Registration requirements

Are you registered in the Register of Craftsmen with a craft requiring a license and would like to practice another craft requiring a license? Then you can apply for a license to practice another trade under certain conditions.

If you start a business activity, you will be given a business identification number (W-IdNr.).

If you want to offer financial services, you need a license to do so.

If you would like to gain access to the telematics infrastructure (TI) in the healthcare sector, you will need an electronic healthcare professional card (eHBA) if you work in a healthcare profession.

Have you been granted an exemption permit for a trade requiring a license and want to operate it as a standing trade? If so, you must have it entered in the register of craftsmen before starting your activity.

If you wish to work independently in a trade that does not require a license or a trade similar to a trade, you must immediately notify your Chamber of Skilled Crafts of the start of your commercial activity and apply for registration.

If you want to provide and evaluate devices for legally required measurements of radon activity concentration at workplaces, you must be recognized by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS).

If you wish to focus on a non-essential activity of a craft requiring a license and have relevant journeyman training, you must be entered in the register of your local Chamber of Crafts.

If you want to register as an expert in the energy efficiency expert list, you can submit an application under certain conditions.

Under certain conditions, you can apply to register an ELT emergency transmitter code or change an existing registration.

If you wish to set up a new air carrier, you must submit an application for approval of the new company.

If you are not legally insured against accidents at work, you can apply for voluntary insurance. You can change or cancel your insurance at any time.

If you want to open a private hospital, a private maternity clinic or a private mental hospital, you must apply for a license.

Would you like to work in the field of patent law in Germany with a professional practice company with limited liability or as a foreign professional practice company? Then you need a license from the Chamber of Patent Attorneys.

If you want to operate a private inspection body for organic farming, you will need a license.

Have you been granted a license to practice a craft requiring a permit and want to operate it as a standing trade? If so, you must have this entered in the register of craftsmen before starting your activity.

If you wish to exercise a trade and need proof of your personal reliability, you can apply for information from the central trade register.

If you wish to manage investment funds as a capital management company with its registered office and head office in Germany, you require written permission or you must register.

If you wish to hold an auction, you must notify the relevant authorities. This notification and the holding of the auction are subject to certain time and space restrictions. You can apply for exceptions to these restrictions here.

Anyone wishing to hold an auction must give prior written notification. An auction must be notified at least 2 weeks before the planned auction date. The notification, including copies of the documents, must also be sent to the responsible Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

If you wish to auction off third-party movable property, third-party land or third-party rights on a commercial basis, you require permission from the competent authority.

As a construction manager or property developer, you must submit an annual audit report or alternatively a so-called negative declaration to your supervisory authority.

Anyone who bookmaker who wishes to place or broker bets on public horse races requires a license.

Would you like to move your business to a new location, has your business name changed or do you want to offer additional goods or services in the future? In these and other cases, you must re-register your business.

If you start a business, you must register it with the competent authority. The registration must be made at the same time as the start of the business.

If you wish to operate a restaurant that serves alcohol, you are obliged to submit a business registration at least four weeks before the start of operations, together with certain documents.

If your address and contact details change as a member company of a Chamber of Skilled Crafts, you must notify us.

As an employer, you must register your employees who are subject to social insurance contributions. You will need a company number for this.

Have you successfully passed the master craftsman's examination and would like to work independently in a trade requiring a license? If so, you must first register your business in the Register of Craftsmen.

Have you discovered explosive ordnance or are you not sure whether your find is ammunition? Please inform the police immediately by calling 110 or the local regulatory authority.

For the radiation protection of personnel, you must report the operation of spacecraft under certain conditions.

As the employer, you withhold income tax from the wages paid and, after electronically transmitting the income tax registration to the responsible tax office, pay the income tax to it.

Are you a recognized displaced person, a late repatriate, do you have a recognized equivalent foreign professional qualification and would you like to work independently in a craft requiring a license in Germany? Then you must be entered in the register of craftsmen.

Have you completed a university degree in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland and the focus of your studies was in a craft requiring a license? Then you can set up a business in Germany and must first be entered in the register of craftsmen.

If you wish to work independently in a craft requiring a license with a professional qualification acquired abroad and the equivalence to a domestic master craftsman's examination has been established, you must first have this entered in the Register of Craftsmen.

As a financial investment broker or financial investment advisor, you require a license in Germany.

If you run a company that is liable to pay contributions, you can reduce the effort involved in preparing the annual reports by setting up an equalization association with other companies. This association takes over the obligations towards the Artists' Social Security Fund (KSK).

The operation of an arcade requires a permit. The State Administration Office is responsible for deciding on the application for this permit. The location at which the arcade is to be operated must be precisely designated.

As a commercial operator, you may only set up gaming devices with the possibility of winning (goods prizes, cash prizes) if the competent authority has confirmed in writing that the installation location is suitable for this purpose.

