Yes, you can open a Kosovo company while living in Germany, France or any other EU country, even if you are not a citizen there. Kosovo's company law, Law No. 06/L-016 on Business Organizations, does not make citizenship or residence a condition for founding a limited liability company (SH.P.K.), and the registration runs remotely under a power of attorney.
So why does it feel so hard? You were born in Germany, or you moved to France for work twenty years ago. You speak the language, you pay your taxes there, and it is home. But the passport in your drawer is Italian, Polish, Romanian, Turkish or Bosnian. The moment you try to register a company in Kosovo, that detail starts to matter: your passport says one country, your address says another, and every office and bank along the way wants the two to line up.
What gets in your way is paperwork, not eligibility, and paperwork is exactly what we take off your hands. This guide explains why registration stalls for people in your position, what Kosovo actually asks for, and how we handle the process for you. We have already resolved this for several clients, so you would not be the first.
Opening a Kosovo Company From Germany: Key Facts
Kosovo is open to foreign founders, and it pairs that openness with a 10% corporate income tax on profit and the Euro as its currency.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you need German or Kosovo citizenship? | No |
| Do you need to live in Kosovo? | No |
| Can a foreign national own 100% of the company? | Yes, with no local partner, nominee or resident director |
| How is the company registered? | Remotely, under a power of attorney that no longer needs to be notarised |
| Government registration fee | None: KBRA registration is free |
| KBRA business approval | Up to 4 weeks |
| Fully operational | 4 to 5 weeks |
| Corporate bank account | One short in-person visit to Prishtina |
| Corporate income tax | 10% of profit. With up to EUR 30,000 of annual gross income, the default is 3% (trade) or 9% (services) of that income instead, unless the company opts for 10% of profit |
You also need a registered business address in Kosovo, which we arrange through our partner network. The Kosovo LLC guide for non-residents covers ownership and banking in more depth.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for you if:
- You live in Germany, France, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands or another EU country, but you are not a citizen of that country
- You are an EU citizen living in another EU country (a Pole in Germany, an Italian in France), or a non-EU national living there on a residence permit
- You were born there and never naturalised, or you moved there years ago
- You want a Kosovo company, and the registration keeps stalling over documents
You do not need to become a citizen anywhere to own a Kosovo company. You need the right documents, in the right form, telling one consistent story.
Why Kosovo Registration Stalls When Your Passport and Home Don't Match
A standard document checklist asks for a passport and a proof of address, and does not say what to do when the two come from different countries. Yours do, and in our experience that raises five recurring questions.
1. Your documents come from two different countries
Your passport comes from your country of citizenship. Your proof of address comes from your country of residence. The Kosovo registration form itself records the name and address of every shareholder and managing director (Article 33 of Law No. 06/L-016), so every document in your file has to agree with every other one.
2. Your name is spelled differently from one document to the next
Accents and special letters often get lost between systems. Your passport says Wiśniewski, your electricity bill says Wisniewski. To a bank compliance officer, that can look like two different people, and the file stops until someone explains it. At the registry, the same can happen if your power of attorney or company documents spell your name differently from your passport.
3. Your documents are in German or French
Registration documents can be filed with the Kosovo Business Registration Agency (KBRA) in Albanian, Serbian or English. Any document in another language must come with a certified translation into one of those three (Article 17.10 of Law No. 06/L-016). The documents we draft for you, such as your power of attorney and the company's founding documents, are prepared in those languages, so they need no translation. Your proof of address is a different matter: it is not on KBRA's list of registration documents, but your Kosovo bank will check it and may want a translation. We tell you at the start which of your documents need one.
4. Your power of attorney is signed abroad
A remote registration runs on a power of attorney that you sign where you live. This used to be a common sticking point, because it often meant a notary appointment and, from Germany or Austria, an extra legalisation step. The power of attorney no longer needs to be notarised: KBRA asks only for a signed authorization, so there is no notary, apostille or legalisation to arrange. You sign it at home, your own passport identifies you whichever country issued it, and you do not need to be a citizen of the country where you sign.
