A beauty salon in Germany

Due to the freedom of trade in Germany, anyone can be self-employed there. Those who want to start their own business by setting up a beauty salon or cosmetics store in Germany must meet certain requirements. In the article from Wise Business Group, we mention the necessary points to consider for successfully opening a beauty salon in Germany.

Registration of a beauty salon in Germany

Due to the general freedom of trade, there is no obstacle for individuals to set up a business providing beauty services in Germany. Completing appropriate professional training courses or providing specialized qualifications is not officially required. However, taking advantage of training is better before starting your business in Germany. Customers expect you to provide professional and comprehensive services. Some of them may want to ensure the provision of professional services in your beauty salon by viewing documents and certificates. As the founder of a beauty salon in Germany, if you don’t have well-founded expertise in providing beauty services, how can you provide professional consulting services, including beauty treatments? For this reason, training is the main requirement for success in this profession, even if it is not mandatory.

Read more on Wise Business Group: Self-employment residence permit in Germany

Setting up a beauty salon in Germany

After completing the training courses suitable for working as a beautician and gaining experience in an employment relationship, you can start your own business in Germany. Setting up a beauty salon in Germany is considered a commercial activity. So, it is necessary to obtain a trade license for it. Regardless of whether you intend to open a beauty salon in Germany, use a home office, or offer mobile services to your clients, you must specify the scope of your business activity when registering. Therefore, if you want to sell care products through an online store, you should mention this in your job description.

The most important point about registering a beauty salon in Germany

You must have a suitable business premise to register a beauty salon in Germany. At this stage, the labor inspectorate comes into action. Since health regulations play a major role in this field, you should pay special attention to them. For example, meet the requirements to have a separate toilet for each customer at your place. It is also true if you use a home office for your business. In this case, you need to get permission from the landlord.

Each federal state in Germany may have different regulations and structural requirements for opening a beauty salon. Thus, it is necessary for the founders of the business to personally contact the relevant authorities so that they can properly comply with all the conditions and requirements from the beginning.

Read more on Wise Business Group: The steps of a Business Set-up in Germany

Business registration for a beauty salon in Germany

Providing beauty services in Germany is a business that does not require special licensing or supervision. So, the business registration process will not be too long. You must provide your ID card and the relevant form when registering a business in Germany. Also, some public order offices in Germany provide appropriate services in this regard online, the number of which is increasing.

Description of self-employment activity in Germany

The description of the self-employment activity plays an important role in the actual business registration in Germany. A more comprehensive and extensive business description will lead to fewer possible problems and will often result in the absence of the need to amend the license in the future.

A trade license is required even for people who only want to sell cosmetics as a secondary business. Self-employment in Germany is not possible without a trade license.

You can find the list of documents that you usually have to provide when registering a business in paragraph 13 of the German Trade Regulations (GewO).

In addition, our team can help you set up your business in Germany without wasting time and money. Contact us for advice on registering and setting up a business in Germany.

A special feature of registering a business as a beautician in Germany

According to Annex B of the Crafts Act in Germany, beautician trade is similar to crafts. The difference is that there is no requirement to become a master craftsman to work in this profession. So, the entry conditions are simpler. Accordingly, as a beautician in Germany, you should join the local Chamber of Crafts. After a while, you will need to pay the compulsory membership fee. However, you can use this membership strategically to receive expert advice.

Membership in the Chamber of Crafts in Germany

In addition to what we already mentioned, paragraph 113 of the German Crafts Act (HwO) states that founders registering a business for the first time are exempt from paying the mandatory membership fee in the first year. They can also use discounts in the following years.

The trade tax is applied only to the annual basic allowance of 24,500 euros. This tax can vary depending on the municipality and due to the separate assessment rate.

Read more on Wise Business Group: 25 Most Common Questions When it Comes to Trade (Gewerbe) Registration in Germany

Sudden inspections by the health department of a beauty salon in Germany

Before opening a beauty salon in Germany, you should note that hygiene is one of the factors influencing your business success. Compliance with health regulations and standards should be part of your professional practice. It is why there is no substitute for proper or adequate training because the relevant specialized knowledge is transferred in a practice-oriented manner during the training for the provision of beauty services in Germany.

The importance of observing health regulations in a beauty clinic in Germany

Incorporate hygiene measures into your business processes daily from the beginning. The more you follow the health regulations in your beauty salon, the more satisfied the customers will be. In this regard, things such as disinfecting work tools and taking preventive measures such as wearing protective gloves for certain treatments are important, particularly.

Health Department inspection of a beauty clinic in Germany

The founders of beauty salons in Germany should pay attention to the fact that inspectors from the health department may come to their business premises. Then, they will inform other authorities involved in the business registration process (like the tax office for registering the commercial activity tax).

If inspectors from the health department find health deficiencies in your beauty clinic in Germany or the customers file reports, they may quickly revoke your official trade license.

Business expertise to set up a beauty salon in Germany

As the founder of a beauty clinic in Germany, you should not neglect the relevant business expertise. It is necessary to carefully monitor the costs and skillfully adjust the scope of your services to the demand status. For example, attractive pricing is important from the customers’ perspective.

We recommend reading our specialized article on preparing a convincing business plan in Germany.

You can also contact us for advice on preparing a professional business plan for your business in Germany. Our consultants specializing in writing a business plan and setting up a business will guide you as soon as possible.

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Important points about registering a beauty salon in Germany

• Regardless of the type and scope of selected services in Germany, whether you provide beauty services in a fixed salon, home office, or mobile, you must register your business.
• You can work independently in your profession only if you have a trade license.
• There are no special access hurdles for setting up a beauty salon in Germany. In theory, it is possible to register a business without going through training courses. However, we do not recommend it.
• Considering your business premise in Germany, you should pay attention to hygiene-related building regulations. These regulations can vary from state to state. In particular, you need to have a separate toilet for each client.
• Opening a beauty salon or cosmetic shop in Germany is a business that does not require special permits or supervision.
• According to the Crafts Act in Germany, providing beauty services does not require a license, is similar to crafts, and has no prerequisite to be a master craftsman. It leads to the mandatory membership of the beautician in the Chamber of Crafts in Germany. However, there is no requirement to pay membership fees for the first year.
• You must follow health standards such as preventive measures daily because there is a risk of unexpected controls from the health department.

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