Hi,

I am a GC living in Deutschland for around 3.5 years. My wife has been staying with me from the beginning.
First of all, my wife doesnt have a workpermit here. As far as I know..she can get one now (she is here for over 2 years) if she applies.

If my wife wants to start some small busines over ebay or some other auction site..does she need to have workpermit or does she need to take special permit for business ?

thanks

Ahmed

No, not at all.
Ebay is international Internet market place and anyone can sell or buy what he wants and do not need special permit or what ever.
You need german (for ebay.de) adress and account.
That what you say 'small bussines' I understand as normaly bying-selling prozess over ebay (or simmilar).
But if you need/want to make as a reall company who is accreditate in ebay (as firma seller), then you need to make(register) an firma and so on...

Be careful with that. Yo do not need workpermit as long as the activities are not considered "Gewerbe". I do not know exact conditions for that. But if you buy and then (re)sell stuff and earn on it then you need boot work permit for that and also a registered company, pay tax etc. This is also valid if you produce goods or offer services. If you do not register properly and pay tax you violate number of laws, in every country and also in Germany.

The fact that you are selling it on ebay does not give you any special rights, it is just another way for offering the goods. You have still respect the laws.

Hi,

When I buy goods on ebay and then sell them and earn a lot of money from it, how could anyone find it out, that I am making it "gewerblich"?

KaaN

If anyone finds out or not is one topic, and if it is legal or not is another topic.

"then you need to make(register) an firma and so on..."

if he wants to pay a Körperschaftsteuer then he will follow your advice

why to register a firma for a small bisuness? :o


1. His wife must have a corresponding "Auflage" in her residence permit that will not prohibit her such kind of activities;
2. There are some registrations that need to be done if he does not want to pay a fine. Those will be:
2.1. Registration by local Gewerbeamt - address will provide local IHK;
2.2. Am not sure if in this case a registration for a "gesetzliche Unfallversicherung" is necessary? you can call these guys:

Großhandels- und Lagerei-Berufsgenossenschaft
68145 Mannheim
Tel.: (0621) 1830
Fax: (0621) 183300

and ask them if they require a "gesetzliche Unfallversicherung" in case if your wife will work alone, that is there will be no other employees.