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Register of craftsmen; application for registration on the basis of an authorization to practice

Do you have a license to practice another craft requiring a license as a standing trade or for experienced journeymen or journeywomen? If so, you must have this entered in the Register of Craftsmen before taking up the activity.

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Procedure details

If you have a license to practice another craft requiring a license as a standing trade or for experienced journeymen or journeywomen, you must have this entered in the Register of Craftsmen before starting work.

You must apply for the license to practice in advance by submitting a separate application to your local Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

You can have a license to practice entered in the Register of Craftsmen for

  • another trade: You are already practising a trade that requires a license and you want to expand your commercial activity to another trade that requires a license or essential activities of such a trade.
  • for journeymen and women with qualified professional experience: You have passed a journeyman's examination or a final examination in a recognized skilled trade, gained relevant professional experience and want to become self-employed or take on a management role.

Journeymen or journeywomen with qualified professional experience are exempt from being granted a license to practice:

  • Chimney sweeps
  • Opticians and optometrists
  • Hearing aid acousticians
  • Orthopaedic technicians and orthopaedic technicians
  • Orthopaedic shoemakers and orthopaedic shoemakers
  • Dental technicians and dental technicians.

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.

You can find a complete list of the trades subject to licensing in Appendix A of the Crafts Code (HwO).

The Chambers of Crafts provide further information on this service. Please contact your local Chamber of Skilled Crafts for more information.

As part of the application for a license to practice, proof of training and qualifications, professional experience and/or compensatory measures for the craft to be registered were recognized.

  • Required document/s
    • Application for entry in the register of craftsmen
    • Authorization to practice another trade or
    • Authorization to practice for journeymen and women with qualified professional experience:

    For sole proprietorships:

    • Identity card or comparable identification document (copy)
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen.

You can apply for entry in the Register of Craftsmen in writing or, in some cases, online at your local Chamber of Crafts. Please contact the relevant Chamber of Skilled Crafts for information on the procedure. 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, based on your authorization to practice, whether it corresponds to the craft you wish to practice.
  • If you meet the registration requirements, you will be notified in advance of the 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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