According to Section 21 of the German Residence Act, a foreigner may be granted a visa for the purpose of self-employment, if
1.an economic interest or a regional need applies,
2.the activity is expected to have positive effects on the economy and
3.personal capital on the part of the foreigner or a loan undertaking is available to realise the business idea.
As the competent bodies at the planned business location assess whether the above-mentioned conditions for commercial self-employed activities by foreigners have been met in your case, you are advised to contact the relevant authorities and enquire about special prerequisites before filing your visa application with us. The authorities you would need to contact are, for example, the Aliens Authority, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the authority regulating admission to the profession concerned.
Before filling out the application form and booking an appointment, please prepare 2 identical sets of the following documentation for your visa:

• Valid passport (issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least another year as of the date of the visa application; passports with observations on the front data page cannot be accepted) with at least two empty pages
• Application form & declaration (in accordance with Section 54 of the Residence Act) duly signed (2 copies)
• Declaration regarding additional contact and legal representation information (2 copies)
• Copy of your passport’s data page (A4 size copy) (2 copies)
• Curriculum vitae (2 copies)
• Proof of qualification, e.g. university degree, training certificate, experience certificates, reference letters (2 copies)
• Business plan
  - a well-structured and detailed description of the business idea, covering the following: (2 copies) (for further information on the business plan, please check https://www.existenzgruender.de/EN/Die-ersten-Schritte/Gruendung-planen/inhalt.html and https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/jobs/setting-up-a-business/business-plan/preparation/)
  - Business concept (e.g. information on products/services, legal form…)
  -Financing and investment plan
  Capital requirement plan
  -Revenue forecast for the first three years
  -Market and competitive Analysis
  -Marketing strategy
  -If applicable: expected number of employees and Trainees
  -If applicable: explanation of the extent to which the areas of innovation and research will be positively influenced by the project
• Proof of available capital (2 copies)
• If applicable: documents concerning your (planned) company in Germany (2 copies), such as:
  deed of association (Gesellschaftsvertrag)
  excerpt from the commercial register (Handelsregisterauszug) or at least the application for Registration in the commercial register via a notary public business registration (Gewerbeanzeige) with the Trade Office (Gewerbeamt) employment contract of the managing director/s (Geschäftsführer/innen-Anstellungsvertrag)
• If applicable: further supporting documents depending on the specific case(2 copies), such as:
  Rental contract, if already concluded
  Proof of existing business relations in Germany/Europe
• If applicable: degree from a state or a state-recognised higher education institute or comparable training institution in Germany
• Proof of secure means of subsistence for at least one year (2 copies)

• Or

• Proof of a public German health insurance, which consists of a letter from your German healthcare provider, and additionally a travel health insurance from your travel date up to the starting date of the public German health insurance.

• Or

• Proof of a private foreign (including Indian) health insurance mentioning the specific policy you chose which fulfills the below mentioned requirements and starts at your tentative travel date

When does a health insurance meet the requirement of being equivalent to a German public health insurance?

- No limit to the reimbursement in case of sickness

-If the insured person becomes sick, no deductible higher than 300 € per year can be demanded

-Preexisting conditions must be included

- No clause for termination regarding the insured person reaching a certain age, change of residence permit or loss of residence permit

-The Insurance cover cannot have any time limit (or needs to be automatically renewed)

• If you are 45 years or older: evidence of adequate retirement benefits (e.g. offer from a private pension or life insurer, own assets, acquired pension rights or operating assets); ultimately, at the age of 67, you must have either a monthly pension of 1280.06 euro payable for at least 12 years or assets totalling 187,682.00 euro (2 copies)
• 3 passport photos complying with biometric specifications, not older than 6 months
• Visa fee of 75 euro payable in INR only (please check our website for payment options and applicable exchange rate)Please prepare two identical application sets with the above-mentioned documents and bring your original documents along. Please DO NOT staple any documents.

Please note that the German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents or the verification of certificates, for which additional fees would be charged.

Submission of the above-mentioned documents does not guarantee that a visa is granted.

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