Two Cities, Two Administrative Paths: Registration Under the Prostitutes Protection Act in the State of Bremen (2026)
Germany’s smallest state presents sex workers with a peculiarity you won’t find on any nationwide information sheet: the state of Bremen consists of two cities – the city municipality of Bremen and Bremerhaven – and both process registration under the ProstSchG in Bremen through completely different authorities. If you register with the trade authority in Bremen, you’re at the wrong address in Bremerhaven, and vice versa. If you don’t know this, you’ll waste weeks with appointments at offices that aren’t even responsible.
This article guides you through both paths: which authority registers in which city, what documents you need, the order of appointments, how long the certificate is valid, and where you’re actually allowed to work. The Prostitutes Protection Act (ProstSchG) is federal law and has been in force since 1 July 2017 – but implementation, that is, which office does what, is determined by the states and municipalities themselves. This is precisely where Bremen’s special case lies.
Why Registration at All? Registration Requirement Under § 3 ProstSchG
Since the law came into force, this applies: anyone in Germany who wants to engage in prostitution must first register in person with the responsible authority (§ 3 ProstSchG). This explicitly applies to all forms – apartment prostitution, escort work, work in brothels or saunas, street prostitution. Registration is not a trade registration in the classical sense and does not replace tax registration; it is a separate, person-related procedure.
Working without a valid registration certificate is an administrative offence and can result in a fine. Operators are also not permitted to employ anyone without this certificate. Registration is thus the key that unlocks everything else – the paperwork on which practically every legal activity in Bremen depends.
Important as a starting point: Registration is always linked to health counselling and a personal information and advice meeting. You can’t simply submit a form. There are several appointments, and their order differs – more on that shortly.
Who Is Responsible? The Crucial Difference Between Bremen and Bremerhaven
This is the key point. Don’t confuse the two cities.
City Municipality of Bremen: the Trade Authority
For registration in the city municipality of Bremen, the Senator for Economy, Ports and Transformation – Department of Trade Matters is responsible, that is, the trade authority. Registration takes place in person on site:
- Address: Katharinenklosterhof 3, 28195 Bremen
- Phone: 0421 361-2871
- E-mail: [email protected]
Registration is only possible by prior appointment. Without an appointment, you won’t be served. The trade authority in Bremen conducts both the legally required information and advice meeting as well as the actual registration.
Bremerhaven: the Citizens’ and Order Office
In Bremerhaven, a different authority is responsible: the Citizens’ and Order Office coordinates appointments here – both for health counselling at the Health Department and for the information and advice meeting and the actual registration.
- Appointment coordination Bremerhaven: 0471 590-3730
The process in Bremerhaven is deliberately organized in two stages: first health counselling at the Health Department, then registration at the Citizens’ and Order Office. Here too: everything only by appointment.
Remember: Bremen registers through the economic/trade authority, Bremerhaven through the Citizens’ and Order Office. The Health Department is responsible in both cities for health counselling – never for registration itself.
The Process Step by Step
Regardless of city, federal law requires two mandatory appointments before you have the certificate in hand: health counselling and the information and advice meeting. Plan realistically with several weeks lead time, as both appointments are scheduled separately.
Step 1: Health Counselling (§ 10 ProstSchG)
Before your first registration, you must attend health counselling at the Health Department. This is not about mandatory testing, but about a confidential conversation: about sexually transmitted infections (such as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, mpox), about safer sex, contraception, pregnancy and about your rights.
In Bremen, the counselling service for sexual health at the Health Department is responsible for this. The service is anonymous and free of charge – you don’t have to give your real name there. At the end, you receive a certificate of participation. This certificate is the proof you provide during registration, and at that time it must not be older than three months.
Step 2: Information and Advice Meeting and Registration (§ 8 ProstSchG)
The second mandatory meeting is the information and advice meeting at the registration authority. Here the authority informs you about legal and health aspects of the activity, about counselling services, about social insurance and taxes, and about help services in emergencies. Interpretation will be arranged if needed. Subsequently – in Bremen in the same building, in Bremerhaven at the Citizens’ and Order Office – the actual registration and issuance of the certificate takes place.
Order of Procedure Compared
In Bremerhaven, the order is clearly specified: first Health Department, then Order Office. In the city municipality of Bremen, you bring the health counselling certificate to your appointment at the trade authority. In both cases: health counselling comes first, because its certificate is a prerequisite for registration. It’s best to call the respective registration authority first – they coordinate the appointments and will tell you what needs to be done in which order.
What Documents You Need
For registration in Bremen, have the following information and documents ready:
- First and last name, date and place of birth, nationality
- Residential address (sole or main residence according to registration law) – or alternatively a delivery address if you don’t want to provide your residential address or have no fixed place of residence
- the federal states or municipalities where you want to be active
- two current photographs without border, 45 millimetres high and 35 millimetres wide (biometric passport photo format)
- a valid passport or identity card
- the certificate of health counselling according to § 10 ProstSchG, which took place within the last three months
A word on residence status: nationals of the EU and EEA countries are permitted to work without additional authorization. Third-country nationals require a residence permit that allows economic activity. Check in advance with the immigration office whether your permit covers this – the registration authority will verify it if necessary.
The Registration Certificate – and the Alias Certificate (§ 6 ProstSchG)
After successful registration, you receive the registration certificate. It contains your name, a photograph and validity information. You must carry this certificate at work at all times and be able to produce it on request.
