u/Bootstrapped_Life

Hey everyone,

I'm in the planning phase of setting up a solo business here in Germany and want to keep things as lean as possible. No employees, just me, operating under the Kleinunternehmerregelung to stay exempt from charging VAT (keeping revenue under €25,000).

I want a realistic picture of the day-to-day paperwork:

1. What setup documents do I actually need to deal with?

(Aside from Registation and ELSTER form)

2. How frequent is the tax filing?(Since no VAT)

3. How often do authorities actually reach out?

4. Once the initial wave of welcome letters dies down, is it mostly quiet unless you mess up an invoice or hit the annual filing deadline?

Any tips, common blind spots, or software recommendations that made your life easier in the first year would be hugely appreciated!

Hello y'all,

I'm aiming for the Summer 2027 intake for Master's programs in Germany.

Since it's almost October right now, I'm trying to assess whether my timeline is realistic or if I'm falling behind on prep.

Current status:

Academics: Transcripts + PDC Received

IELTS: Test Score received

LOR: 2 Received

APS: Received

Uni shortlist: Not finalised

The biggest concern I have is VPD, given its prime time for vpd applications. Will I miss on some unis?(e.g. Unis with deadline 15 Nov)

Thanks.

Hi Everyone 👋🏻

I wanted to know,

Can a student:

1. Hold a §16b residence permit for a full-time master's programme, receive authorization under §21(6) for secondary self-employment, and simultaneously undertake employment permitted under §16b Abs. 3?

2. If you received §21(6) permission, did the Ausländerbehörde impose a specific weekly-hours limit or other conditions on your self-employment?

3. If you had both self-employment and a student job (e.g. café/restaurant/Werkstudent), how did your Krankenkasse treat the combination regarding student health insurance?

First-hand experiences would be especially helpful.

Also, if there are any German immigration advisors or lawyers here who could clarify this in English, I’d really appreciate your input.

Additional context: I’ll be pursuing a full-time Master’s in an entrepreneurship-focused programme in Germany. The programme is specifically related to entrepreneurship/startups, which is why I’m wondering whether the nature of the degree has any relevance when applying for permission for secondary self-employment under §21(6).