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I am interested in starting and owning an American Style Barbershop in Germany. I have an American Barbers License. How can I transfer my barber’s certificate to work here in the German economy?

Antwort

In order to set up your own business, special rules apply for craft professions, including the profession “barbar”: Therefore you will usually need a master craftsman’s certificate (“Meisterbrief”) which you can obtain on the basis of an advanced training course. If you have obtained your professional qualification abroad, you can have its equivalency assessed. This means that if you hold a professional qualification which is deemed to be equal to a German “Meister” qualification, you can set up your own business in a trade that is subject to authorisation. If you hold a professional qualification which is equivalent to the normal German qualification without the “Meister” title, you can embark on an advance training course to obtain your “Meister” title. For more individual advices on the recognition of your qualification we recommend you to get directly in touch with the Chamber of Crafts in Stuttgart (“Handwerkskammer Stuttgart”) which is in charge of the recognition procedure: www.hwk-stuttgart.de
You can also contact the Stuttgart Region Welcome Service for more information on working, living, training, culture, child care, mobility etc. in Stuttgart: www.welcome.stuttgart.de

Regarding further information on setting up a business, please check out the website "Make it in Germany" for useful advices on business plan, financing and funding, etc.: www.make-it-in-germany.com

Please note: If you are a citizen of the European Union you are free to set up a business in Germany. If you are not a citizen of the European Union and you do not hold a permanent resident permit you should get in touch with your competent authority regarding your residential status (www.make-it-in-germany.com). For personal advice, you can also contact the hotline “Working and Living in Germany” under the telephone number +49 30 1815 – 1111.

We wish you all the best for your future plans.

Source: Justina Alichniewicz
Projekt „Make it in Germany“
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V.
April 2017

Tips from the editor:

• BMWi-Business start-up portal: English version
• BMWi-Existenzgründungsportal: Formalities and public authorities
• Germany Trade & Invest: Investment Guide to Germany
• German Federal Central Tax Office: Foreign Investors Help Desk