Self-employment visas for artists

Hi Ive heard about this self employment or artist visa that you can get fairly easily and was wondering if anyone had more specific information - like what its called in german and what i should write on the form that i am applying for? Is the self employment visa the same as the artist visa?
Thanks!

What country do you come from ? I assume outside European Union. If so, then I think it may be difficult.

To be able to work self-employed in Germany you need to be able to prove your qualifications - you can't just come over and set up business. Assuming you have the right to work in Germany, and if for example you want to work as a self-employed IT Consultant, you will need to show your university degree in Computer Science (and have it translated into German). Then you need to go to your local "Industrie und Handleskammer" office, and look to register as "Selbsstandig" - self employed. Once you've done that, you can then register with the Finanzamt for tax purposes (you'll need to have a local tax consultant - "Steurberater"), and you will be able to open a business bank account, and if you wish setup a company.

I have no idea about any special "Artist" visa, however in my opinion, unless you are a European Union citizen, I doubt you will get any sort of working visa without paperwork to show you have skills that are in short supply or not already available in Germany.

Colin

Ok, disregard everything he said. Yes, you're right. There is a self employment visa and if you are an Artist you can receive residency and allowance for freelance and work as an Artist in Germany. I've personally applied and received a year visa. Please take a look at http://4dayvisa.tumblr.com

Hope this helps and good luck!

Barrie

Help!!

I'm an Indian National whose been living in Germany for eight years now.

I studied music in Freiburg (BW). Even during my studies, I'd been working as a teacher at a state-certified 'Jugendmusikschule'. I also did a three-month gig with the house-band at a dinner show which involved a large sum of money as the fee. During the first year when I actually made a decent amount of money (this was 2005), i went to an income-tax lawyer who told me to register as a self-employed musician and do my tax-clearance under the same category. Worked out fine. I continued doing the same for the next three years. I even received my tax-number from the finanzamt. All this time I'd been on the Student-Visa.

At the end of two years after I'd done my first income-tax clearance, I went to the Auslanderbehörde to ask about extensions on my resident permit. My course was (almost) at an end and I wanted stay and continue with my work.Please note:

* by now I'd been a student for 6 years.
* I was already employed as a freelance music teacher at three different music-schools.
* Had a tax-number and was 'selbständig', as advised by my steuerberater.

The first thing that schocked the s*** out of me was the guy at the desk saying that I'm not allowed to be sebständig as a foreigner. And this after I'd been doing icome-tax clearances as self-employed musician/music-teacher for two years already--on the advice of a lawyer. When I mentioned that my studies also required me to gather work experience as a musician even as a student, they said they'd 'let it go' on that basis, but although the finanzamt hadn't said anything, strictly speaking, it wasn't quite legal from their point of view. Although it was apparent that they didn't really have specific rules for my case.

I didn't have the student-visa/work-permit that comes with it anymore so I got a years extension for the 'job suche' thing. I had to get all three teaching-jobs (where I'd been working for more than 2 years already) approved and get a work permit for each of them. The whole process lasted around 2-5 months (I got three separate work permits for each job).

I was making enough money, had a unique artist profile that was not 'replaceable' (an advantage artists/musicians sometimes have) AND had close family with permanent residence in Germany who signed a bond guaranteeing all financial/other responsibilities in case of emergency.

Two weeks before I was hoping I would get an extension on the resident permit, I was refused (albeit very politely). The reason: a change in the constitution in 2005 specifies that non EU citizens cannot be self-employed. Musicians/artists and a few had been exceptions to this rule, but apparently this exception was left out in the revised rules in 2005. All three jobs although regular ones, were freelance contracts. they wanted to see a ''feste anstellung'', one where your employer pay your insurance etc. (now mind you I was insured/had an apartment...all the documents needed) but to no avail. I was refused.

(I'd luckily got a seat at a very elite uni here in mannheim which offers like 25 seats to 600-700 applicants every year so after going through another beaureaucratic drama proving that this course was an 'ergänzungs studium' to my first, I got a student visa for 2 years again just in the nick of time.)

So here I am, back to square one. I'm working again on the basis of the student work.permit and since the work I do is as a musician, it kinda counts as 'studentische nebentätigkeiten' . When I finish my second course here, I'll have spent 10 years in Germany and be back to square 1 (I believe your stay as a student doesn't count for the permanent residence??) and i definitely wont get a fester anstellung--why? there ARE no such jobs for musicians anymore.

My Questions:

*Does the artist visa still exist?
*Is it applicable to all non-EU nationalities equally?
*Does the fact that I'll have lived in Germany for 10 years count for anything at all?
* Will I be eligible to spend another 'job-suche' year after this course?

Any help/info will be DEEPLY appreciated. If anyone could recommend a specialist in such matters, I'd be grateful as well.

Best regards. Thanks for this forum.