Procedure descriptions
Apply for a travelling trade licence
If you want to operate a travelling trade, you will need a travelling trade permit in most cases. You can obtain this for a limited or unlimited period.
There are also travelling trade activities for which you do not need a travelling trade licence. If you take up such an activity, you may have to report it. Further information on this can be found in the procedural description"Travelling trade notification for activities not requiring a travel trade card".
Note: The statutory shop opening hours also apply to the travelling trade.
Responsible department
Depending on where you live: the city administration or the district office
Details
Prerequisite
You usually need a travelling trade licence if you
- on a commercial basis,
- without prior authorisation and
- outside your commercial establishment or without having one,
- Offer or purchase goods or visit customers to take their orders (e.g. traders at markets, operators of mobile snack vans) or
- Offer services or visit customers in order to take orders for services or
- carry out entertaining activities as a showman or showwoman or in the manner of a showman or showwoman.
Procedure
You must apply for a travelling trade licence from the competent authority.
You must sign the travelling trade card before it is issued.
Deadlines
none
Required documents
- Completed application form
- Copy of identity card or comparable identification document
- Current excerpt from the commercial or cooperative register, if the company is entered in the register; otherwise a copy of the articles of association (e.g. for a civil law partnership (GbR))
- If the company is based abroad: documents from the country of domicile that prove the legal form
- Extract from the Federal Central Criminal Register (certificate of good conduct) for submission to an authority for each person responsible for managing the business or a branch office (for legal entities: for all persons authorised to represent the company by law, articles of association or partnership agreement)
- Extract from the central trade register for each person responsible for managing the business or a branch (in the case of legal entities: for the legal entity itself and for all persons authorised to represent it by law, articles of association or partnership agreement)
- Certificate in tax matters from the responsible tax office
- Extract from the debtor register of the central enforcement court
- Information from the insolvency court as to whether proceedings have been opened
- Clearance certificate from the municipal tax office
- If you live abroad: documents from your home country that prove your personal reliability
- If you are applying for a travelling trade licence as a showman or showwoman: additional proof or proof that you have taken out public liability insurance (financial loss liability insurance)
The competent authority may request further documents to verify personal reliability.
In the case of legal entities (limited liability companies, business companies, public limited companies, registered co-operatives), you only need to complete the application form for the legal entity itself. You must submit all personal documents for all natural persons authorised to manage the company (e.g. identity papers). For the legal entity, you also need an extract from the central trade register.
Partnerships (GbR, KG, OHG, PartG, GmbH Co. KG) are not eligible for authorisation as such. Therefore, each managing partner requires a licence. You must submit a completed application form and all personal documents for each of these persons.
Costs
The costs are based on the statutes of the issuing municipality or the legal ordinance of the issuing district office.
Processing time
The competent body must decide on your application within a period of three months. This period begins with the receipt of the complete documents. Once this period has expired, the authorisation applied for is deemed to have been granted if your application is sufficiently specific.
Note: The competent authority may extend the deadline once if this is justified by the complexity of the matter. The competent authority must justify this extension and inform you in good time.
Miscellaneous
In order to exercise the professions of security operator, auctioneer, estate agent, property developer and building supervisor, residential property manager, insurance broker, insurance advisor, financial investment broker or fee-based financial investment advisor as well as real estate loan broker in the travel industry, which require a licence, further documents must generally be submitted, namely those required for the granting of the corresponding licence, for example proof of training or expertise and proof of professional liability insurance.
Legal basis
Gewerbeordnung (GewO):
- §§ 55 ff. Reisegewerbekarte
- § 61a Anwendbarkeit von Vorschriften des stehenden Gewerbes für die Ausübung als Reisegewerbe
Landesverwaltungsverfahrensgesetz (LVwVfG):
- § 3a elektronische Kommunikation
§ 6b Absatz 1 GewO und § 71a ff. LVwVfG in Verbindung mit §§ 1 ff. des Gesetzes über einheitliche Ansprechpartner für das Land Baden-Württemberg (EAG BW) (Verfahren über eine einheitliche Stelle, einheitliche Ansprechpartner)
§ 42a LVwVfG in Verbindung mit § 6a Absatz 1 GewO (Entscheidungsfrist, Genehmigungsfiktion)
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Wirtschaftsministerium Baden-Württemberg, 14.04.2025