Start a business in Germany: the real steps and costs in Wuppertal

The restaurant licence (Gaststättenerlaubnis) costs 800 € in Wuppertal for a natural person and 1,200 € for a legal entity with one legal representative; for North Rhine-Westphalia as a whole the state portal gives a usual range of about 100 to 1,500 €. Without alcohol you do not need it. The IfSG instruction is run by the City of Solingen for Wuppertal, Remscheid and Solingen. Every fee and rate below was read on the official page on 30.09.2026 (the City of Wuppertal's restaurant licence fees on 02.10.2026) and says where it applies.

1. Get free advice before you spend money

   In Wuppertal, the place to start is the Startercenter NRW Wuppertal-Solingen-Remscheid. The city's business development agency calls it «die erste Anlaufstelle für alle GründerInnen» — the first point of contact for all founders. It is run jointly by the Bergische IHK, the business development agencies of Wuppertal, Solingen and Remscheid, the University of Wuppertal, the Gründer- und Technologiezentrum Solingen, the Handwerkskammer Düsseldorf and the technology centre W-tec (Wirtschaftsförderung Wuppertal, accessed 30.09.2026).

   Once a month it holds an information event that gives a first overview of what a new business has to think about, and taking part is free. Besides the first consultation, the Startercenter also tells you about funding options. In Wuppertal it is at the Bergische IHK, Heinrich-Kamp-Platz 2, 42103 Wuppertal (Wirtschaftsförderung Wuppertal and Bergische IHK, both accessed 30.09.2026).

   We are not a business consultancy and we do not pretend to be one. If you are not sure your plan is a Gewerbe at all, that is the first call to make — not us.

2. Not an EU citizen? Check what your residence title allows

   German business law starts from freedom: § 1 of the Trade Regulation Act (Gewerbeordnung, GewO) says «Der Betrieb eines Gewerbes ist jedermann gestattet» — anyone may run a business — unless that Act itself prescribes or permits exceptions or restrictions. If you are not an EU national, the question that matters is your residence title: the City of Wuppertal lists a valid residence title among the documents for registering a business.

   The Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz, AufenthG) says that foreigners who hold a residence title may work, and work includes self-employment, unless a law forbids it; it can also be restricted by law (§ 4a(1) and § 2(2)). § 4a(3) adds that every residence title must show whether gainful work is allowed and whether it is restricted — so the first place to look is your own residence title.

   If it does not allow self-employment, there is a residence permit for it. Under § 21(1) AufenthG it may be granted if there is an economic interest or a regional need, the business is expected to have a positive effect on the economy, and its financing is secured by your own capital or a loan commitment. If you hold a residence permit for another purpose, you may be allowed to work self-employed as well, provided the other permits you need have been granted or promised (§ 21(6)).

   Two cards people often ask about. The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) is a residence permit for looking for work or for getting foreign qualifications recognised, and § 20a(2) lists the only things it entitles you to: employment of up to 20 hours a week on average and trial work of up to two weeks at a time — self-employment is not on that list (the extension for a job offer, the Folge-Chancenkarte, follows other rules). The EU Blue Card is named in § 21(2a), together with graduates of German universities and researchers, as a route to a residence permit for self-employment when the business is connected to the degree or the research work.

   None of this is legal advice. Whether your title allows self-employment is decided by the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde): ask there before you sign a lease or spend money.

   The rules on nationality and residence, with their sources

   Rule	What it says	Applies in	Official source (accessed)
   § 1 GewO	Anyone may run a business, unless the Act itself prescribes or permits exceptions or restrictions. Details Show less	All of Germany (federal law)	Gewerbeordnung § 1, gesetze-im-internet.de, 30.09.2026
   Documents for registering	A valid residence title is on the list for people who are not EU nationals. Details Show less	Wuppertal	Stadt Wuppertal, Gewerbeanmeldung, 30.09.2026
   § 4a AufenthG	With a residence title you may work unless a law forbids it; every title must show whether work is allowed and whether it is restricted. Details Show less	All of Germany (federal law)	Aufenthaltsgesetz § 4a, gesetze-im-internet.de, 30.09.2026
   § 2(2) AufenthG	Gainful work (Erwerbstätigkeit) includes self-employment. Details Show less	All of Germany (federal law)	Aufenthaltsgesetz § 2, gesetze-im-internet.de, 30.09.2026
   § 21 AufenthG	Residence permit for self-employment: conditions in (1), the route that names the EU Blue Card in (2a), self-employment on a permit for another purpose in (6). Details Show less	All of Germany (federal law)	Aufenthaltsgesetz § 21, gesetze-im-internet.de, 30.09.2026
   § 20a AufenthG	The Opportunity Card entitles you only to employment of up to 20 hours a week on average and to trial work. Details Show less	All of Germany (federal law)	Aufenthaltsgesetz § 20a, gesetze-im-internet.de, 30.09.2026

   Read on 30.09.2026. Federal law applies everywhere in Germany; the list of documents is the one the City of Wuppertal publishes. This table explains where to look, it is not legal advice: the binding answer for your case comes from the immigration office.

