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Business Registration

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  1. Permanent Business Establishments
  2. Temporary Provision of Services
  3. Visa Requirements
  4. Commercial Trades Office
  5. Commercial Register
  6. Professional Organizations
  7. Statutory Occupational Accident Insurance Association
  8. Employment Office

Professional Organizations

Businesses with establishments in Germany must register with their respective professional organizations (Berufskammer). These organizations are semi-autonomous, public organizations authorized to regulate and supervise the professions governed by them. They are also responsible for representing the public interests of their members.

Membership in such organizations is mandatory. Members are obliged to pay a membership fee, and they have the right to elect the decision-making bodies. These bodies are authorized to enact legally binding rules and regulations regarding the exercising of the respective profession and to determine examination procedures and/or qualification requirements. The professional organizations also offer a variety of specialized consulting services to their members, including start-up support and branch-related alternative means of dispute resolution.

Professional organizations are usually organized as federal or regional public institutions:

  • The Chambers of Skilled Crafts and Trades (Handwerkskammern) are the public organizations responsible for skilled crafts and trades.
  • The Chambers of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammern) are responsible for all other commercial undertakings.
  • The liberal professions are organized in branch-specific professional organizations such as the Bar Associations (Rechtsanwaltskammern), the Chambers of Architects (Architektenkammern), and the Medical Associations (Ärtztekammern) to name a few.
  • The Chambers of Agriculture (Landwirtschaftskammern) represent farming and forest-related businesses in the northern and western German states.

In some cases, mixed businesses may have to join two of these professional organizations. For instance, car dealers that also provide mechanical services must be a member of their local Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trades and the Chamber of Commerce.

Parallel to these public professional organizations, profession-related interests are also being represented by the so-called ''free'' (private) associations. These private organizations are not authorized to enact or supervise profession-related rules and regulations. Although membership is not mandatory, it is often a helpful way of obtaining support. Due to the variety of English translations in some cases, it may be difficult to determine whether the institution is a public or a ''free'' (private) association. If in doubt, you should make enquiries at the respective association.

For European service providers, the German network of points of single contact provides individual assistance with the relevant administrative regulations and procedures. They guide you through all of the relevant application procedures.