How to apply for a German freelance visa

By Nicolas Bouliane Verified by 3 experts

The freelance visa is a residence permit for self-employed immigrants.

With a freelance visa, you can…

The artist visa and the language teacher visa are the same thing as the freelance visa.8 The application process is exactly the same.

This guide explains how to apply for a freelance visa in Berlin or in your home country.

Who needs a freelance visa?

If you are not a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you need a residence permit to live in Germany. The freelance visa is a type of residence permit.

If you are a permanent resident, you don’t need a freelance visa. You can already be self-employed.

Who needs a residence permit?

Freelance visa requirements

To get a freelance visa, you need…18

  • A local economic interest
    You must have clients in Germany, or hire German employees.57
  • Enough income
    In Berlin, your gross income must be more than your rent + your health insurance + 563€ per month.45 If you support children or a spouse, you need a higher income.64
  • Self-employed work
    You must be self-employed.58 You can’t be an employee with social benefits. Fake self-employment is not allowed.3 If you only have one client, you might not get a freelance visa.
  • Permission to do this job
    You must have all the permits and special qualifications needed for the job.12 For example, doctors, engineers and lawyers need special qualifications. – Find the requirements for your profession

If you are over 45 years old, and you are not a citizen of the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey or the United States, you must have…48

  • A private retirement pension
    Your pension must guarantee 1,565.03€ per month for at least 12 years after you turn 67 years old.49
  • or a public pension
    You need a guaranteed public pension in Germany, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Canada, Kosovo, Morocco, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey or the United States.50 If you made 5 years of public pension payments in Germany, you have a guaranteed public pension.
  • or 225,364€ in business assets

You do not need to speak German to get a freelance visa.27

You do not need a degree or relevant education, except if your profession requires it. For example, you need a law degree to be a lawyer, but you don’t need a degree to be a freelance photographer.12

If you can’t get a freelance visa, there are other residence permits to start a business in Germany. For example, you might qualify for permanent residence.

Freelance visa alternatives

How to apply in Berlin

You can apply for a freelance visa after you move to Germany:

  1. Come to Germany
  2. Apply for a freelance visa at your local Ausländerbehörde. If you don’t live in Berlin, find your local Ausländerbehörde and apply there.
  3. Get your freelance visa
  4. Start your business

You can apply in Germany if…

If you can’t apply in Germany, you must apply in your home country.

Your current residence permit might allow self-employment. If not, you must wait for your freelance visa to start working.34 This can take a few months. It might be cheaper and safer if you apply in your home country, then come to Germany when you have permission to start your business.

If you need help, an immigration lawyer or a relocation consultant can take care of everything. It costs 500€ to 2,000€.40 It’s a tax-deductible expense.

1. Come to Germany

Come to Germany and prepare your freelance visa application.

  • If you have a National Visa or residence permit
    Your current visa or residence permit might allow self-employment. If it expires after you applied for the freelance visa, you don’t need to leave Germany. It stays valid until you get your freelance visa.
  • If you are a citizen of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the United States
    You can come to Germany without a visa. You can stay 90 days in Germany without a residence permit. You can look for clients, and apply for the freelance visa in Germany.9 You can’t start working before you get your freelance visa. Some people do it anyway.
  • If you have an opportunity card
    You can come to Germany, then convert your opportunity card into a freelance visa. You can’t be self-employed with an opportunity card; you must wait for your freelance visa.11
  • If you have a Schengen visa
    Schengen visas are for tourism, not immigration. You can’t apply for a freelance visa with a Schengen visa. Your application will be rejected. You must apply in your home country.25

If these options don’t apply to you, you must apply for the freelance visa in your home country.19

2. Prepare your application

Before you apply for the freelance visa…

  • Find a place to live
    It’s really hard to find your first apartment. It’s much harder for freelancers. Start looking as soon as you can. Your only options might be a WG or a furnished apartment.29
    • You must be allowed to register your address. Your landlord must give you a tenancy confirmation. If you can’t get a tenancy confirmation, you might not get a freelance visa.1
    • Your rent must be affordable. In Berlin, your income must be more than your rent + your health insurance + 563€ per month before taxes.45
    • Your apartment must be big enough. You need 9 m² per adult, and 6 m² per child.65
  • Get health insurance
    You need valid health insurance. Many applications are rejected because of invalid health insurance.30 Ask a health insurance broker to help you choose the correct health insurance. Don’t choose insurance yourself; it’s a really bad idea. Many applications get rejected because people have the wrong health insurance.21
  • Prepare the required documents
    This takes a few weeks. Start as soon as you can.