5. The bank asks the hardest questions
Kosovo banks run their own know-your-customer (KYC) checks, separate from the registry. Expect them to look closely at your passport and your proof of address, and often to ask for your tax identification number. Give them the tax number from the country where you are tax resident, which is usually the country you live in, not the one on your passport. US citizens are the exception: under Kosovo's FATCA agreement with the United States, expect the bank to ask for your US tax number as well. Some non-EU passports also mean a longer review. And Kosovo banks as standard require the account signatory to come in person once to sign.
None of these makes you ineligible. Each one simply needs handling before it reaches an official's desk, not after.
The Documents You Need, and How We Handle Each One
Here is how the core documents work when you live in one country and hold another country's passport:
| What you will be asked for | Your situation | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Valid passport | Issued by your country of citizenship, for example Italy | We check it and match every other document against it |
| Proof of address | From your country of residence, for example a German residence registration certificate or a recent French utility bill | We confirm it is in your name and issued within the last 3 months, and arrange a translation where needed |
| Power of attorney | Signed where you live, with no notary needed | We draft it, you sign it at home, and we file it with your registration |
| Tax number for the bank | From where you are tax resident, usually where you live | We build a bank KYC pack in which every number and address lines up |
| Your name | Spelling may differ between your passport and local records | We compare every document before filing and deal with any mismatch first |
If you live in France, our guide for French entrepreneurs compares French and Kosovo company taxes. If you live in Germany, our page for German entrepreneurs compares a German GmbH with a Kosovo LLC. Either way, read the tax section below before you rely on any savings figure, because the country you live in may tax the company's profits as well as what you take out of it.
How We Handle Your Kosovo Registration From Abroad
You live your life in Germany or France. We handle Kosovo.
- Free consultation. We map your three countries: where you are a citizen, where you live, and where you are tax resident. You leave with a document checklist built for that combination, not a generic one.
- Document check before anything is filed. We compare names, dates and addresses across your whole file and resolve mismatches upfront, instead of waiting for KBRA or a bank to send the file back.
- Translations. We arrange any certified translations you need. Your power of attorney no longer needs a notary, so there are no stamps to collect at home.
- Power of attorney. You sign it at home. From then on, I file everything with KBRA on your behalf.
- Registration and tax number. KBRA business approval is the longest stage and can take up to 4 weeks. On approval, KBRA issues your company's unique identification number, which also serves as its tax number.
- Bank account. We prepare a bank-specific KYC pack that explains your two-country situation upfront, and coordinate your one visit to Prishtina.
Typically, your company is fully operational, bank account included, in 4 to 5 weeks. To get a head start, go through our free company formation checklist before the call. For the full process, see the step-by-step registration guide, or have everything handled end to end through our business registration service.
We Have Solved This Before
We have worked with several clients who live in an EU country without holding its citizenship, and who faced similar problems when they tried to register a business in Kosovo. We worked out what each situation called for, resolved the issues, and successfully established their businesses.
Here is what one of our clients wrote on Google:
"Sehr gute Arbeit, immer sein Wort gehalten, absoluter Vollprofi… Perfekte Arbeit geleistet danke für alles."
In English (Google's translation): "Excellent work, always kept his word, a true professional… Perfect job, thank you for everything."
Dominic, 5-star Google review, October 2026 (see our reviews on Google)
If you are facing the same problem, in our experience it can be solved, and you do not have to solve it alone.
What a Kosovo Company Does Not Change: Tax and Residence
A Kosovo company solves the registration problem. It does not move your life to Kosovo, and honest advice means saying so.
- You are generally taxed where you live, not where your passport is from. Germany and France tax their residents on their worldwide income, whatever their nationality. US citizens are the main exception, because the United States taxes its citizens wherever they live. Kosovo charges 0% on the dividends your company pays you, but your country of residence may tax them.
