Residence Permit for Self-Employment
Table Of Contents
General information
Residence permits for the purpose of self-employment are generally granted only if there is a superior economic interest or a particular regional need for your planned activity and if the business venture is expected to positively impact the economy. To evaluate this, the responsible immigration authority cooperates with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Note: This does not apply if you want to carry out your profession as a freelancer.
The income that you gain from your self-employment must be enough to secure your livelihood, including adequate health insurance, without the use of public funds. Therefore, the viability of your business project must be presented plausibly and comprehensibly.
In addition, the relevant requirements and licences for your specific activity must be observed in order to ensure the legality of your self-employed activity. You can find further information and information on advice centres in our articles on this topic.
If the planned activity is successfully implemented and your livelihood is secured by sufficient income, you may apply for a settlement residence permit after three years (as opposed to the usual five years).
Requirements
Visa for self-employment
Exceptions
- Citizens of certain countries can apply for a residence permit after entering Germany. More on this in the article on visas.
- Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland enjoy unrestricted freedom of movement.
Submission of documents describing the business concept (e.g. business plan, business concept, financing plan, revenue forecast). It is also useful to provide proof of your qualifications (CV, experience, certificates).
Sufficient health insurance (Annex 1).
Persons over the age of 45 must provide proof of sufficient resources for their old-age security.
