When do I have to get a business license in Germany?

Business license

According to §14 of the Trade Regulation Act (Gewerbeordnung), you must register a business if you start a self-employed activity with the intention of making a profit over a longer period of time.

How is intention of making a profit and longer period of time interpreted? It depends on what kind of business it is. This question falls into a grey zone.

But, for example, according to various verdicts, if you are an eBay seller, you can be considered a commercial seller and not a private seller if you make 10-25 sales a month and if the selling activity happens over a couple of months.

In addition, according to some court verdicts, a person is engaging in a business activity after more than 3 times of doing a activity of their own accord with the intention of generating a profit.

The following information provides only an initial representation of the legal situation. However, it doesn’t cover the nuances of the individual case. The information in this article cannot and should not replace legal advice.