 1. April 2025 by mgm-marketing

From autumn 2023, tax advisors will be able to use all the important services of their chamber as a digital solution. A new cloud-based application portal simplifies and centralises many bureaucratic processes. In just 14 months, a team from mgm has set up this project in collaboration with the Nuremberg and Munich chambers of tax advisors. The Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) provided support, particularly in the run-up to the project. Join us on a tour of the most important areas of the new portal.

Imagine you are about to register for the tax consultant exam or found a professional practice. To do so, you have to complete a number of formalities, submit applications and documents. This is precisely where the 21 tax consultant chambers in Germany come into play, having bundled all the necessary applications into a central OZG application portal. This portal was created through close collaboration between all the chambers of tax consultants. Despite the large number of parties involved, it has been possible to harmonise all the relevant data from the existing systems, such as the technical differences in the applications.

The homepage

The homepage welcomes you with a wealth of features designed to make your life easier. ‘Applications’ and ‘forms’ are available to help you fill out the applications. But that’s not all: you will also find links to other services provided by the Chamber of Tax Advisors, such as the ‘online training contract’.

The applications take up a prominent place on the homepage and are sorted according to the current circumstances of the potential members of the chambers. They cover a wide range of topics, from tax advisor exams to training and continuing education to setting up a professional practice. Every step of your career is considered here.

Screencast of the homepage for the application portal of the Chamber of Tax Advisors

Registering with the OZG application portal of the Chamber of Tax Advisors

At the top right of the home page, you will find the ‘Login’ button, which offers two options for logging in.

1. registration with the Bund ID

With the BundID, you receive a central account for identifying yourself for your online applications. You can choose from various procedures that correspond to different trust levels.

• Online ID (eID) = high trust level
• Elster certificate = substantial level of trust
• Username and password = low level of trust

You don’t yet have a Bund ID account? Then please follow the instructions on the BundID website.

2. Registration via the tax advisor platform

For tax advisors who are already registered, there is another registration option with a high level of trust: the tax advisor platform. This system started at the beginning of 2023, and all members of the profession have access to it, which, like the online ID card, has a high level of security.

Since the individual applications require different levels of trust, a corresponding message appears for some applications:

‘The security level of your current login option ‘Username & Password’ is insufficient or you are not authorised to process this application with your current login option. Please select one of the following authorised login procedures.’

This means that you have to authenticate yourself with your online ID – either via the Bund ID or via the tax consultant platform – in order to submit this specific application.

Screencast ‘Registering for the application portal of the Chamber of Tax Advisors’

Submitting an application in the OZG application portal of the Chamber of Tax Advisors

Let’s take a look behind the scenes of the OZG application portal of the chambers of tax consultants. The applications are designed as multi-level wizard forms that guide you safely and step by step through the process.

1. Application
2. First, you will encounter a normal application form with various fields to fill in, such as personal data, application data, supporting documents and data protection. The relevant chamber of tax consultants is determined on the basis of the postcode of your (planned) professional establishment.
3. Summary
4. In the next step, you can review the data you have entered under ‘Summary’
5. again.
6. Payment / ePayment
7. In the third step, the fee will be displayed, which varies depending on the relevant Chamber of Tax Advisors. A drop-down menu shows you the various payment options. Select your preferred option and pay directly online.
8. Success
9. After successful transmission, you will end up in the final step, which will notify you that you have successfully completed your application.

Screencast for applying in the application portal of the Chamber of Tax Advisors

First the application portal, then the convenience features

The advantages of the central application portal are obvious. It saves time and effort, minimises errors and ensures a high level of logical consistency. This makes the process more convenient for applicants and also streamlines the internal steps for processing applications within the chamber. But it’s about more than just efficiency. It’s also about improving the exchange of information with other authorities in the future, for example, regarding data from company registers or certificates of good conduct. The seamless connection of applications and register retrievals should enable an effective and efficient digital process in the future.

Further information:

• Website of the application portal of the chambers of tax advisors: https://stbk-antragsportal.de/
• Complete video recording of the NEGZ Brown Bag Meeting on the central OZG application portal of the chambers of tax advisors (17 November 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC_jIeaepME
• Blog post on the launch: https://insights.mgm-tp.com/de/live-nach-14-monaten-steuerberaterkammern-schaffen-zentrales-ozg-antragsportal/