Considering Relocating to Germany – Seeking Advice and Connections!

@mairaj ahmed Hello and welcome on board !

Thank you for introducing yourself !

Till members provide you their feedback, I would recommend that you read the articles of the Living in Germany guide for expats to gather as much information as possible.

All the best

Bhavna

Dear Majraj,

Sorry to say, but if you think that opening a bank account is a major milestone on the way to being a businessman in Germany, you are seriously delusioned. There are far more complex, costly and time-consuming steps! (And, besides, HSBC is not a major or well-known bank here.)

First and foremost: How well do you understand and speak German?

While it is possible to delegate all registration, licensing, accountancy and taxation tasks (which are entirely in buerocratic German) to German external professionals (for fees that will eat a portion of your profit), it is definitely not possible to conduct the networking, marketing and business contact generation necessary for a successfull business without speaking the language well. If you are not there yet, I seriously recommend getting C1 language certification before you consider a move.

Also, please read the many discussions already present on this forum about becoming self-employed in Germany - a lot of good advice has already been given!

Post sounds like a lot of marketing fluff, without real basis. People don’t come to do a tech start up because they find the culture fascinating. One needs not only to know technical aspects but how business works, the legal frame works, language etc. What innovative tech knowledge do you have to offer that is not already provided by big company competitors? How does a foreign company convincingly sell expertise that is missing for the local markets?

And getting a bank account is not a major thing, everyone in German has one. But without residency or a registered business in Germany then it’s unlikely you can even do that. To come as a skilled worker with employment is one thing but to do a startup, if even approved, in a place one doesn’t know sounds like wishful thinking.

I would recommend one research the likely competition and think about what you might offer that is potentially better. This can be done online. But also a good idea to make at least an extended trip to Germany to see how it really is to live and potentially work here before making such a commitment.