A lot of people dream of starting their very own business or working independently as self-employed. If you would like to come to Germany to do so, you will need a visa or a residence permit for self-employment.
If you want to start a business in Germany, you need a visa or a residence permit for self-employment per Section 21 (1) of the Residence Act. To obtain such a visa/residence permit, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must prove that there is an economic interest or a local need for your business idea.
- You need to show that your business idea will have a positive impact on the German economy.
- You must be able to secure financing for your business idea.
- If you are over 45 years of age, you will also need to present adequate retirement savings.
If you want to become self-employed as a freelancer, you need a visa/residence permit for freelance work per Section 21 (5) of the Residence Act. To obtain such a visa/residence permit, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must be able to secure financing for your business idea.
- You need to have a work permit for the job you want to pursue. You can learn more in this regard in our chapter "Recognition of foreign professional qualifications".
- If you are over 45 years of age, you will also need to present adequate retirement savings.
If you need a visa to enter Germany, you must first apply for it at the German embassy/consulate in your home country (or a neighbouring country) and present the documents mentioned above there.
Please note that your visa application can take several months to process.
If you do not need a visa to enter Germany, visit the Immigration Office at your new place of residence after your arrival and present the required documents there.
Whether you need a visa depends on your country of origin. On auswaertiges-amt.de, you will find a list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Germany.
In our chapter "National Visa", you will find a list of all documents that you generally need for a national visa.
The additional documents you need for a self-employment visa depend very much on your specific case. Inquire at the German embassy and the Immigration Office at the place (in Germany) where you would like to work as self-employed.
After entering the country, you must visit the Immigration Office at your new place of residence within three months and apply for a residence permit there. To do so, you must submit the documents mentioned above (again) and also, in principle, the police registration and your rental contract. The authorities will check your papers and then decide whether you can obtain a residence permit.
A residence permit for self-employment is usually issued for up to three years. If your business idea works successfully and you earn enough money to finance your living (and that of your family) in Germany, your residence permit can be extended.
You can seek more information from the German embassy in your home country or the Immigration Office in the area where you want to start your own business.
You can learn more about setting up a business in our chapters "Starting up a Registered Business ("Gewerbe")" and "Starting up as Self-Employed ("Freiberufler")".
Starting up a Registered Business ("Gewerbe")
Many people dream of working as self-employed and being their own boss so that they can work independently or realise a business idea. Starting your own business is called "Existenzgründung". As an independent business owner, you are the one who decides which jobs to accept or how and when to work. But working independently also requires a lot of effort: you are personally responsible for everything and have to take care of many issues. Furthermore, there are always financial risks involved in building a business: if you invest significant capital, but your business does not make much profit, you will lose your investment.
As someone who starts up a business or founds a company, you are considered to be a businessperson or "Gewerbetreibender". When you, for instance, open a shop, restaurant, factory or craft business, you need to register your business ("Gewerbe"). If you practice a liberal profession ("Freie Berufe"), e.g. you are a journalist, doctor, etc., you can find all the information you need in our chapter "Starting a business as self-employed ("Freiberufler")".
Starting up as Self-Employed ("Freiberufler")
Many people dream of working as self-employed and being their own boss. Starting to work as self-employed is called "Existenzgründung”. As a self-employed person, you are the one who decides which jobs to accept or how and when to work. But self-employment also requires a lot of effort: you are personally responsible for everything and have to take care of many issues. Furthermore, you do not receive a regular fixed salary.
In this chapter, you will find essential information required for starting self-employment in a so-called Liberal Profession ("Freien Beruf"). If the job you practice is not categorised as a liberal profession and you are not a "freiberufler", visit our chapter "Starting up a Registered Business ("Gewerbe")" to find the essential information you need about self-employment for tradespeople.
National Visa Type D
All citizens of so-called "third countries" (non-EU countries) need a visa to stay in Germany for more than three months or work here. That means only citizens of the EU countries and Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the US do not require a visa to enter Germany. The long-stay visa most foreign citizens need to obtain is called the "National Visa Type D".
Most people from third countries also require a visa for shorter visits. You can find out more about it in our chapter "Visitor Visa".
- The information on this page has been reviewed and verified by our consulting lawyer, Astrid Meyerhöfer.
Permanent Residence Permit for Immigrants
A permanent residence permit (also known as "settlement permit") is, in fact, an unlimited permit to reside in Germany, i.e. contrary to a regular residence permit, you do not have to have your permanent residence permit extended frequently at the immigration authorities. A permanent residence permit also allows you to work without restrictions.
In order to get a permanent residence permit, some requirements apply:
- You must have had a residence permit for at least 5 years.
- You must be able to secure a living for yourself (and your family) independently, i.e. you are not allowed to receive any money from the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office. Child benefits (“Kindergeld”) and parental allowance (“Elterngeld”) count as exceptions to this rule.
- You must be able to speak German at level B1 and provide relevant evidence.
- You must have made pension insurance contributions for at least 60 months. The amount of contributions does not matter. Learn more in our chapter "Retiring in Germany".
- You must have enough living space for yourself and your family. Note: The standard size varies from state to state - ask the staff at the Immigration Office or a counselling centre nearby for more information.
- You must have a work permit.
- You must have successfully completed the orientation course. Find out more in our chapter "Integration course".
- You must not have committed any major offences (Minor convictions with fines of up to 90 days of income or suspended sentences of up to three months do not, in principle, affect your case)
If you meet all the prerequisites mentioned above, you can receive a permanent residence permit and settle in Germany.
For some groups of people, however, the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit are somewhat more straightforward.
* The information on this page has been reviewed and verified by our consulting lawyer, Astrid Meyerhöfer.
Here you can find the German embassy in your country.