How to register a small business in Germany

You register a Gewerbe at the Gewerbeamt of your town before you start working: cleaning, repairs, beauty, delivery, retail. In many towns it works online. In Berlin it costs €15 online and €26 in person; other towns set their own fee.

Who registers a Gewerbe

You need one for trade, crafts, services, food and transport.
You don't if you work as a freelancer (Freiberufler), for example as a translator, designer or teacher. Freelancers go straight to the tax office.
Some crafts need a master's certificate (Meister) or similar, for example electricians and hairdressers. Cleaning and nail studios don't.

Your residence permit

EU citizens can register right away. With another passport, look at your permit: it has to allow self-employment (Selbstständige Tätigkeit erlaubt). If it doesn't, the Ausländerbehörde decides under § 21 AufenthG, usually with your business plan.

Fee in Berlin: service.berlin.de, Gewerbeanmeldung. Checked 28.10.2026.

After you register

Tax office: fill in the Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung in ELSTER within a month of starting. You get your tax number by post.
Kleinunternehmer (§ 19 UStG): since 2025 no VAT on your invoices if turnover was up to €25,000 last year and stays under €100,000 this year.
IHK or Handwerkskammer: membership is automatic, the letter comes by itself.
Closing: Gewerbeabmeldung at the same office.

Your first customers call in German

Once you're open, people call while you're on a job or with another customer, and in Germany they rarely leave a voicemail. An AI assistant can take those calls. It speaks German with the caller, asks what they need and when to call back, and sends you the request in English by Telegram or email. Your number stays; you switch it on with a forwarding code.

Meldedirekt: from €39 a month, first 7 days free, no card.

Send a request

AI phone assistant in Germany: the caller speaks German, the business owner gets the request in Telegram or by email

Questions

How long does it take to register a business in Germany?

In person you usually leave with the Gewerbeschein the same day. Online it can take a few days. The tax number takes longer, often several weeks.

Can I have a Gewerbe next to a job?

Yes. Check your work contract, some ask you to tell your employer. The tax office adds both incomes together.

Which taxes does a small business pay?

Income tax on the profit, VAT unless you are a Kleinunternehmer, and trade tax (Gewerbesteuer), which for sole traders only starts above €24,500 profit a year.

When Germans call: how to answer the phone in German.
So no call gets lost: call forwarding when you don't answer.
What an AI receptionist costs: prices and calculator.