I am an Iranian programmer and software developer. I want to register a company in Germany and open an international account for business. I plan to publish my applications to stores like as Windows Store and App Store. Can I establish a company and open an account in one of the German banks?
If you are not yet resident in Germany, you must apply first for an entry visa enabling you to set up a business in Germany. The visa for the purpose of self-employed occupation is delivered by the competent German Mission in your current country of residence. Here you will find the local contact.
General information on visa process are available on “Make it in Germany”.
After entering Germany, you will need a place to stay (address) and then switch your visa to a residence permit for the purpose of self-employment (“Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Ausübung einer selbständigen Tätigkeit”). To obtain this residence permit, you will need to fulfil a number of general criteria and some additional requirements, which you should ideally cover convincingly in your business plan. As a rule, the fee for visas is 75 Euro. For further questions regarding the visa process, please contact the German Mission in your country of residence - especially for questions concerning the required documents.
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.
If you are already living in Germany with a settlement permit, you can also set up your business following the general requirements in your profession.
More 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 knowledge of German never hurts. 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.
Please note: The information presented on Make it in Germany 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.
We wish you all the best.
Source: Justina Alichniewicz
Projekt „Make it in Germany“
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V.
September 2018
