Antwort
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”) - even if you have a German business partner. The residence permit allows you not only to set up your business, but also to have a legal residence in Germany. As you are not yet living in Germany, you need to apply for a visa for the purpose of self-employed occupation at the competent German Mission in your country of residence. Information on visa process is available on “Make it in Germany”.
The German mission abroad will send your visa application to the foreigners’ authority (“Ausländerbehörde”) at your future place of residence in Germany. This process normally takes two to four months.
Here you will find out more about the two different ways of setting up a 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: www.make-it-in-germany.com
You normally have to pay a fee when you apply for a visa / a residence permit. The amount of the fee depends on your location, the duration and the purpose of your stay. A residence permit will cost you a maximum of 140 Euro, as a rule, the fee for visas is 60 Euro. Please ask your competent foreigners’ authority or mission about the fees you need to expect.
Once you are in Germany there are many public information centres 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 centres 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 is available on the website "Make it in Germany".
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: Michaelle Nintcheu
Projekt „Make it in Germany“
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln e.V.
Februar 2017
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