- Where the company is run from matters. If you run the company day to day from your kitchen table in Germany or France, that country's tax authority may argue the company is managed or operated there and tax the company itself, not just you.
- Running the company from Kosovo does not settle everything. If you perform the company's services yourself, Germany's controlled-foreign-company rules (see the FAQ below) and, in France, Article 155 A of the French tax code can tax what the company earns from your work as your own income. Read the Kosovo tax residency guide and speak to a Steuerberater or expert-comptable about the company as well as your personal side before you start.
- Your residence permit still sets the rules where you live. If you are not an EU citizen, check that your permit allows you to run a business from Germany or France. A Kosovo registration does not change what your permit allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a business in Kosovo if I live in Germany?
Yes. Kosovo does not require you to be a citizen or resident of Kosovo, or a citizen of the country you live in. You can own 100% of a Kosovo LLC while living in Germany and register it remotely under a power of attorney. The only step that needs you in Kosovo is one visit to a bank to open the company account.
Do I need German citizenship to own a Kosovo company?
No. For the Kosovo registration itself, your citizenship only decides which passport you use to prove your identity, although with some passports the bank's KYC review takes longer. Your proof of address comes from Germany, where you live, and the two documents simply have to match each other.
Which proof of address works if I live in Germany?
An official, recent document showing your name and German address. The Meldebescheinigung from your local registration office is the clearest option. KBRA does not list it among the registration documents, but your Kosovo bank will check it and may want a translation, which we arrange.
My name is spelled differently on my passport and my other documents. Is that a problem?
It can stall both the registry and the bank if nobody explains it. We compare every document at the start, and if the spellings differ, we work out how to handle it before anything is filed.
Does my power of attorney need to be notarised?
No. The power of attorney for your Kosovo registration no longer needs to be notarised, so there is no notary appointment, apostille or legalisation to arrange. KBRA asks only for a signed authorization: you sign it where you live, and we file it with your registration documents.
Do I have to travel to Kosovo?
Not for the registration, which runs remotely under a power of attorney. The bank account is the exception: Kosovo banks as standard require one in-person visit to sign, so plan a short trip to Prishtina.
How long does it take to register?
The business approval at KBRA is the longest stage and can take up to 4 weeks. The unique identification number KBRA issues on approval is also your company's tax number. The bank account typically follows within about a week of approval, so the company is fully operational in 4 to 5 weeks.
I am not an EU citizen. Can I still register a Kosovo company?
Yes. Kosovo allows foreign nationals to own 100% of an LLC. The bank's KYC review may take longer with some passports, and you should check that your residence permit allows you to run a business from the country where you live.
Will Germany tax my Kosovo company?
It can, so plan for it from the start. Germany taxes its residents on their worldwide income, whatever their nationality, so do not assume Kosovo's 0% on dividends settles the German side. Whether Germany taxes your dividends depends on your facts, including the Yugoslav-era tax treaty that Germany and Kosovo still apply, which may exempt them if the company is genuinely run from Kosovo. If the company is effectively managed from Germany, Germany may tax the company itself. And even if it is run from Kosovo, German controlled-foreign-company rules can tax some or all of its profits in your hands: Kosovo's 10% rate counts as low tax under those rules, and income from services you perform yourself can be caught. Agree the structure with a Steuerberater before you start.
Passport From One Country, Home in Another? Let Us Handle It
You should not have to become a German or French citizen, or an expert in foreign paperwork, to register a company in Kosovo. Tell us where you are a citizen and where you live. We will tell you exactly what you need, then handle the rest: the documents, the translations, the registration and the bank paperwork for your one visit to Prishtina.
Or write to me at art@ruleandlaw.com, or call +383 49 296 134.
Art Mikullovci is the Founder and Lawyer at AM Legal Services, specializing in Kosovo company formation for international entrepreneurs. Based in Prishtina, Kosovo.
