Germany’s self-employment visa is open to those who wish to either set up a business in Germany or work as a freelancer in a “liberal profession.” The visa offers a path to both permanent residency and citizenship in Germany and – by extension – the EU.
Though German authorities don’t specify any minimum investment amounts, enterprising service providers have identified successful standardized investment routes with effective minimum investments amounting to some €350,000.
The Residence Act does not specify any minimum investment amount to qualify for the initial temporary residence permit under section 21 of the Residence Act Part 4.
Starting a business
For those who wish to start a business in Germany, the investment must meet the following three criteria:
The following investment types are known to have met with successful applications:
A €250,000 investment into physical assets which could be property combined with a €100,000 investment into an ongoing regional development project.
The investment needs to be held for a minimum of five years.
Working as a freelancer (freiberufler)
The self-employment visa is also available to those planning to work as a freelancer in “one of the liberal professions“, as long as they meet the below criteria:
The initial residence permit is held for a maximum of 3 years and can be renewed 6 months before expiry. The main applicant’s spouse and children under 18 may be included under the visa and can work and study in Germany.
An applicant may apply for a temporary residence permit after their application and business plan has been approved. The initial permit has a validity period of three years and is renewable as long as the investments are not withdrawn.
After being a resident for five years, the applicant can apply for Permanent Residency. This is not an automatic process and certain criteria of integration into German society and professional knowledge of the German language is required.
After legally residing in Germany for 8 years, (reduced to 7 if the applicant passes a special integration course), applicants are allowed to apply for German citizenship.
Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.
Applications for this program may be directed to Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
Legislation upon which this program is based Residence Act Part 4 Section 21 (1.3).
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See more statistics on this program and others in the IMI Data Center.