According to Section 18 of the German Income Tax Act (Einkommensteuergesetz), freelance employment includes independent scientific, artistic, literary, teaching or educational work, and the independent professional activity of doctors, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, notaries, patent agents, surveyors, engineers, architects, commercial chemists, accountants, tax consultants, consulting economists, sworn accountants, tax agents, non-medical practitioners, physiotherapists, journalists, photojournalists, interpreters, translators, pilots and similar professions.

As the competent bodies at your future habitual residence assess whether the conditions for freelance 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 need to contact are, for example, the Aliens Authority, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the authority regulating admission to the profession concerned.

For further information, please check https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/jobs/setting-up-a-business/types/self-employed-freelance and https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/jobs/setting-up-a-business/visa/freelance.

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; 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)
• Well-structured and detailed description of your planned freelance employment, supported by fee contracts and/or letters of intent (2 copies)
• Curriculum vitae (2 copies)
• Proof of qualification, e.g. university degree, training certificate, experience certificates, reference letters (2 copies)
• Proof of available capital (2 copies)
• Revenue forecast (2 copies)
• If applicable: further supporting documents depending on the specific case (2 copies), such as:
  For applicants seeking employment in a regulated profession: original permission to exercise a profession (Berufsausübungserlaubnis) issued by the competent recognition body (for further information on regulated professions and the competent authorities, please check https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/en/interest/finder/profession)
• Rental contract, if already concluded
• Proof of business contacts in the relevant professional field in Germany/Europe
• 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)

• Health insurance. Please provide ONE of the following:

  • Proof of a private German health insurance which fulfills the below mentioned requirements and starts at your tentative travel date
  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.

Download this page as pdf.