Schankerlaubnis beantragen

You would like to serve alcoholic beverages commercially? You need a liquor license to do so. You can find out more here.

You would like to serve alcoholic beverages? A liquor license is required for this.

Only the serving of non-alcoholic beverages is exempt from this requirement. A liquor license is also required if alcoholic beverages are not offered within a purely gastronomic operation, but as an ancillary service to another business operation (e.g. serving alcoholic beverages as part of a sales transaction - refreshment bar in a department store; serving food to increase sales of alcoholic beverages).

If you intend to limit the serving of alcoholic beverages to a certain period of time (e.g. summer season, Christmas season, etc.), you can apply for a temporary liquor license.

The permit to serve alcoholic beverages is always issued for a specific type of operation (e.g. pub, discotheque, etc.) and for specific premises.

If you want to serve alcoholic beverages on special occasions (e.g. city festivals, shooting festivals, fairs and music events), you need a special permit, which you can obtain under simplified conditions. For this purpose, you must submit an "Application for Temporary Permission to Operate a Restaurant".

• Copy of identity card or passport with certificate of registration, or presentation on the spot. The documents concerning the building in which the restaurant is located: Site plan, floor plan to scale and sectional drawing of the establishment (seating plan). If necessary, in duplicate
• Certificate in tax matters from the tax office in the place where you have lived or operated a business in the last three years.
• Application for a certificate of good conduct for submission to an authority in accordance with Section 30 (5) of the Federal Central Register Act (Bundeszentralregistergesetz)
• Application for an extract from the central commercial register for submission to an authority in accordance with Section 150 (5) of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act (Gewerbeordnung)
• Negative certificate from the insolvency court of those local courts in whose district you have had a residence or a commercial establishment in the last three years
• Extract from the debtors' file via the enforcement portal of the federal states pursuant to Section 882b of the German Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO)
• Proof of instruction from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) on the basic principles of food law in accordance with Section 4 (1) Sentence 1 No. 4 of the German Catering Act (GastG)
• For legal entities: Current excerpt from the commercial register or register of associations or a copy of the shareholders' agreement or articles of association.
• If the application is submitted by a representative: Power of attorney
• Residence permit, if applicable.

In order for you to be granted a liquor license, you must

• prove your personal reliability

This is checked on the basis of excerpts from the Federal Central Register and the Central Trade Register.

• Prove your professional suitability. This is done by submitting proof of instruction pursuant to Section 4 (1) Sentence 1 No. 4 GastG from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce or an exemption pursuant to No. 3.4 of the General Administrative Regulation on Proof of Instruction in conjunction with its Annex 3 to prove your professional suitability.
• Prove that the property-related requirements are met. For example, the premises must meet the requirements of the building code established to protect the health and life of guests and employees, as well as the requirements for toilets. In addition, no harmful environmental effects may emanate from the operation. Accessibility requirements are also checked.

The exact fee amount depends on the administrative effort. The framework fee is 51.00 - 928.00 EUR.

Once you have submitted the application and all documents are complete, the competent body will check whether you meet all the requirements for the issuance of the requested liquor license.

If you meet all the requirements, you will receive the permit.

Only when you have received the permit, you may start the commercial activity. At the same time as the start of the activity, the trade must be notified to the authority responsible for trade notifications in accordance with § 14 GewO.

If the documents are complete, the application will be processed promptly.

Before you start operating, you must have a restaurant permit. It is therefore necessary to submit an application in good time.

If the authority has not decided on an application for permission to operate a trade within a period of three months after receipt of the complete documents (Section 42 (2) Sentence 2 of the Administrative Procedure Act), the permission is deemed to have been granted (Section 6a (1) of the GewO).

This also applies to procedures under the Catering Act, as long as there are no regulations under state law (§6a para.2 GewO).

You must notify the authority responsible for trade notifications pursuant to Section 14 GewO of the commencement of the permitted activity.

You may not serve alcoholic beverages on your premises without a permit.

• Objection
• administrative court action

• Licensing
• The serving of alcoholic beverages requires a liquor license.
• Permission is also required if the serving of alcoholic beverages is offered only as an ancillary service to another business (e.g., serving alcoholic beverages in the refreshment room of a department store).
• Only the serving of non-alcoholic beverages is not subject to a permit.
• Entitlement to the granting of a permit if there are no grounds for refusal according to § 4 Para. 1 Sentence 1 Nos. 1 to 4 GastG.
• Permission is based on the type of business (in the case of pure serving of alcoholic beverages: pub) and on the room in which it is located.
• If, in addition to serving alcoholic beverages, prepared meals are also offered, a restaurant permit must be applied for for a different type of operation.
• A liquor license can be limited in time (e.g. for the summer season) or can be linked to additional conditions (e.g. for compliance with immission control regulations).
• If alcoholic beverages are served for a specific occasion (e.g. as part of a particular event), a license must be applied for.

• Written form required: no
• Online procedure possible: yes
• Personal appearance required: no