The crucial option for many is the second variant: the alias certificate. If you don’t want operators or colleagues to learn your real name, you can additionally obtain a certificate under a self-chosen pseudonym (§ 6 ProstSchG). With the alias certificate – it is available for both registration and health counselling – you prove to an operator that you are properly registered without revealing your real name. The authority retains knowledge of your identity; to the outside world, the alias protects your anonymity. If you work under a stage name, you should request the alias certificate from the start.
The fee for issuing the registration certificate in the city municipality of Bremen is €16.00.
Time Limits, Validity and Renewal
Validity period depends on age:
- From age 21: The registration certificate is generally valid for two years. Health counselling must be repeated annually.
- Under age 21: The registration certificate is valid for only one year, and health counselling must take place every six months.
Before expiry, the certificate can be renewed. Arrange this in good time, as without a valid certificate you are not permitted to continue working, and appointments are not always available immediately. If your planned activity extends to other federal states, state this during registration – the certificate lists the states where you are registered.
A practical note on the health counselling deadline: the evidence for initial registration must not be older than three months. After registration, the clock then runs on an annual or six-monthly cycle. If you miss a follow-up consultation, the registration loses its basis.
Where You Are Allowed to Work in the State of Bremen: Restricted Areas
Registration is one thing, the permitted location is another. Street prostitution is heavily regulated in both cities – here municipal law diverges significantly, and the rules have recently changed.
City Municipality of Bremen
Street prostitution in Bremen is only permitted in a narrowly limited area of Cuxhavener Straße to Rigaer Straße, and only at certain times in the evening and night. For other forms – such as traditional apartment and brothel prostitution – a restricted area applies around Helenenstraße, with Helenenstraße itself excepted and thus permitted as a traditional brothel district. The exact streets and times are regulated by the restricted area ordinance; what matters is always the current wording, which you should check with the order authority.
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven has newly regulated street prostitution with an ordinance of 20 November 2024. It prohibits street prostitution throughout the city area – the only exception is Lessingstraße between Hafenstraße and Potsdamer Straße. The ordinance applies from 11 December 2024 to 30 November 2029. Outside this excepted section, street prostitution is thus not permitted in Bremerhaven.
Because such ordinances are time-limited and subject to revision, for binding information: don’t rely on older information but on the responsible order authority in the respective city.
What Else You Should Plan For
Registration is embedded in other ProstSchG obligations that matter for practice:
- Condom requirement: Condoms are required for sexual intercourse. Customers have a corresponding obligation, operators a corresponding advertising ban for offers without condoms.
- Operating permit for businesses (§ 12 ProstSchG): Anyone who operates a prostitution business – that is, provides premises or organization for others – requires separate government approval. For you as a registered person, this is relevant if you yourself share an apartment with others or rent out premises.
- Taxes: Your income is subject to income tax, regardless of ProstSchG registration. Many municipalities use the so-called Düsseldorf procedure for ongoing taxation; whether you are additionally subject to sales tax depends on your turnover. Clarify your tax registration separately with the tax office – ProstSchG registration does not replace it.
Numbers: Bremen Develops Against the Federal Trend
An interesting finding for the location: While the number of registered sex workers nationwide has collapsed following the Corona pandemic, it is rising in the state of Bremen. At the end of 2023, 711 people were validly registered in Bremen – around 100 more than a year earlier and more than in 2019, when there were 643. Nationwide, at the end of 2024 there were around 32,300 validly registered people (2023: 30,600), compared to 40,400 at the end of 2019 – so the federal level remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels, while Bremen is gaining.
These figures only capture registered activities; unregistered work does not appear in the statistics. Nationwide in 2023, just under one-fifth of registered people held German citizenship; the most common nationality was Romanian (around 36 percent), followed by Bulgarian and Spanish. This also explains why authorities and counseling centers in Bremen consistently prioritize multilingual services and interpretation.
Where to Find Support
You don’t have to go down this path alone. Two main points of contact are central for the Bremen area:
- Bremen Health Department – Sexual Health Counseling Center: responsible for health counseling under § 10 ProstSchG, anonymous and free of charge, with medical and educational expert consultation.
- Nitribitt e. V.: Meeting point and counseling center for sex workers in Bremen. Nitribitt provides independent advice on the ProstSchG, helps with administrative procedures, safer sex and rights, exit support, and makes referrals. Office hours are available on multiple weekdays and by appointment.
Especially before your first visit to an authority, it’s worth calling a counseling center beforehand. They know the current procedures, can accompany you if you wish, and help if language or forms become a barrier.
Conclusion
Registration under the ProstSchG in Bremen is very manageable once you understand the key point: Bremen is two cities with two administrative pathways. In the City of Bremen, everything goes through the Trade Authority at Katharinenklosterhof, in Bremerhaven through the Citizen and Order Office. In both cases, the same basic logic applies – first health counseling, then the information and counseling meeting, then the certificate – and in both cases you need an appointment, ID, two passport photos, and proof of counseling.
Numbers, deadlines, and restricted areas change; Bremerhaven’s ordinance, for example, only dates from November 2024. Use this article as a map, but for anything definitive, get the current information from the responsible authority or a counseling center. This way, registration becomes not an obstacle course, but the first orderly step into a legal, protected profession.