How to renew a German freelance visa

This guide shows you how to renew a German freelance visa before it expires. To apply for a new German freelance visa, read this guide.

This guide was written for self-employed people in Berlin. In other cities, the process can be different.

Freelance visa renewal process

To renew a German freelance visa, you must…

Prepare the required documents
Use the Ausländerbehörde’s contact form to send your documents
Wait for the Ausländerbehörde to give you an appointment
Go to your appointment
Wait for your new residence permit
Pick up your new residence permit

Start to prepare 3 to 6 months before your residence permit expires. You need time to prepare the required documents. Some documents must be verified by a tax advisor. If you don’t have a tax advisor, or if your finances are not organised, you need more time.

A relocation consultant can help you renew your freelance visa. They can help you prepare your documents, find an Ausländerbehörde appointment, and go to the appointment with you.

Before you start

1. Check if you can renew your visa

When you renew your freelance visa, they verify that…

You make enough money
They will check your invoices and your Steuerbescheid to verify your income. You must make enough money to support yourself.¹
You have clients in Germany
You must have some invoices from clients in Germany.¹ If all your income comes from other countries, you can’t renew your freelance visa.
You have valid health insurance
This time, you can’t have cheap expat health insurance. You must have valid public or private health insurance. There is more information about this below.
You have a retirement plan
If you are over 45 years old, you must prove that you will get a pension of at least 1,503.34€ per month for at least 12 years, or that you have 216,481€ in assets.¹ This is not required for citizens of the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey and the United States.²

If you don’t meet those requirements, you can’t renew your freelance visa.

You might also qualify for permanent residence. If you lived in Germany for at least 5 years, you can get permanent residence. If you have a §21 Abs. 1 or §21 Abs. 2a freelance visa, you can get permanent residence after 3 years.¹⁸ Permanent residence is better than a freelance visa.

How to apply for permanent residence

2. Know if you are freelance or self-employed

The required documents are different for freelancers (Freiberufler) and for tradespeople (Gewerbetreibende). You much know which one you are.

If you see “§ 21 Abs. 5” on your residence permit, you are a Freiberufler.
If you see “§ 21 Abs. 1” or “§ 21 Abs. 2a” on your residence permit, you are a Selbständiger/Gewerbetreibender.

Are you a Freiberufler or Gewerbe?

If your work changes, your status can also change. I was a freelancer, and I am now a tradesperson. When I renewed my freelance visa, I needed different documents.

Note: Immigration law uses the term “Selbständiger” and business law uses “Gewerbetreibender”. It means the same thing.¹⁶

3. Get valid health insurance

When you renew a residence permit, expat health insurance like Mawista or Care Concept is rarely accepted.³ You need a real public or private health insurance.

Health insurance for the freelance visa

It takes 1 or 2 weeks to switch, but it can take up to 3 months.¹⁷ Ask a health insurance broker to help you choose health insurance. Their help is free. Don’t choose health insurance yourself; you can make expensive mistakes.

How to choose health insurance

4. Find a tax advisor

Your tax advisor must prepare documents for you:

If you are a Freiberufler, you need a Netto-Gewinnermittlung. You can prepare it yourself, but it must be verified and stamped by a tax advisor.⁴
If you are a Gewerbetreibender, you need a Prüfungsbericht. It must be verified and stamped by a tax advisor.

If your finances are organised, you can get these documents in a few days. If they are not organised, it can take a few weeks.

If you don’t have a tax advisor, start looking 2 to 5 months before your freelance visa expires. You can find a tax advisor in another city.

English-speaking tax advisors in Berlin

Prepare your application

1. Prepare your documents

Start preparing the required documents 1 to 3 months before your Ausländerbehörde appointment. Some documents take more time to prepare. If you don’t have a tax advisor, or if your finances are not organised, you need time.

If your documents are not in English or German, you might need certified translations. This also takes time.

Go to the list of required documents

2. Send your documents

You can’t book an Ausländerbehörde appointment. You must use their contact form to send your documents, then wait for a response. They can take a few months to reply.

How to send your documents

When they reply, they will give you an appointment. This appointment can be in a few months. They might also ask for more documents.

Your current residence permit usually stays valid while you wait. If it expires, you don’t have to leave Germany. You can continue working, studying or freelancing like before. If you get a Fiktionsbescheinigung, you can travel with your expired residence permit.

If your residence permit expires soon

3. Find a translator

If you need a translator, find one 2 to 4 weeks before your Ausländerbehörde appointment.

Many Ausländerbehörde employees only speak German.⁵ They will ask you many questions. If you don’t speak German, bring a translator. A lawyer or a relocation consultant can go with you. I recommend Red Tape Translation.

Relocation consultants in Berlin

4. Go to your Ausländerbehörde appointment

The Ausländerbehörde might ask you to bring new or updated documents to your appointment. Bring all the documents that you did not already send. Print them on A4 paper. Do not staple the pages together.

If you have all the right documents, you will get a new freelance visa. It will be valid for 1 to 3 years.

If your documents are not convincing, you could get a shorter freelance visa, usually 1 year. This can happen if your income is too low.

If some documents are missing, you will not get a freelance visa. You will get a new appointment. You must go home, get the missing documents, and come back for your next appointment. If your current visa has expired, you will get a Fiktionsbescheinigung.

