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Register of craftsmen; application for registration after passing the master craftsman examination

Have you successfully passed the master craftsman's examination and would like to work independently in a craft requiring a license? If so, you must first register your business in the Register of Craftsmen.

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If you would like to become self-employed after successfully passing the master craftsman's examination in this craft requiring a license or a craft related to it as a standing trade, you must first be entered in the register of craftsmen.

The Register of Craftsmen is a register kept by your local Chamber of Crafts.

The Register of Craftsmen lists, among other things

  • natural persons,
  • partnerships with legal capacity or
  • legal entities and
  • the name and qualifications of the company management.

Registration in the Register of Craftsmen is mandatory if you

  • wish to exercise a craft requiring a license,
  • only want to practise the craft in part and
  • wish to carry out essential activities of several trades, then for each of these trades.

To be entered in the register of craftsmen, you or the company management must provide proof of successful completion of a master craftsman's examination for the craft to be practiced or an equivalent professional qualification.

The following are eligible as company management

  • Owners of the craft business or
  • persons employed by the craft business

You can find a complete list of trades requiring a license in Appendix A of the Crafts and Trades Code (HwO).

The relevant chambers of skilled crafts provide further information on this service. Please contact the relevant Chamber of Skilled Crafts for more information.

You, the personally liable partner responsible for the technical management of the company or your company management require a successfully completed master craftsman's examination

  • in the craft requiring a license or
  • in a craft related to this

with which you wish to become self-employed as a standing business.

  • Required document/s

    For sole proprietorships:

    • Identity card or comparable identification document (copy)
    • Master craftsman's certificate (copy)
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the trade register.

    For companies under civil law (GbR):

    • Identity card or comparable identification document of the partners or authorized representatives (copy)
    • Partnership agreement, if not concluded informally (copy)
    • Master craftsman's certificate of the personally liable partner responsible for the technical management of the business or the employed management (copy)
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the trade register.

    For commercial partnerships with legal capacity:

    • This refers to
      • General partnership (OHG),
      • limited partnership (KG) and
      • corresponding foreign company forms.
    • Identity card or comparable identification document of the shareholders or authorized representatives (copy)
    • for proof of the company's legal form:
    • for companies based in Germany:
    • for companies entered in the commercial register: extract from the register, for general partnerships additionally a copy of the articles of association
    • if no entry in the register has been made: articles of association (copy)
    • for foreign legal forms:
    • Extract from the register, if already entered in the foreign register, otherwise
    • articles of association (copy)
    • Master craftsman's certificate of the personally liable partner responsible for the technical management of the business or the employed management (copy)
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the trade register.

    For legal entities:

    • This refers to
      • Limited liability company (GmbH),
      • Entrepreneurial company (limited liability),
      • public limited company (AG),
      • registered cooperative (eG)
    • Identity card or comparable identification document of the persons authorized to represent the company (copy)
    • for proof of the company's legal form:
    • for companies based in Germany: extract from the commercial or cooperative register
    • for foreign legal forms: Extract from the relevant foreign register
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the Register of Craftsmen.
    • Details of the company management.
    • Proof of qualification, e.g. master craftsman's certificate of the employed management.

    If you employ a manager, you must also submit the following:

    • Declaration of plant manager
    • Proof of management activity: employment contract (copy)
    • Proof of social insurance for the manager
    • Master craftsman's certificate (copy)

    If you employ a second person to manage the business, you must also submit the business manager's declaration and the other documents mentioned for this person. This may be the case, for example, if you wish to exercise several trades requiring a license as a standing trade.

You can apply for entry in the Register of Craftsmen in writing or, in some cases, online at your local Chamber of Crafts. Please obtain information about the procedure from the relevant Chamber of Skilled Crafts. You can also have the necessary documents sent to you.

  • Submit your application documents to your local Chamber of Skilled Crafts.
  • The Chamber of Skilled Crafts will check your application for completeness and, on the basis of the certificate, whether the focus of the qualification corresponds to the craft you wish to practise.
  • If you meet the registration requirements, you will be notified in advance of your expected registration.
  • Once you have been registered, you will receive a written certificate from your local Chamber of Skilled Crafts. Your business will receive the so-called craftsman's card.
  • If registration is refused, you will receive a notification from the local Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

The amount of the fees can be found in the fee schedule of the relevant Chamber of Crafts.

You must be entered in the Register of Craftsmen before starting work.

If all documents are complete and no further procedure is necessary, the Chamber of Skilled Crafts must make the entry in the Register of Skilled Crafts within 3 months, otherwise the entry is deemed to have been made after this period has expired. (3 months)

There are no indications or special features.

  • You have the right to appeal against a rejection of your application for entry in the Register of Craftsmen.
  • Depending on the federal state in which you have submitted the application, a preliminary procedure will be carried out first.
  • Please refer to the instructions on legal remedies in your notification for information on the existing legal remedies.

Bavaria-wide supplement

The registration or refusal of registration constitutes an administrative act. The decision of the chamber can be appealed to the administrative courts in accordance with § 40 of the Administrative Court Code (VwGO).

Status: 12.11.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie + Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie
Source: Federal Portal
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