If you bring your family to Germany, you can apply for their family reunion visa at the same time. You must prepare their documents too.

While you wait for an Ausländerbehörde appointment, you should also…

3. Apply for the freelance visa

Use the Ausländerbehörde contact form to send all the required documents. Send your application to the correct department. Choose departments E1 to E6, not B1 to B4.7

This is the only way. You can’t go to the Ausländerbehörde without an appointment. You only get an appointment after you send your documents through the contact form.

How to send your application

4. Wait

The Ausländerbehörde will process your application. There is no way to track your application. You must wait for their response. It takes a few months.

While you wait, your current National Visa or residence permit might expire. It’s extended until the Ausländerbehörde processes your application.

If your visa or residence permit expires

If your current permit allows self-employment, you can start your business already. If not, you must wait for your freelance visa.

What happens while you wait

5. Go to your appointment

A few months later, the Ausländerbehörde will email you an appointment date. If you get an appointment, you are almost guaranteed to get your freelance visa.

Follow the instructions in the email. You might need to send extra documents, or bring them to your appointment.

What happens during your appointment

If your freelance visa is approved, you will get a second appointment to pick up your plastic residence card. While you wait, you can start freelancing. You will get a document that confirms this.20

6. Get your freelance visa

Go to your second Ausländerbehörde appointment and pick up your freelance visa. Your new freelance visa is valid for up to 3 years.17 You might get a shorter freelance visa if they are not sure that your business will work.24

How to pick up your freelance visa

7. Start your business

How to start a business

What to do next

How to apply in your country

You can also apply for a freelance visa in your country, then move to Germany.26 This is cheaper and safer, because you can start working as soon as you arrive in Germany.33 You don’t need to wait in Germany without an income.

How to apply in your country

You can also get an opportunity card, move to Germany, then convert it into a freelance visa. You can’t be self-employed with an opportunity card; you must wait for your freelance visa.11

Required documents

These are the required documents in Berlin.18 If you apply elsewhere, they require different documents. Check the website of the Ausländerbehörde, embassy or consulate where you apply. – Find your embassy or consulate

Your documents must convince the Ausländerbehörde that your business will work, and that you will make enough money to support yourself.

When you send your application, use PDF files or photos. Don’t use word documents or other file formats. If you have too many documents, merge them or make them smaller. You can also mail your documents, but it’s not better or faster.

When you go to your appointment, bring the documents that they ask for in your appointment confirmation.24 Print everything on A4 paper. Do not staple the pages together. Some case workers also ask for documents that you already sent. It’s safer if you bring everything you have, including documents that you already sent.2

Two types of freelance visa

There are two types of self-employed people. They get a different kind of freelance visa. The required documents are different.18

  • Freelancers (Freiberufler)
    Artists, teachers, scientists, engineers, software developers and other professionals with special qualifications. If you sell professional services, you might be a freelancer. Delivery drivers, influencers, website operators, most photographers and some teachers are not freelancers.52
  • Tradespeople (Selbständiger/Gewerbetreibender)
    If you are not a Freiberufler, you are Selbständig. If you sell products or apps, if you run a website, or if you are a co-founder, you are usually Selbständig.31

Are you a Freiberufler or a Selbständiger?

Required documents for everyone

  • Passport
    Include a colour scan of your passport in your application. When you go to your appointment, bring your original passport. You get it back during the appointment; they do not keep it.60
  • Application form (Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels)
    If this is your first residence permit application, fill this form. Download the form here or on Berlin.de.37
  • Proof of health insurance
    You need valid health insurance. Travel insurance is not accepted. Ask a health insurance broker to help you choose health insurance.
    • Health insurance card
    • or proof of public health insurance
      Get a Mitgliedsbescheinigung nach 175 SGB V from your health insurer or your health insurance broker.
    • or proof of private health insurance
      Bring your insurance contract, a Mitgliedsbescheinigung, and bank statements that show health insurance payments. Get these documents from your health insurer or your health insurance broker.6
  • Proof of housing
    You need a place to live where you can register your address. If you apply in Berlin, your home address must be in Berlin.
    • Lease
      It must show the size of your apartment. Your apartment must be big enough (9 m² per adult, 6 m² per child).65 You must make enough money to pay your rent. It can be a temporary lease, a WG, a sublet or a student residence.36
    • and tenancy confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
      Some temporary apartments and sublets don’t give you this document. You might not get a freelance visa without it.1 Bring it even if you registered your address.38
    • and registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung)
      You must register your address to get this document. If you don’t have it, your lease and tenancy confirmation are sometimes enough. At least bring proof that you have a Bürgeramt appointment.5
    • and proof of rent payments
      You must show what you really pay for housing. Print recent bank statements that show rent payments.44
  • Bank statements
    It shows how much savings you have.59 In Berlin, 3,000€ to 5,000€ in savings is usually enough.28 In other cities, you might need around 10,000€.22 You don’t need a blocking account. If you can, use a German bank.51 If it’s in another currency, convert it to euros.
  • Translations
    If your documents are not in German, bring translations. For certificates and official documents, bring certified translations. They sometimes accept untranslated documents, but don’t take the risk.32 Get translations from Red Tape Translation or Lingoking.

