Itinerant Trade Card

If you commercially offer goods, solicit orders, or provide services without prior customer invitation, you need an itinerant trade card (Reisegewerbekarte). This applies to market vendors, fairground operators, door-to-door salespeople, and mobile service providers who operate outside a fixed business location.

You apply at the trade office (Gewerbeamt) at your place of residence. The card is valid nationwide and is issued after a check of your personal reliability, including a certificate of conduct and trade register extract. Certain activities are exempt from the card requirement, such as selling newspapers or self-produced agricultural goods at designated markets. The card must be carried during business operations and presented on request to authorities.