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Would you like to operate a restaurant that serves alcohol? To do so, you must register the restaurant 6 weeks before it opens.

Unlike in some other federal states, you do not need a permit to operate a restaurant that serves alcohol in Hesse. When the Hessian Restaurant Act came into force on 01.05.2012, the permit requirement was replaced by a notification requirement.

The obligation to notify exists if you start a restaurant business yourself, if you want to take over a restaurant business from someone else or if the restaurant is to be run by you as a deputy.
Further information can be found on the Hesse administration portal under the keyword "Notify restaurant business".

Contact the catering authority in your municipality or city.

To prove your personal reliability, you must submit the following documents to the competent authority if the restaurant is to serve alcohol:

• Identity card or passport (with current registration certificate from the municipality of residence)
• Business registration
• Proof of the requested certificate of good conduct for submission to the authority from the registration office of the main place of residence
  • See also: Certificate of good conduct
• Proof of the requested information from the central trade register for presentation to the authorities at the registration office of the main place of residence:
  • See also: Central trade register information
• Extract from the debtor register at the enforcement court (according to § 915 para. 1 of the German Code of Civil Procedure)
• Certificate in tax matters from the responsible tax office.
  • See also: Certificate in tax matters

The information must be requested from the municipality of residence for submission to an authority; it will be sent directly to the authority. You must therefore state the exact address of the competent authority and the purpose of use in your application.

The information can also be requested using the online procedure provided by the Federal Office of Justice/Citizen Services.

The information must not be older than 3 months.

Please note that the competent authority may require further documents in individual cases. Please inform yourself in good time before submitting your application.

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

There is no temporary restaurant license in Hesse. If you wish to take over an existing restaurant unchanged or if you wish to continue the restaurant business unchanged as a deputy, you must notify the competent authority.

§ 2 Hessian Restaurant Act (HGastG)
§ 3 Hessian Restaurant Act (HGastG)
§ 14 Trade Regulations (GewO)
§ 15 Trade Regulations (GewO)

• objection
• Administrative court action

Submit your application to the competent authority.

Enclose all necessary documents with this application.

You will receive a receipt after submitting the notification. Upon request, you can receive an official certificate confirming the result of the background check.

As a rule, a restaurant serving alcohol must be notified 6 weeks before the start of operations. Otherwise, the restaurant must be registered with the authority responsible for business registrations at the same time as it starts operating.

The fees depend on the administrative costs and the administrative cost regulations of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Housing or the municipal fee statutes.