Gastronomic trade - apply for a permission for a special occasion

If you wish to serve alcoholic beverages commercially on a temporary basis as part of a special event that is open to the public or a specific group of people, you must apply for a permit in accordance with the Catering Act.

The prerequisite is always that there is a special occasion: These can be, for example, celebrations, anniversaries or similar occasions. A permission is granted under simplified conditions. However, it is only valid temporarily and is limited to the duration and location of the event.

If, on the other hand, you wish to operate a catering business serving alcohol on a permanent basis, you generally require a permit for the catering business (see "More information").

A permit is also required in Berlin if you are in possession of a itinerant trade licence.

Independently of the licence dealt here and depending on your offer, you may have to fulfil further registration and licensing obligations, for example in accordance with the Trade Regulation Act.

Procedure:
  1. If you wish to open a licensed catering business (serving alcohol) as part of a special occasion, you must apply for a catering permit before starting your business. The application can be submitted online. Please fill out the application completely, upload the required documents and submit it.
  2. The competent authority will check your details and documents and request any missing evidence. You will receive instructions on the further procedure and will be informed of the processing status by e-mail.
  3. If all requirements are met and the necessary documents have been submitted, you will receive a fee notice and the permit by post. If not all conditions or required documents have been met, your application will be denied for a fee. In this case, you can read the reason for the denial in the notification from the responsible office.

You can also access this service online

Online processing

  • Do it online now
    You don't need to register for online processing and can submit the application directly online.

Prerequisites

  • There is a special occasion
    for example:
    • Street festivals (e.g. folk festivals or funfairs),
    • Christmas markets,
    • Sports events,
    • company anniversaries
  • Personal reliability
    Reliability is checked on the basis of various documents. For this purpose, the applicant must provide information from the Federal Central Criminal Register (certificate of good conduct) and information from the Central Trade Register.
  • Expertise
    Proof of training in the necessary food law knowledge is only required if the catering activity is exercised regularly and sustainably on certain occasions.

Documents required

  • Application for a permission
    Submit the application online or in writing by post.
  • Identity document
    Identity card or other official identification document with photo.
    Residence permit if the applicant is not a national of an EU country.
  • Certificate of good conduct for submission to an authority
    To check personal reliability, information from the Federal Central Criminal Register (certificate of good conduct) is required for submission to an authority (document type O).
    The information must not be older than three months.
  • Central trade register extract for submission to an authority
    To check personal reliability, information from the central trade register is required for submission to an authority (document type 9).
    The information must not be older than three months.
  • If applicable, the catering instruction according to § 4 GastG
    In the case of repeated applications, a certificate from a Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) confirming participation in the catering training course or a comparable qualification (confirmation from the IHK required) must be submitted.
  • If applicable, a current extract from the commercial register
    Registered companies should submit a current extract from the commercial register with their application. Legal entities in the process of being founded (GmbH, AG) submit the articles of association or articles of incorporation.

Forms

Fees

EUR 11.00 to EUR 869.00 per effort

Legal basis

Average time to process request

approx. 2 weeks

More information

Notes on responsibility

The application for a permission must be submitted in sufficient time (at least 2 weeks in advance) to the public order office responsible for the event location.

Your point of contact

Please select a location to make an appointment

Do it online

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Further information about this

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