3. How do you register a business (Gewerbe) in Germany?

   You report it to the city when you start: in Wuppertal that means the GewerbeCenter, and it costs 26 € for a natural person or 33 € for a legal entity. § 14 GewO says that whoever starts running a business must report it to the authority «gleichzeitig» — at the same time as starting, not weeks later. The City of Wuppertal points out that a registration made late, incorrectly, incompletely or not at all is an administrative offence (Ordnungswidrigkeit).

   In Wuppertal you register with the GewerbeCenter in one of three ways: in person, only with an appointment made in advance; in writing, on the official form; or online, through the city's Online-Gewerbeanzeige. In a partnership under civil law (GbR), every partner registers separately.

   The documents the City of Wuppertal lists: your ID card, or your passport, with a Meldebescheinigung (the certificate of your registered address); a valid residence title if you are not an EU national; the permit itself, if your activity needs one; the proof of eligibility to practise a craft (Handwerkskarte); and, for so-called monitored trades — among them buying and selling cars, precious metals and scrap metal, detective agencies, partner-matching and travel-booking agencies — a certificate of good conduct and an extract from the central trade register, both of which you have to apply for yourself. Legal entities entered in a commercial, cooperative or association register at a German local court add a current register extract; a GmbH that is still being founded adds its notarised articles; a foreign company adds proof of its entry in the foreign register with a certified German translation. In individual cases the city may ask for more. If someone registers for you, they need your written power of attorney and both ID documents.

   Paying: in person the city accepts only cashless payment by card; with a written application you pay by bank transfer and enclose a copy of it. The processing time, as the city gives it: in person, immediately; in writing or online, within 3 days, provided the form is complete and correct and the documents are there.

   If you produce, process or sell food, the city adds one more step: you have to report your premises — storage rooms included — to the Bergisches Veterinär- und Lebensmittelüberwachungsamt, with the form linked on the same page.

   Business registration fees in Wuppertal

   Who registers	Fee, and where it applies	Official source (accessed)
   Natural person (also a partner entitled to represent a partnership that is not a legal entity)	26 € in Wuppertal	Stadt Wuppertal, Gewerbeanmeldung, 30.09.2026
   Legal entity (for example a GmbH)	33 € in Wuppertal	Stadt Wuppertal, Gewerbeanmeldung, 30.09.2026
   Each further legal representative of a legal entity	13 € extra, in Wuppertal	Stadt Wuppertal, Gewerbeanmeldung, 30.09.2026

   Administrative fee under tariff item 12.01.3 of the fee schedule, as published by the City of Wuppertal and read on 30.09.2026. These are the amounts for registering in Wuppertal; if you register in another city, check the fee there.

   • Gewerbe in Wuppertal anmelden (in German) — our German guide to the same step

4. What permits do you need to open a restaurant, café or takeaway?

   On top of the business registration: the § 43 IfSG instruction for everyone who works with food and, only if you serve alcohol, a restaurant licence (Gaststättenerlaubnis); changing how the rooms are used needs approval as well. Everyone who works with food commercially has to receive an instruction under § 43 of the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) from the public health service. For Wuppertal, Remscheid and Solingen it has been run by the City of Solingen since 1 April 2012, under a public-law agreement between the three cities (Stadt Wuppertal, accessed 30.09.2026). It is done online by video call — or, if that is not possible, in person at the health service in Solingen — takes around 45 minutes and is offered in 26 languages, plus sign language and easy language; you get the certificate straight away. The certificate only stays valid if the work starts within three months of the first instruction and, for employees, the employer gives an instruction at the workplace on the first day of work and notes it on the back of the certificate (Stadt Solingen, accessed 30.09.2026).

   If you serve alcohol, you need a restaurant licence (Gaststättenerlaubnis) on top of the business registration. Without alcohol you do not: the NRW business portal names, among other exceptions, serving only non-alcoholic drinks, free samples and prepared food. The licence is issued for a specific type of business and applies only to the premises you registered. In a GbR every partner needs their own; for a GmbH one licence is enough. A certificate of good conduct (Führungszeugnis) is required, and usually an extract from the central trade register (Gewerbezentralregister) too. The City of Wuppertal also asks for the IHK certificate of instruction under § 4 GastG (Unterrichtungsnachweis) or proof of vocational training in the food or hospitality trade. If you take over an existing restaurant, you can apply for a temporary licence, usually valid for three months, until the final one is granted. Changing how the rooms are used needs approval as well, and in some cases a building permit is needed too (Wirtschafts-Service-Portal.NRW, accessed 30.09.2026).

   And the tax rate: since 1 January 2026, VAT on restaurant and catering services in Germany is 7 % instead of 19 % — for food, not for drinks (Federal Ministry of Finance, page of 30.12.2025, accessed 30.09.2026).

