Contract for foreign national

[Lumiere]

You're mad if you are considering working on a tourist visa.

If caught you'll be deported and receive a ban on entering the Schengen zone for up to ten years, hardly a way to run a business is it?

Working on a business visa is as illegal as working on a tourist one, but companies do it anyway. You can only have one visa at a time, if you happen to have a tourist one open already, you can't get a business visa in the same period.

Activities Suitable for the Business Visa Category

A 'regular business visitor' is defined as an individual who, despite living and working outside Germany, comes to Germany to:

attend meetings and briefings;

undertake negotiations;

conclude contracts with German businesses; or

buy goods.

All other possible business activities are not covered by a business visa and thus require a respective residence permit before they may be performed legally in Germany. These include the following:

training;

knowledge transfer;

production of goods;

provision of services; and

employment.

Business Visa Provisions Explained - International Law Office

[Lumiere]

I have been on a client working on global projects and done a lot of travelling. They insist on buinsess visas, whatever the cost or delay. They have had more than enough problems with people getting stopped at customs with a suit and two laptops

As a British, try going to US on a business visa and saying to customs that you are about to do some development work there. You will be looking for the next flight to Heathrow in 5 minutes.