Cross-border | Einheitlicher Ansprechpartner Nordrhein-Westfalen

The European services directive distinguishes between the establishment of a company of a Member State of the European Union in another Member State on the one hand and of the cross-border provision of services On the other hand.

Establishment means the actual pursuit of an economic activity by a service provider for an indefinite period and through a fixed infrastructure from where the business of services actually carried out. Foreign service providers and companies must sign a trade - as well as the domestic entrepreneur -.

For more information, see Business registration and reasons.

No Office exists in the temporary exercise of a service activity in another EU Member State. The operating headquarters are still abroad, however the company can operate temporarily commercially in Germany.

Temporary exercise of a service activity

EU citizens and EU citizens and nationals of a Contracting State of the agreement on the European economic area have the opportunity to operate temporarily across borders in Germany.

If this is a commercial activity in a regulated profession, the cross-border service must be displayed to a competent authority. Regulated means that the requirement includes a special permission or qualification for your self-employment. You must prove that you have demonstrated the qualifications required in their country of origin.

The cross-border service to be displayed may be a handicraft activity or another regulated profession. It is therefore divided into:

Issuing a certificate of authorization for the provision of temporary cross-border services in accordance with § 9 (1) (2) of the Craft Regulations (HwO) in the field of trades subject to authorisation.
Display of cross-border provision of services in regulated professions.

For more information, please click on the individual services.

If you wish to offer a service in a non-regulated profession in Germany, you can provide this activity to the competent authority without prior notification. For non-regulated professions is the access to a profession or the exercise of the profession of no particular State qualifying guidelines. This means that the profession can be exercised without government approval.