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Frage

I am a Pakistani business man. I want to invest and start or buy a business in Germany. I read on internet about an Entrepreneur Visa of Germany. I would like to know more.

Antwort

As citizen of Pakistan you will need to apply for a visa prior to entering Germany, if you are not yet living in Germany. As you wish to set up a business in Germany you can apply for the visa for the purpose of self-employed occupation at the competent German Mission in your home Country. Information on visa process as well as application forms are available here: www.make-it-in-germany.com. Furthermore you will need a residence permit for the purpose of self-employment (“Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Ausübung einer selbständigen Tätigkeit”) in order to set up a business in Germany.

Please note that there a several criteria which need to be fulfilled in order to obtain the residence permit for the purpose of self-employment. This depends on whether you work as a freelancer (“Freiberufler”) (www.make-it-in-germany.com) or set up a business as a self-employed entrepreneur (“Gewerbe”) (www.make-it-in-germany.com).

Being self-employed or a freelancer makes a difference with regard to certain formalities and also has an impact in your company’s legal structure. Here you will find out more about the two different ways of setting up a business: www.make-it-in-germany.com.

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: www.make-it-in-germany.com.

For further information regarding setting up a business in Germany please visit the Website "Make it in Germany": www.make-it-in-germany.com. There you will also find information on taking over an existing business.

For personal advice, you can either contact the hotline “Working and Living in Germany” (www.make-it-in-germany.com) under the telephone number +49 30 1815 – 1111 or enter the chat of the Migration Support Centre (VWC) of the Federal Employment Agency of Germany: www.make-it-in-germany.com.

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

Source: Sarah Berger
Projekt „Make it in Germany“
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V.
July 2016

Notice from the editor:

• English version of the business start-up portal
• Investor’s Basics - Setting Up Business in Germany
• German Federal Central Tax Office: Foreign Investors Help Desk