   Food and drink: what it costs and where the figure applies

   What	Fee or rate, and where it applies	Official source (accessed)
   Instruction under § 43 IfSG (everyone who works with food)	25 €. The City of Solingen runs it for Wuppertal, Remscheid and Solingen, so the figure applies to those three cities. Details Show less	Stadt Solingen, Digitale Hygienebelehrung, 30.09.2026
   Restaurant licence, Gaststättenerlaubnis (only if you serve alcohol)	In Wuppertal, for setting up a new restaurant or taking over an existing one: 800 € for a natural person and 1,200 € for a legal entity with one legal representative, plus 350 € for each further legal representative or manager; for a special type of business (besondere Betriebsart) 1,700 € or 2,100 € (City of Wuppertal). For North Rhine-Westphalia as a whole, the state portal gives a usual range of about 100 to 1,500 €, plus possible costs for certificates. Details Show less	Stadt Wuppertal, Gaststätte - Erlaubnis zum Betrieb, 02.10.2026 (Wuppertal fees); Wirtschafts-Service-Portal.NRW, Gaststättenerlaubnis, 30.09.2026 (NRW range)
   VAT on food in restaurants	7 % in all of Germany since 1 January 2026, down from 19 %. The reduced rate applies to food, not to drinks. Details Show less	Bundesministerium der Finanzen, Die wichtigsten steuerlichen Änderungen 2026, 30.09.2026

   All read on the official pages on 30.09.2026, the City of Wuppertal's licence fees on 02.10.2026; the Federal Ministry of Finance page is dated 30.12.2025. Each figure applies where its cell says — the three cities, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia or all of Germany — and nowhere else.

   • Restaurant eröffnen in Wuppertal (in German) — our German guide to opening a restaurant

5. Then get found: Impressum and shop sign

   The name you register is the name that goes everywhere afterwards: on the sign, the menu, the Google profile, the website and your business cards. That is why the design comes after the registration, not before.

   A business website in Germany has to carry the provider details that are commonly called the Impressum. § 5 of the German Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG, the German law on digital services) requires providers of digital services offered commercially, usually for payment, to keep certain details easy to find and always available: among other things your name and the address where you are established, and details that allow quick electronic contact, including an email address (gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed 30.09.2026).

   A shop sign in Wuppertal: the City of Wuppertal says that advertising signs need a permit from a size of 1 m², with easier rules for signs at the business premises in designated commercial, industrial and special areas, and that the city's fee for the permit depends on the production costs and the general administrative fee schedule (Stadt Wuppertal, accessed 30.09.2026). The state building code is more precise: signs of up to 1 m² need no permit procedure (§ 62(1) no. 12(a) BauO NRW, accessed 02.10.2026), so as a rule the permit is for signs larger than 1 m².

   Website and sign: the rules and where they apply

   What	Rule, and where it applies	Official source (accessed)
   Impressum on a business website	Name, address where you are established, quick electronic contact including an email address, among other details. All of Germany (federal law). Details Show less	Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz § 5, gesetze-im-internet.de, 30.09.2026
   Shop sign	Permit needed in Wuppertal from a size of 1 m² (the city's wording); the city's fee depends on the production costs. Details Show less	Stadt Wuppertal, Werbeanlagen, 30.09.2026
   Signs up to 1 m² (state building code)	No permit procedure for advertising signs and information signs of up to 1 m². North Rhine-Westphalia (state law). Details Show less	Bauordnung NRW 2018, § 62(1) no. 12(a), recht.nrw.de, 02.10.2026

   Read on 30.09.2026; the state building code on 02.10.2026. The Impressum rule is federal law; the sign rule is the City of Wuppertal's, read together with § 62 BauO NRW, which leaves signs of up to 1 m² without a permit procedure.

   • Web design in Wuppertal — a website with an Impressum, at a fixed price
   • Graphic design in Wuppertal — logo, business cards and the sign

• Starting work first and registering the Gewerbe weeks later: § 14 GewO says at the same time.
• Starting self-employment on a residence title that does not allow it. Check what your title says, and ask the immigration office if you are not sure.
• Signing a lease for a restaurant before checking that the rooms may be used as one: a change of use needs approval too.
• Assuming you can simply carry on when you take over an existing restaurant. The NRW portal describes a temporary licence, usually for three months, until your own final licence is granted.
• Taking only cash to the appointment at the GewerbeCenter: in person the city accepts only cashless payment.
• Ordering the sign, the website or the business cards before the business name is registered — and having to change them afterwards.

Fees, procedures and laws change. Every rule and fee on this page, and the one market example on money, was read on the page linked next to it on 30.09.2026, except the City of Wuppertal's restaurant licence fees and the state building code rule for signs, read on 02.10.2026. Each figure applies where the page says — Wuppertal, the three cities Wuppertal, Remscheid and Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia or all of Germany — and nowhere else. We are not lawyers, tax advisers or immigration advisers: for your own case, the binding answer comes from the office in charge. Page as of 10.10.2026.