If you are over 45 years old, and you are not a citizen of the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey or the United States, you must have…48

  • Proof of retirement pension
    Prove that you will get a public or private pension when you are 67 years old.

Required documents for a Freiberufler

  • Revenue forecast (Ertragsvorschau)
    Make a spreadsheet of your expected monthly business income and expenses. Use the official template.46 Your numbers must be realistic, but ambitious.
  • At least 2 letters of intent (Absichtserklärung)54
    These are letters from potential clients that want to hire you. They are very important. They prove that you will find clients and make money. They must show what work you will do, and how much you will get paid. You should have at least 2 letters from clients in Germany. Signed contracts are even better.

If you are an artist or a language teacher, you can also bring…

  • Proof of financial support47
    If you can’t prove that your will make enough money, bring proofs of financial support. For example…
    • Your own savings
    • Regular bank transfers from your family
    • A letter from a guarantor (Verpflichtungserklärung)

If you need a permit to do your job (lawyers, doctors, engineers), you must also bring…

  • Occupation practice permit (Berufsausübungserlaubnis)
    You must have all the permits and special qualifications needed for the job.12 For example, doctors, engineers and lawyers need special qualifications. – Find the requirements for your job

Required documents for a Selbständiger

  • Business plan
    This document is a roadmap for your business. It explains your goals, your strategy, your products and your customers. It must show that there is a local interest for your products and services. Learn how to prepare a business plan. Your business plan should include:
    • Company profile (Firmenprofil)
    • Business concept (Geschäftskonzept)
  • Financing plan (Finanzierungsplan)
    This document details how you plan to finance your business. Use the official template.

If you start a business with other people, you must also bring…55

  • Shareholder agreement (Gesellschaftervertrag)

If you can, you should also bring…

Required documents at your appointment

  • Appointment confirmation
    You can’t enter the Ausländerbehörde without it. They check at the door. Have it on your phone or print it.15
  • Passport
    You get your passport back during your appointment; they do not keep it.60
  • QR code for biometric pictures (35 × 45 mm)
    Printed passport photos are not allowed. Only QR codes are accepted. See how to get biometric pictures.
  • Cash, Visa, Mastercard or Girocard
    You must pay the 100€ application fee.39 This fee is tax-deductible, so keep the receipt.

Optional documents

These documents are not required, but some Ausländerbehörde employees ask for them. They make your application more convincing.

  • Resume or CV
    Work experience is not required, but it helps.42 Your resume should prove that you have experience in your field. Don’t include irrelevant experience.
  • Cover letter
    It explains what you do, and how your business works. It helps the Ausländerbehörde understand what you do. It helps you during your appointment, especially if you don’t speak German.
  • Portfolio or examples of your work
    It explains what you do, and that you will find clients. If you are an artist, this is very important.53 For example, you can bring photos of your work, posters of your events, screenshots of your website or apps or newspaper articles about you. You need printed examples; a website address does not work.43
  • Contracts
    It proves that you have guaranteed work. Contracts are even better than letters of intent. The contract should explain what you will do, how long you will work and how much you will get paid.
  • Letters of recommendation
    These are letters from your previous employers, clients or professors that recommend you for your work. If you are a scientist or researcher, this is very important.41 The letters must be related to the work you do.
  • Proof or education
    If your education is relevant to your business, prove it. Bring the original diplomas if you can. Copies also work.35 If you have no relevant education, it’s not a problem.63

After you get your freelance visa

What to do after you get your residence permit

How to start your business

Give feedback

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Travel with a freelance visa

Your freelance visa lets you visit other Schengen area countries without a visa. You can travel outside of Germany for up to 6 months.23 If you travel longer, your freelance visa expires.

Your freelance visa lets you live anywhere in Germany, not just in the city where you applied.

Travel with a residence permit

Renew your freelance visa

Your freelance visa is valid for up to 3 years.16 In Berlin, you must renew it around 8 weeks before it expires, not sooner.

