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I am an employed engineer and I live in Germany and hold a blue card. I plan to establish a private online shopping business to sell Arabic books as a side job (to be imported from Egypt) and I have few questions: 1) Is there any legal restriction to import books from Egypt, like novels, kids, history and literature books? 2) Can I operate this business under the legal form of an Einzelunternehmen - meaning that can I do importing and shipment under the name of an Einzelunternehmen? 3) Can the business registered address that I use as my company's address (to be used official announced address for import and shipment) be my rented residence Apartment? 4) Am I allowed as a Blue Card holder to operate a side business like this while preserving my current employment contract? 5) Am I allowed in the future to transform this business to the form of a GmbH or Mini-GmbH?

Antwort

Thank you for your inquiry and your interest in setting up a business in Germany.
www.make-it-in-germany.com provides international professionals with information on working and living in Germany.

Before starting your own business, you should clear up if your residence status enables you to establish such an activity. Generally, as a Blue Card holder you are not allowed to start an own business. Nonetheless, remember, that as a Blue Card you can apply for a settlement permit after just 33 months, if you exercised skilled employment during that time. If you have an EU Blue Card and also have sufficient command of the German language, i.e. at least Level B1, this period is reduced to just 21 months. A settlement permit (http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/visa/living-permanently-in-germany/settlement-permit) will enable you to take up any economic activity. For further information on you residential status we would strongly recommend you to get in touch with your competent authority (“Ausländerbehörde”) or contact the hotline “Working and Living in Germany” under the telephone number +49 30 1815 – 1111. Counseling sessions will be provide in English or German.

To get personal advice on legal procedures we recommend you to get in touch with one of the many public information centers in your region or consult directly a lawyer or tax advisor. You can for example contact the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), which is also specialized in supporting new founders. Alternatively, you can get in touch the Welcome Center in your region: http://www.bw-career.de/en/welcome-center/welcome-center.html. In addition, the Authority Finder will tell you which authorities you will need to contact in your region: http://www.bmwi-wegweiser.de/bmwibufw/

More information regarding setting up a business in Germany are available on the website "Make it in Germany”: http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/working/setting-up-a-business-in-Germany

We wish you all the best for your future plans!

* Please note:
The information presented here is a general service offering. Only the German missions and the foreigners’ authorities are responsible for the issuance of visa resp. residence permits. For further questions, please contact directly the respective authority.

Source: Justina Alichniewicz
Projekt „Make it in Germany“
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V.
Januar 2018

Notice from the editor:

• BMWi-Existenzgründungsportal: English version