Residence permit for self-employment (setting up a business)
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Ausübung einer selbständigen Tätigkeit (§ 21 Abs. 1 AufenthG) as of 2026-08-08[1] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Residence permit for self-employment (setting up a business) as of 2026-08-08[11] Federal portal's English designation; the statute heading is 'Selbständige Tätigkeit' (self-employed activity). |
| Legal basis | Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 21 Abs. 1 as of 2026-08-08[1] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-08[1] |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 3 years as of 2026-08-08[1][11] |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-08[11] |
| Renewal duration | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Work rights | Not established from a qualifying source |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Yes as of 2026-08-08[1][12] |
|---|---|
| Years to permanent residence on this route | 3 as of 2026-08-08[1][12] Sec. 21(4) s.2: settlement permit possible after three years of self-employment (successful, sustainable business and secured livelihood, plus the pension-provision condition of sec. 9(2) s.1 no.4 – by way of derogation from sec. 9(2); fee EUR 124, sec. 44 no.2 AufenthV). |
Requirements
| Minimum capital | Not applicable[1] No statutory minimum. Financing of the venture must be secured through equity or a loan commitment (sec. 21(1) s.1 no.3); the amount of capital employed is one of the statutory assessment factors (s.2). |
|---|---|
| Business plan required | Yes as of 2026-08-08[10] |
| Endorsement required | No as of 2026-08-08[1] No applicant-side committee endorsement. The authority itself consults the competent expert bodies (chambers of commerce/crafts, trade authorities, professional bodies) ex officio (sec. 21(1) s.3). Graduates of German universities and holders of research permits benefit from the relaxed sec. 21(2a) 'soll' variant, which waives the sec. 21(1) criteria. |
| Innovation criterion | No as of 2026-08-08[1] Contribution to innovation and research is one of several statutory assessment factors (sec. 21(1) s.2), not a standalone eligibility criterion. |
| Jobs to be created | Not applicable[1] No fixed number of jobs. Effects on the employment and training situation are an assessment factor (sec. 21(1) s.2). The former five-jobs rule was abolished in 2012. |
| Own means requirement | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value[1][11] |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-08-08[7][10] Default is a national D visa from a German mission abroad; nationals listed in sec. 41 AufenthV (AU, IL, JP, CA, KR, NZ, UK, US) may enter visa-free and apply in-country within 90 days. |
|---|---|
| Fees |
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Physical presence
| maximum consecutive absence | 6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-08-08[6] Sec. 51(1) no. 7 AufenthG: the permit lapses if the holder leaves Germany and does not re-enter within six months (or a longer period set by the foreigners authority); it also lapses on departure for a reason that is not temporary by nature (no. 6). |
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Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 12 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 12 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-08 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-08 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 21 – Selbständige Tätigkeit (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy - [2] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 29 – Familiennachzug zu Ausländern (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [3] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 30 – Ehegattennachzug (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [4] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 32 – Kindernachzug (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [5] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 4a – Zugang zur Erwerbstätigkeit (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [6] Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) § 51 – Beendigung der Rechtmäßigkeit des Aufenthalts (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [7] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 41 – Vergünstigung für bestimmte Staatsangehörige (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [8] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 45 – Gebühren Aufenthaltserlaubnis (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy - [9] Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) § 46 – Gebühren Visum (consolidated)
Bundesministerium der Justiz / juris (gesetze-im-internet.de) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [10] Residence permit for the purpose of self-employment – Issuance
Land Berlin (Landesamt für Einwanderung, service.berlin.de) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy - [11] Visa for self-employment
Make it in Germany (Federal Government portal for skilled workers) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy - [12] Settlement permit
Make it in Germany (Federal Government portal for skilled workers) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08