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Frage

I am not an EU-resident. I am a 35 years old Egyptian Engineer. I intend to buy a running franchise business in Germany. Are there any rules or requirements I have to achieve? What kind of visa can I apply for?

Antwort

Since you are not citizen of the EU, in order to set up a business in Germany, you will need a residence permit for the purpose of self-employment (“Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Ausübung einer selbständigen Tätigkeit”). Therefore, you need to apply for a visa for the purpose of self-employed occupation at the competent German Mission in your current country of residence.

Please note that there are several criteria, which need to be fulfilled in order to obtain the residence permit for the purpose of self-employment. Read more about it in our “visa section”. Furthermore, you will need to fulfil a number of general criteria to ensure the success of your franchise business. For further questions regarding the visa process, please contact the German Mission in your country of residence - especially for questions concerning the required documents. You will find the local contact here. General information on visa process are available on “Make it in Germany”.

Once you are in Germany: There are many public information centers, which will advise you as you set up your own business. On the Startup Portal, under “advice and information”, you will find the contact information of regional and national information centers for entrepreneurs with a migrant background. A general contact list is available on the Startup Portal. Step by step information regarding setting up a business in Germany are available on the website "Make it in Germany”.

Keep in mind, as you are operating in Germany, a good command of German is important. Even as you prepare your business, you will find that many official documents are available in German only. If your German is not good enough yet, you should make sure to take a language course, before you set up your business. Some advanced courses have a special focus on the business world:

We wish you all the best.

* 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.
Juli 2018

Tipps der Redaktion:

• BMWi-Existenzgründungsportal: English version