What happens during your Ausländerbehörde appointment

5. Receive your new residence permit

If your visa application is approved

If your visa application is rejected

Required documents

Bring these documents to your visa interview. The official list of documents is not complete. Ausländerbehörde employees often ask for things that are not in this list.

Appointment confirmation
This document shows you where to go for your appointment. It also shows your waiting number (Vorgangsnummer). You must have this document to enter the Ausländerbehörde.
Passport
The passport must still be valid. It must have two free pages for your new residence permit. If your residence permit is in an older passport, bring the old passport and the new one. You do not need to have empty pages in your passport. They do not put stickers in your passport anymore. Your new residence permit will be a plastic card.
Current residence permit
If you have a plastic residence permit, bring it. If your residence permit is in an older passport, bring the old passport and the new one.
1 passport photo
You need a 35 × 45 mm biometric picture. There are many ways to get passport photos in Berlin. There is a photo booth at the Ausländerbehörde,⁶ but you should get a picture in advance. You do not need to cut the passport photos yourself; they have a tool for this.⁷
Proof of sufficient income
You must prove that you make enough income to support yourself in Berlin.
- If you are self-employed (Gewerbetreibender), bring these documents:
  - Audit report form (Prüfungsbericht)
    The document on this page must be filled and stamped by a tax advisor (Steuerberater). It can take a few days to prepare. If your finances are not organised, it can take a few weeks.
  - and a proof of business registration (aktuelle Handelsregisterauszug)
    If your business needs a Handelsregister entry, bring a Handelsregisterauszug. You probably don’t need this. Get it in person, in writing, or online. It costs 10€.⁸ It can take a few days to receive this document.
  - and a copy of your trade certificate (Gewerbeschein)
    You get this document during your business registration (Gewerbeanmeldung).
  - and a certificate of tax matters (Bescheinigung in Steuersachen or Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung)
    It proves that you paid your taxes on time. Request it from the Finanzamt. It costs 17.90€. It arrives in 1 to 3 weeks.⁹
- If you are a freelancer (Freiberufler), you don’t need a Prüfungsbericht.¹⁰ Bring these documents instead:
  - Tax assessments (Steuerbescheid)
    When you make a tax declaration, the Finanzamt sends you a Steuerbescheid by post. It looks like this. If possible, bring Steuerbescheide of the last 2-3 years, not just the latest one.
  - and net profit determination (Netto-Gewinnermittlung)
    You must get this document from a tax advisor. It shows how much profit you have made. It can have different formats. It must be verified and stamped by a tax advisor (Steuerberater).
  - and bank statement (Kontoauszug)
    Your bank account statement must show that you have a regular source of income. It should also show your health insurance payments and your rent payments. You can request this document from your bank. It has no specific format.
  - and invoices (Abrechnungen)
    Bring invoices from your clients or customers. Those show how you make money as a freelancer. Bring all invoices, not just a sample. The invoices must be sorted by date.
  - and contracts from your clients
    Bring contracts that prove that you will have more work in the future. Contracts are not officially required, but they might ask for them.¹¹ If possible, the contracts must describe the kind of work you will do. You can also bring letters of intent (Absichtserklärung) from future clients.
Proof of housing costs
You must show how much you pay every month for your apartment or home. It must also prove that you live in Berlin.
- Lease (Mietvertrag), if you rent a room or an apartment. Bring the original lease, not a copy. The lease must show how much rent you pay.
- or a proof of ownership, if you own a house. It must show how much you pay per month.
Proof of health insurance coverage (Mitgliedsbescheinigung or Nachweis der Krankenversicherung)
- Proof of health insurance coverage
  You can request this from your health insurer. You can usually get it from their website.
- and proof of monthly payments
  Bring a document that shows how much you pay for health insurance. For example, bank transactions that show health insurance payments. This is not officially required, but they sometimes ask for it. Your tax advisor might also need it for your Prüfungsbericht.¹²
Proof of retirement savings
If you are over 45 years old, you must prove that you will get a pension of at least 1,503.34€ per month for at least 12 years, or that you have 216,481€ in assets.
- If you are a citizen of the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey or the United States, you do not need this proof.
- If you are under 46 years old, you do not need this proof.
Proof of residence in Berlin
You must prove that your main residence is in Berlin.
- Registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung)
  This is the document you receive when you do you register your address (Anmeldung).
- or a lease + a landlord confirmation letter (Mietvertrag + Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
  If you don’t have a registration certificate, bring your original lease – not a copy – and the landlord confirmation letter instead.
Short description of your business (optional)
Prepare a short document that describes your business, and how you make money. You can use this to explain other documents. For example, I described my website and its business model. I included screenshots of the website and graphs of the monthly traffic. I used it to show that my business is growing, and to explain why I do not need contracts for a stable income.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost?

A freelance visa renewal costs 96€, or between 22.80€ and 37€ for Turkish citizens.¹³ If you get a Fiktionsbescheinigung, it might cost 13€.¹⁴

Some of the required documents also cost money:

Aktuelle Handelsregisterauszug: 10€ if you need it⁸
Bescheinigung in Steuersachen: 17.90€⁹
Gewerbeschein: 15€ to 31€, but you probably have it already¹⁵
Prüfungsbericht: up to 800€.¹²
Netto-Gewinnermittlung: 100€ to 150€.
Certified translations: 15€ to 70€ per document.

Keep the receipts. Those expenses are tax-deductible.

What to do next

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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.¹⁸