General Information

To become self-employed in Germany normally requires an economic or regional interest and positive influences of your business on the economic situation, e.g. in the form of new jobs.
Moreover, the financial implemantation of your business plan has to be secured by your own means or a credit approval.

Foreigners who have successfully concluded their studies at a university or college in Germany or who work as researcher or scientist in Germany and already have a residence permit, can become self-employed if the business is related to their field of study/research.

A residence permit for self-employment can be issued for

• company founders
• single entrepreneurs
• managing directors and legal representatives of partnership businesses and corporations if they bear entrepreneurial responsibility

More Information can also be found on this website: Make-it-in-Germany.

Please ensure that your application documents are complete! Incomplete applications can cause delays or may result in rejection of the visa application.

This checklist is regularly updated but makes no claim to be complete.
Further documentation can at all times be requested or provided by the applicant, in support of the application.

Prepare your application

Please do not staple the documents and renounce paper clips.

• original duly completed visa appications form and Declaration in accordance with Section 53 and 54 of the Residence Act
  

The following documents need to be presented in original and 1 copy:

• passport (at least 2 free pages, not older than 10 years)
• for non-Singaporeans: proof of legal residence in Singapore (e.g. EP;DP; Student Pass), incl. printout of your current Singaporean residence permit validity (no QR-Code)
• recent passport photograph (not older than 3 months) according to biometric specifications (see sample photos below)
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of accommodation/ rental agreement
• comprehensive company profile, including:
  
  • detailed business plan (in German)
  • business concept
  • capital requirement plan
  • financing plan
  • marketing strategy
    
  • revenue forecast for at least 3 years
    
  • details about the number of jobs to be created and, if applicable, training positions
    
  • if applicable, details about research and innovation within the company
    
• Motivation letter with details about the intended stay in Germany (in German)
• Proof of financial investment, incl. bank statements of the last 3 month
• Curriculum vitae, of professional career
• degree certificate, specifying the certificates, diplomas, etc. you have obtained in your higher education
• Adequate pension plan e.g. your CPF contribution in Singapore
• If your age is above 45: An offer from private pension insurer be submitted which guarantees a monthly pension of 1,280.06 Euros after the age of 67 (for at least 12 years) or an asset amount of 187,682 Euros. Alternatively, evidence can also be provided from currently available assets.

• Proof of a pension plan is not required for these nationalities: Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the United States of America

• proof of sufficient financial means (e.g. detailed bank statements)
• fee for the processing of the visa application is the equivalent of EURO 75.00 to be paid in SGD, either by cash or credit card (Visa- and Mastercard only)

Information on the visa process

Please do not send unrequested documents to the Visa Department, especially not before applying for the visa, as those cannot be kept. Please submit all documents when applying in person at the Embassy.
Foreign documents issued in other languages than English or German have to be submitted with an official Translation.
Foreign public documents need to be duly legalized by the competent German Embassy in the issuing country, or, if applicable, provided with an Apostille. For documents from some countries, individual document verification might be necessary, that process would require more time and an additional fee.
The processing of the visa application is usually several month, upon submission of complete documents.
You will be contacted as soon as the application has been decided.
Please note that questions regarding the status of your visa application cannot be answered.
It is recommended that at no time a flight ticket should be purchased until a visa has been granted.

Book your Appointment

To submit your application, please book an appointment and appear in person at the Visa Department.

There your complete application documents including the visa fee will be accepted, a short interview will be conducted and biometric data registered.

The appointment needs to be booked through the appointment system of the Embassy.