Starting a Business in Berlin

8 9 Starting a Business in Berlin A Beginner’s Guide CHAPTER 1 BEFORE YOU START Welcome to Berlin! What a great decision to set up your company here. This guide has been created to help you with your business venture, offering an insight into the prerequi- sites, general conditions and support available in the city. It is also intended to guide you through the essential aspects of the setting-up process, as well as listing key contacts and sources of information. EU citizens, visas, residence permits Those living within the European Union (EU) and the Euro- pean Economic Area (EEA – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) enjoy both full freedom of movement for workers and freedom of establishment. The same also applies to the people of Switzerland. This means that nationals of these countries and their spouses (regardless of their nationality) are essen- General Information