Investor Visa

OVERVIEW
In Germany, you can establish or undertake to establish a company without a minimum capital amount. With your newly established company and a business plan, you can obtain an Investor Visa and bring your family to Germany. At the end of your stay in Germany, you can apply for a permanent residence permit and citizenship if you meet other requirements.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE COMPANY TO BE ESTABLISHED UNDER THE INVESTOR VISA
- The legal foundations of the right of Turkish citizens to obtain a residence permit through an 'Investor Visa' by establishing a business in Germany, i.e. making an investment, were laid with the Ankara Agreement. According to this protocol, in order to obtain an Investor Visa and thus a residence permit, you can establish or commit to establish a company in Germany related to the planned business. Under German law, there is no monetary limit for investment. The capital required to start a business must be provided by the person who will start the business or committed with a loan.
- Even though the minimum age limit for establishing a company is 18 years old, in practice, applications made by people aged 22 and over are accepted, as experience is also required.
- The applicant must not have a criminal record and must not have been in Germany illegally before.
- The most important condition for obtaining an Investor Visa is the submission of a Business Plan detailing the business to be carried out in Germany. It is important to note that the preparation of a competent business plan is one of the most important prerequisites to be able to go to Germany with the Ankara Agreement, regardless of which sector and which business will be carried out. The business plan, which is mandatory for the visa application to be accepted, must be prepared by experts in the field. As Lotus Legal, we provide services in this field with our experienced staff.
- The applicant must have a qualification or specialization certificate for the business that is planned to be established in Germany. In the absence of the relevant documents, the applicant must prove that he/she has been working in the business in question for many years. It is advantageous for the applicant to have at least 2 years of work experience in the profession or to have an active workplace already in operation. It is risky to apply for an Investor Visa with the promise of starting a business in Germany from scratch without any experience.
- As a company owner, in addition to your Business Plan, you should explain in detail how you will support yourself during this period. If you intend to bring your spouse and/or children under the age of 18 with you, you should also consider your family when detailing your financial situation.
- There is no language requirement for the applicant (or his/her family, if applicable). An Investor Visa can be obtained without speaking any German if the other conditions are met.
- If you come to Germany with an Investor Visa, it is not possible for the applicant to work in another job. If the applicant wants to work outside the company for which he or she has applied, he or she must apply for a work visa (under section 18(a) or 18(b) of the Residence Act). In return, family members of the company owner are granted the right to work.
HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK?
The entire visa application process takes approximately 4-5 months. Applications are submitted to the German Consulate in Turkey. If the business plan is approved, a 3-year visa is granted. At the end of 3 years, if it is observed that the activities of the company are carried out within the
scope of the business plan, the business plan is still viable and the owner of the company is not involved in any crime, the residence period is extended for another 3 years. After the residence permit obtained within the scope of the Ankara Agreement, if the necessary conditions are met, there is the right to obtain permanent residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis) and then to acquire German citizenship.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVESTOR VISA
- If an Investor Visa is obtained, the applicant and his/her family members are entitled to free movement in the Schengen countries, i.e. the persons concerned are entitled to travel in the EU countries for a period not exceeding 90 days.
- Education in Germany is free of charge. Even at higher education level, university students pay only a small tuition fee. The applicant and family members are entitled to study in Germany under the Investor Visa.