City of Düsseldorf Office of Economic Development

WELCOME TO DÜSSELDORF!

Germany´s Top Location for Business and Foreign Investment

Ranked as Germany’s number one city for foreign direct investment, Düsseldorf is an international business hub in the heart of Europe. Thanks to its high quality of life and moderate living costs, Düsseldorf is a magnet for international companies.

Düsseldorf is ideally centrally located on the European continent and has an excellent transportation infrastructure and international airport. European and wider destinations are within easy reach. The city government is decidedly pro-business and actively promotes entrepreneurship. This combined with a safe living environment, tolerance, open-mindedness and the famous Rhineland hospitality make Düsseldorf a hotspot for international business. Every sixth company registered in Düsseldorf has foreign origin. The largest business communities are from the Netherlands, the UK, China, the USA and Japan. Particularly to Asian companies, Düsseldorf has a very strong appeal. Düsseldorf plays host to the largest business community of Japanese companies in continental Europe.

Digital transformation is happening here

Düsseldorf has become a hotspot for Europe's digital economy, thanks to the city's unique cluster of mobile communication firms, start-ups and industrial manufacturing companies. The digital transformation is already a reality today in Düsseldorf. Furthermore, there are currently around 300 start-up companies in Düsseldorf, forming an important backbone of the innovative strength of the economy in and around the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.

This cluster of IT and telecommunications companies, innovative start-ups and a state-of-the-art manufacturing base is unique in Europe. All three large German mobile network operators (Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica) are represented here as well as the most important network suppliers such as Ericsson, NEC, Huawei, Hitachi, Nokia, Oracle and ZTE. These companies are developing the software and hardware for the future “Internet of Things” and 5G applications. The proximity of developers and users, of customers and suppliers is of elementary importance for creating new business models.

Talent pool of Digital Trendsetters

Düsseldorf offers a deep pool of qualified employees with a high level of experience in technology, industry and services. The city has more than 42,000 digital trendsetters, forming a huge network of expert employees. And for the talents of tomorrow, the region of Düsseldorf offers world class education in IT, engineering and design. There are a total of 37 private universities, 12 Max Planck Institutes, 35 public universities located in and around the city.

More and more companies chose Düsseldorf as their location in Germany and Europe as they find here the right talent or a place that is an attractive city for the international talent they consider recruiting. In response to this trend the City has founded in cooperation with regional partners an Expat Service Desk to make international recruiting even more attractive and easy for companies.

Focus on your success

How can the City of Düsseldorf’s Office of Economic Development assist you to relocate, expand or start up in Düsseldorf?

Düsseldorf – where business works! We live up to this promise. We make sure that companies find a business environment that makes settling down, getting started and actually doing business as smooth and easy as possible.

The Office of Economic Development acts as a one-stop agency supporting companies with tailored services such as assisting investors with administrative procedures and permits, help with relocation of or recruitment of staff or finding of office space. We work with a tight network of consultants, including lawyers, tax advisors or property managers who are experienced in dealing with international entrepreneurs.

The city of Düsseldorf's Office of Economic Development is the central point of contact for international companies, providing comprehensive advice and support to establish a company but also advice during every phase of development. Information is offered in 10 languages, and consulting services are offered in English, French, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. The services offered by the Office of Economic Development include:

• Information on establishing a company
• Establishing contacts to local service providers, such as lawyers and tax consultants
• Help with finding commercial real estate
• Advice and support regarding visas and permits
• Support during entire set-up process and also settling in
• Linking up to business networks