Starting a business in Berlin: step by step

This page explains the steps and names its sources. It is not legal, tax or funding advice. To find out what applies to your plans, check with an advisory service or the authority responsible.

Starting question

I have a business idea and want to start in Berlin. Which registrations do I need, in what order, and who can help me?

In short: whether you have to register a trade (Gewerbe) depends on your activity. According to the Berlin ServicePortal, registration is required when you start an independent commercial business with a fixed place of business. The liberal professions (freie Berufe), among others, are exempt from this obligation [1]. You still have to provide information to the tax office (Finanzamt) if you practise a liberal profession [3].

Steps

1. Get advice. The Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises (Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe) lists contact points in the districts, at universities and at the chambers. According to that page, the Handwerkskammer (chamber of skilled crafts) and the IHK Berlin (chamber of commerce and industry) offer initial advice on founding, taking over a business and becoming self-employed [7]. You will find more offices under Advice.
2. Decide on the legal form. Which registrations follow depends on the legal form. According to the start-up portal of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), registered merchants, GmbH, UG (haftungsbeschränkt), OHG, KG and AG, among others, must be entered in the commercial register (Handelsregister). Members of the liberal professions are not entered there [4]. More in the guide Choosing a legal form.
3. Commercial register, if needed. The register is kept by the local courts (Amtsgerichte). The application must be certified by a notary; since 1 August 2022 this is also possible online [4]. The Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner Berlin (Berlin’s single point of contact for businesses) explains the entry for e.K., GmbH, KG and OHG [5].
4. Register your trade. The responsible office is the Ordnungsamt (public order office) of the district where your business is based [1]. Registration must be made at the same time as the business starts [1]. You can register online, with or without a BundID account, or in person at the Ordnungsamt [1]. The ServicePortal lists a fee of 26.00 euros per sole trade and 15.00 euros for online processing [1]. A GmbH or UG in formation submits the notarised articles of association and the shareholders’ declarations of consent [1]. Under trade law there is no difference between a small trade (Kleingewerbe) and a trade [2]. Some trades also need a permit [1].
5. Skilled crafts: entry with the chamber. If you start a craft or a craft-like trade, you must be entered with the Handwerkskammer [4]. The start-up team of the Handwerkskammer Berlin offers free support with the registration formalities [6]. Anyone who registers another trade automatically becomes a member of the IHK; according to the BMWE, crafts and agriculture are exempt [4].
6. Register with the tax office. You submit the tax registration questionnaire (Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung) electronically via Mein ELSTER; this does not yet apply when founding an association [3]. According to the BMWE, the questionnaire must reach the tax office within one month of opening the business [4]. The tax office then gives you the tax number you need for invoices [4]. The trade registration is also passed on to the tax office [1], but according to the BMWE you have to submit the questionnaire yourself [4]. According to the ServicePortal there are no fees [3].
7. Insurance and first employees. According to the BMWE, anyone who opens a business must check with the responsible Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurance institution) whether insurance is compulsory [4]. If you have employees, mini-jobbers or apprentices, you need an establishment number (Betriebsnummer) from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) [4]. More in the guide Finding a team and space.
8. Handle it online. According to the Senate Department, many administrative services related to founding can be handled via the Digitaler Wirtschaftsservice (DIWI) [8].

Who is responsible

Offices from the portal’s directory, in no particular order:

• Anlaufstellen für Gründungen (Übersicht der Senatsverwaltung) · Berlin-wide
  The Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe lists points of contact for starting a business in Berlin on its website, from the first idea to the start-up, including contacts at universities.
• Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie · Berlin-wide
  Berlin Partner, the economic development agency of the State of Berlin, offers business and technology support for companies, investors and research institutions; the advisory services are free of charge.
• Bürgschaftsbank zu Berlin-Brandenburg · Berlin-wide
  Bürgschaftsbank zu Berlin-Brandenburg takes on the risk when collateral is missing for financing a start-up; with BBBwelcome also for projects by non-EU nationals and refugees.
• Büro für Wirtschaftsförderung Pankow · Pankow
  The Büro für Wirtschaftsförderung of the Pankow district supports businesses, founders and traders with questions on the location, on settling and commercial space, on funding options and on business development.
• Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner Berlin (EA) · Berlin-wide
  The Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner Berlin (Point of Single Contact) helps entrepreneurs and those who want to become one with administrative matters; procedures such as business registration can be handled through one central contact point.

See all matching entries (19) →

Next step

Read the service description for trade registration. It lists the documents, the fees and your Ordnungsamt [1]: service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/121921

Sources (in German)

1. Gewerbe anmelden, Land Berlin, ServicePortal (zuständig: Ordnungsämter der Bezirke). Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
2. Gründen: Alles rund um den Start Ihres neuen Unternehmens (z.B. Gewerbeanmeldung), Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner Berlin, Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe. Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
3. Gründungen – steuerliche Anmeldung von Unternehmen, Gesellschaften, Vereinen, Gewerben, Selbständigkeit oder land- und forstwirtschaftlicher Tätigkeit, Land Berlin, ServicePortal (zuständig: Berliner Finanzämter). Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
4. Existenzgründungsportal – Behörden, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE). Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
5. Eintragung ins Handelsregister, Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner Berlin, Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe. Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
6. Beratungsangebote für Ihre Neugründung, Betriebsübernahme oder Beteiligung, Handwerkskammer Berlin. Page date: 12 March 2026. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
7. Anlaufstellen (Gründen in Berlin), Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe. Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.
8. Gründung & Durchstarten (Gründen in Berlin), Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Energie und Betriebe. Page date: none. Retrieved 6 November 2026.