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Frage

I am a Belgian national and I have been running a Belgian Handmade Chocolate shop in Japan for 7 years now and would like to relocate to Germany. My question is, do I need to have any kind of certificate to do so?

Antwort

Generally, all commercial businesses in Germany have to notify the local trade Office (Gewerbeanzeige) irrespective of their legal form. For an overview on company forms in Germany, please see Germany Trade & Invest's Investment Guide online: www.gtai.com/investment-guide

Irrespective of the legal form, every food business operator among other things has to register with the locally competent authorities from the perspective of food hygiene law. Specific hygiene requirements may apply, such as e.g. the requirement to hold a license for businesses mentioned in the annexes of the European Regulation (EC) 853/2004 when dealing with products of animal origin. According to section 43 of the Infection Protection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, abbreviation: IFSG), entrepreneurs and employees handling food must only work after being instructed by the local health authorities about the prohibition to work when having certain diseases. Further specific registration, training or licensing requirements may apply.

Service providers from other EU/EEA countries can contact the locally competent "Point of Single Contact" (Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner) in order to individually clarify several notification, licensing and registration requirements www.point-of-single-contact.de

In general, any entrepreneur who wishes to start a business in Germany may do so, irrespective of nationality or place of residence. There is no specific investment legislation in Germany, nor is there a minimum percentage of German shareholdings required for foreign investments within Germany. With regard to the actual formation procedure, the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in the city of your choice is the first point of contact when intending to start your business in Germany. In an individual meeting, the IHK will be able to advise you on the required licenses, visa regulations, and so-called welcome packages that are available in the area. For further information and IHK locations, please visit: http://www.dihk.de/ihk-finder

Quelle:
Germany Trade and Invest - Gesellschaft für Außenwirtschaft und Standortmarketing mbH
April 2015