Visa for self-employment

Freelance work is self-employed work in certain professions, for example in science, art, education or health.

This includes, for example, artists such as painters, musicians and writers, journalists, engineers, architects, lawyers, tax consultants, interpreters, doctors, dentists, alternative practitioners and physiotherapists.

You can obtain a residence permit for such activities. It is important that you really do work independently.

You can obtain a visa for freelance work if you meet these requirements:

• You work independently (i.e. not as an employee or salaried worker).
• You can show that your project is financially secure.
• If your profession requires a permit, you have already received it or it has been granted to you.

In some professions, for example in management consultancy, journalism or the arts, you do not need a special permit.
In other professions, you need such a professional license.
Please find out in advance whether you need a permit for your planned activity.

In Germany, you need a special permit to work in some professions. These professions are called regulated professions.

A profession is regulated if you are only allowed to practice it with a specific training or qualification. You then have to go through a state licensing procedure before you can start working.

For example, you need such a professional license:

• Engineers
• Lawyers and solicitors
• Doctors, dentists, pharmacists, pharmacists,
  psychotherapists and veterinarians

Doctors (and similar professions) in Germany require a license to practice medicine. This is the full professional license. A professional license is only a permit that is limited in terms of time or content and is not sufficient to work on a freelance basis.

If you obtained your professional qualification abroad, you will need a professional license for some professions. In order to obtain this permit, your foreign qualification must be comparable to the German qualification.

To do this, you must complete a recognition procedure:

• You contact the competent authority for your profession (e.g. for doctors, engineers or other regulated professions).
• Your documents will be checked there.
• The authority will check whether there are any differences between your qualification and the German qualification.

If there are no major differences, your qualification is fully equivalent. You will receive a license to practice the profession and may work like a person with a German qualification.

If there are differences, you will receive information on compensation measures (e.g. adaptation courses or examinations). You can take these measures in Germany in order to achieve equivalence. You can find more information under Visa for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications.

Once equivalence has been established, you can obtain a residence permit to look for work for up to one year. This residence permit also allows you to work during this time and prepare for self-employment or freelance work.

To apply for a residence permit at the Aliens' Registration Office, you must generally submit the following documents:

• Application form (completed)
• Valid passport (original and copy)
• Biometric photograph
• Valid visa for entry for gainful employment, if applicable
• Presentation of the business idea and proof of financing (business plan, original and copy)
• Statements from authorities such as the trade office, chambers of commerce or professional associations (usually obtained from the relevant immigration authority)
• Business registration or entry in the commercial register/trade register (original and copy)
• Professional license for regulated professions (e.g. license to practice medicine)
• Proof of health insurance (original and copy)
• Proof of pension provision from the age of 45 (original and copy)
• Tenancy agreement (original and copy)
• Current registration certificate

In the case of an extension or settlement permit, the following is also required

• Previous tax assessment notices and, if applicable, profit calculations or confirmation from the tax consultant
• Business management analysis (BWA) or current profit development if no tax assessment notice is available

For researchers or scientists, the following is also required

• Employment contract (original and copy)

For graduates of a German university, the following is also required

• Proof of graduation from a German university (original and copy)

Note: In individual cases, the authorities may also require further proof.

The residence permit for self-employment is a temporary residence permit. It is issued for a maximum of three years and can be extended under certain conditions.

You do not need to prove your knowledge of German to obtain a residence permit. However, you should know that it is very difficult to be self-employed in Saxony without German language skills:

• Business registrations and tax returns are only possible in German.
• Business correspondence (e-mails, letters, contracts) is also usually written in German.

Under Learn German you can find out what opportunities and offers there are to improve your German language skills.

The reunification of family members is possible according to the general regulations.

You can find more information under Family reunification for skilled workers.

If you give up your self-employed or freelance activity, the purpose of your stay in Germany ends.

• You must report this to the relevant immigration authority within two weeks.
• The authority will then check whether you can obtain a residence permit to look for work and for how long.
• If you are threatened with insolvency or insolvency proceedings are opened, please contact the immigration authority in good time.

University graduates with a German university degree and persons with a residence permit for research or an EU Blue Card can also obtain a residence permit for self-employment - if the activity is related to their education or research.

Skilled workers who have received a publicly funded scholarship to set up a business can obtain a residence permit for the duration of the scholarship (max. 18 months).