How to renew a freelance visa

Apply for permanent residence

If you have a freelance visa, you qualify for permanent residence after 5 years. If you see “§ 21 Abs. 1” or “§ 21 Abs. 2a” on your freelance visa, you qualify after 3 years.

How to apply for permanent residence

If you plan to become a permanent resident, start making voluntary public pension payments. You usually need 60 months of pension payments to qualify for permanent residence. The minimum payment is 103.42€ per month. You can also get a private pension instead.

Pension requirements for permanent residence

Need help?

An immigration lawyer or a relocation consultant can answer your questions.

Touring Artists helps artists immigrate and start a business. Their help is free. They speak English.

German freelance visa help is a useful Facebook group. People help each other with their freelance visa application.

Where to ask immigration questions

Sources and footnotes

  1. Elliot Herman (October 2023), multiple relocation consultants (October 2023) ⤴

  2. Elliot Herman (December 2024) ⤴

  3. Red Tape Translation, Reddit ⤴

  4. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (December 2024) ⤴

  5. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (December 2023), Berlin.de ⤴

  6. Berlin.de ⤴

  7. Kathleen Parker, relocation consultant (December 2024) ⤴

  8. c/o Germany, bbk Berlin ⤴

  9. §41 AufenthV, Berlin.de ⤴

  10. §21 Abs. 4 AufenthG ⤴

  11. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (December 2024), Frankfurt am Main (December 2024) ⤴

  12. Berlin.de ⤴

  13. europa.eu, ind.nl, HousingAnywhere ⤴

  14. §29 AufenthG ⤴

  15. Berlin.de (December 2024) ⤴

  16. §21 Abs. 4 AufenthG ⤴

  17. §21 Abs. 4 AufenthG, VAB 21.4 ⤴

  18. Berlin.de (for tradespeople), Berlin.de (for freelancers) ⤴

  19. Multiple relocation consultants (October 2023) ⤴

  20. VAB A81.5a.2 (December 2024), personal experience (2022) ⤴

  21. Red Tape Translation (August 2023) ⤴

  22. Facebook (July 2024) ⤴

  23. §51 Abs. 1 AufenthG, Berlin.de ⤴

  24. VAB 21.4.1 ⤴

  25. Auswärtiges Amt, §3 AufenthG ⤴

  26. make-it-in-germany.com ⤴

  27. make-it-in-germany.com ⤴

  28. Facebook (2022) ⤴

  29. Graham Pugh, apartment search expert (January 2025) ⤴

  30. Red Tape Translation ⤴

  31. §21 AufenthG, §18 EStG, 2 K 7356/18 ⤴

  32. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (May 2023), Touring Artists ⤴

  33. Berlin.de, Multiple relocation consultants (October 2023) ⤴

  34. Berlin.de ⤴

  35. Facebook (2018) ⤴

  36. VAB 2.4 ⤴

  37. Berlin.de, Berlin.de ⤴

  38. Facebook ⤴

  39. Berlin.de ⤴

  40. Multiple relocation consultants (November 2023) ⤴

  41. Berlin.de, Facebook (2018) ⤴

  42. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (December 2023) ⤴

  43. Facebook (2018) ⤴

  44. Berlin.de, Berlin.de ⤴

  45. VAB 2.3.1.1, confirmed by an applicant (December 2023), Emily at Archer Relocation (December 2023) ⤴

  46. Kathleen Parker at Red Tape Translation (2018) ⤴

  47. Berlin.de ⤴

  48. Berlin.de, Berlin.de, §21 Abs. 2 and 3 AufenthG, VAB 21.2 ⤴

  49. VAB 21.3 ⤴

  50. VAB 21.3 and 9.2.1.3a ⤴

  51. Facebook (2018), Sebastian Hoffmann (2019), Tal Gibbesch (2024) ⤴

  52. Accountable.de, Accountable.de, All About Berlin ⤴

  53. Touring Artists ⤴

  54. Touring Artists ⤴

  55. VAB 21.4.2 ⤴

  56. VAB 21.1.1 ⤴

  57. §21 Abs. 1 AufenthG, Berlin.de, Sebastian Hoffmann (August 2023), Sebastian Hoffmann (December 2022), Sebastian Hoffmann (January 2023), exception (2023), exception (2021) ⤴

  58. Fiona Macdonald ⤴

  59. Facebook ⤴

  60. Facebook (2022) ⤴

  61. Immigration lawyer on Facebook (December 2023) ⤴

  62. Kathleen Parker, relocation consultant (March 2024) ⤴

  63. Aydan Baghirova, career coach (April 2024) ⤴

  64. VAB 2.3.1.1 (July 2024) ⤴

  65. VAB A2.4 (July 2024) ⤴