If you want to set up gaming machines with the possibility of winning commercially, you need a permit. In addition, you must prove that the chosen location is suitable for this purpose for each machine installed.

If you need information on specific companies, you can search for them in the Joint Register Portal of the federal states or in the business register itself and view the entries and submitted documents.

As a winegrower, cooperative or recognized producer group that accepts grapes or mash, you are obliged to report your grape harvest and wine production.

As a pharmacist in Saarland, you must, as a rule, register as a member with the Saarland Chamber of Pharmacists.

If service providers from Luxembourg temporarily and occasionally provide assistance for tax matters in Germany, this must be reported.

If you as an employer intend to allow your employees to work with airbag or belt tensioner units of category P1 for the first time, you must notify the responsible body in advance.

If you have taken delivery of grapes, mash, grape must, partially fermented grape must or young wine, you are obliged to specify the supplier companies and the products taken delivery of in the form of the list of suppliers.

If there are any changes in the shareholders or authorized representatives of companies entered in the register of craftsmen or in the register of owners of a business of a craft not requiring a license or a trade similar to a craft, you must notify us.

If you are a member of a Chamber of Skilled Crafts and open a new business premises, you must notify the Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

You must notify the relevant Chamber of Skilled Crafts of any new management or change in the management of a craft business subject to licensing.

If you are a member of a Chamber of Skilled Crafts and change the address of a business premises, you must inform the Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

If you are a member of a Chamber of Skilled Crafts and close a business establishment, you must notify the Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

If you run a pharmacy, you must register your participation in the narcotics trade with the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM).

Has something changed in your company or in your self-employed or freelance activity? You must report this to your employers' liability insurance association or accident insurance fund.

If you are setting up a company, you will find information here on the procedures, formalities and permits you need to observe.

As a tax consultant or income tax assistance association, you can use the power of attorney database to access and manage data and powers of attorney for your clients or members and display a power of representation and/or disclosure authorization.

If you want to open or take over a pharmacy, you must submit a written application for an operating license.

If you are organizing a hiking camp and wish to announce this publicly and the arrival and departure of participants is to be carried out by you as the organizer or by persons working with you, you must notify us in advance.

If you wish to commercially organize other games with the possibility of winning (e.g. games of skill), you require a commercial permit from the competent authority.

If you want to work in the pawnbroking business, you need a permit.

For many activities involving the commercial handling of animals, you require a permit from the competent authority.

In order to work as a fee-based financial investment advisor, you must apply for a license. You must also be entered in the register of intermediaries.

If you wish to become a self-employed financial investment broker, you must apply for a license.

Anyone wishing to broker real estate consumer loans or corresponding financing aids (mainly so-called finance lease agreements) or advise third parties on such agreements requires a license as a real estate loan broker in accordance with Section 34i GewO.

If you want to organize commercial shows of people in your business premises or make your business premises available for such events, you need a permit for this.

If you are a racing club, organize horse races and want to place bets, you need a permit to operate a totalizator.

If you set up a company, take a stake in a company or become self-employed, you must inform the tax office.

If you set up a company or become self-employed or freelance, you must register this with the statutory accident insurance.

If you are insured as a farmer with the agricultural health insurance fund or long-term care fund and old-age insurance fund, you must register your family members who work in the company.

If you run a company that is liable to pay social security contributions, you must register your company with the Künstlersozialkasse.

Has your agricultural business exceeded the minimum size for compulsory insurance with the agricultural health insurance fund, long-term care fund or old-age insurance fund? Then these funds will contact you to clarify the further requirements for insurance.

If your company provides postal services without requiring a license, you must notify the Federal Network Agency of the start, change and termination of operations.

If you wish to trade in livestock commercially, transport it or operate an assembly center, you must submit the application to the State Office for Consumer Protection.

Do you commercially operate a public telecommunications network or provide publicly accessible telecommunications services? Then you must report this to the Federal Network Agency.

As a manufacturer or importer of cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and water pipe tobacco, you must print text and image warnings on your cigarette and tobacco packaging. You can obtain the image files from the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety.

If you wish to import wood or wood products from countries outside the EU for the first time, you must notify the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) once.

If you as a company supply household customers in Germany with energy via the public electricity or gas grid, you must report this to the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA).

Public bodies, companies and private individuals can apply for information on business registration data.

Only a few activities that do not require a travel trade license must be reported. Please check whether you need to notify the competent authority before taking up an activity that does not require a travel trade license.

If you do not have a commercial establishment or wish to offer goods for sale, services or entertaining activities as a showman or showwoman or as a showman or showwoman, you must apply for a permit (traveling trade license).

If you operate a traveling trade, you need a traveling trade card. Some cards are temporary. Before your temporary card becomes invalid, you can have it extended by the competent authority.

You can change or extend the activities listed on the travel trade license with the competent authority.