You need a permit if you wish to engage in the following commercial activities involving animals:

• Breeding or keeping vertebrates other than farm animals and game kept in enclosures
• Trading in vertebrates
• Operating a riding or driving facility
• Displaying animals or making them available for display
• Controlling vertebrates as pests
• You train dogs for third parties, such as companion dogs or service dogs; maintain facilities for this purpose; or supervise the training of dogs by their owners, for example through dog training schools

Registering a business is not a requirement.

An activity is generally considered commercial if it is carried out independently, systematically, continuously, and with the intent to make a profit.

A permit is also required if you wish to engage in the following activities:

• You breed or keep vertebrates or cephalopods—including for the purpose of transferring them to third parties—or use them, where the animals themselves or their organs or tissues are intended for scientific purposes, such as animal testing.
• You breed or keep vertebrates whose organs or tissues are intended for purposes other than scientific ones, such as for establishing cell cultures for diagnostic purposes.
• You keep animals in an animal shelter or a similar facility, such as a rescue center. 
• You keep and display animals in a zoo or another facility, or make them available for such purposes.
• You import vertebrates—other than farm animals—into the country for the purpose of selling them for a fee or consideration, or you broker the sale of these animals for a fee or consideration, such as through the Foreign Dog Protection Association.
• You train guard dogs or operate facilities for this purpose.
• You organize animal fairs for the purpose of exchanging or selling animals by third parties.

You need a permit for the commercial handling of animals if you wish to engage in the following activities on a commercial basis:

• Breeding, keeping, or trading in vertebrates other than farm animals
• Operating a riding and driving facility
• Exhibiting animals
• Control of vertebrates as pests 
• Importing vertebrates that are not farm animals into Germany for sale (transfer for a fee)
• Training dogs for third parties or instructing dog owners in the training of their dogs

This permit is also required if you

• Keep animals in an animal shelter or a similar facility
• Keep and exhibit animals in a zoo or other facility
• Train dogs for third parties, maintain facilities for this purpose, or instruct dog owners in training their dogs
• Bring vertebrates into the country or import them for the purpose of selling them for a fee or other consideration, or act as an intermediary in the sale of these animals for a fee or other consideration
• Organize animal fairs for the purpose of exchanging or selling animals by third parties

Note: You do not need a permit to keep farm animals.

The permit may be granted to an individual (sole proprietorship) or a corporation. In the case of a partnership, each personally liable partner receives a separate permit.