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Register of craftsmen; application for registration by displaced persons or ethnic German repatriates

Are you a recognized displaced person, ethnic German resettler, do you have a foreign professional qualification and would you like to practice a craft requiring a license in Germany? If so, you must first be entered in the Register of Craftsmen.

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Procedure details

With the recognized status as a displaced person or late repatriate and a professional qualification from abroad equivalent to a master craftsman's examination, you can practice a craft requiring a license as a standing trade in Germany. You must be entered in the Register of Craftsmen before setting up in business.

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 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 must provide proof of recognized status as a displaced person or late repatriate.
  • Your professional qualification acquired abroad must be equivalent to the German master craftsman's examination for the craft requiring a license that you wish to practice or a related craft.

  • Required document/s

    For sole proprietorships:

    • Identity card or comparable identification document (copy)
    • Notification of determination of status as a displaced person or late repatriate (copy)
    • Proof of an examination passed abroad
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen.

    For companies under civil law (GbR):

    • Identity cards or a comparable identification document of the partners or persons authorized to represent the company (copy)
    • Articles of association, if not concluded informally (copy)
    • Notification of the determination of status as a displaced person or late repatriate (copy)
    • Proof of an examination passed abroad
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen.

    For commercial partnerships with legal capacity

    • this refers to
      • General partnership (OHG),
      • limited partnership (KG) and
      • corresponding foreign company forms
    • Identity card or a comparable identification document of the shareholder or the persons authorized to represent the company
      • for proof of the company's legal form if the company is based in Germany:
      • Extract from the register of the company entered in the commercial register. For general partnerships, additional articles of association (copy) if no entry has been made in the register
      • For foreign legal forms:
        • Extract from the relevant foreign register for companies entered in registers, otherwise
        • Memorandum and articles of association (copy)
    • Notification of determination of status as a displaced person or late repatriate (copy)
    • Proof of an examination passed abroad
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen

    For legal entities

    • This refers to
      • Limited liability company (GmbH), entrepreneurial company (haftungsbeschränkt),
      • public limited company (AG),
      • registered cooperative (eG)
    • Identity card or a comparable identification document of the persons authorized to represent the company
      • 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
    • If a manager is employed, the following documents must also be submitted:
      • Manager's declaration
      • Proof of the manager's activity: Employment contract (copy)
      • Proof of social insurance for the manager
      • Notification of determination of status as a displaced person or late repatriate (copy)
      • Proof of an examination passed abroad

You can submit your application in writing or, in some cases, online to your local Chamber of Skilled Crafts.

Please contact the relevant Chamber of Skilled Crafts for information on the procedure. You can also have the required documents sent to you.

  • The Chamber of Skilled Crafts will use the certificate to check whether the focus of the qualification corresponds to the trade you wish to pursue.
  • In cases of doubt, you can submit evidence of individual achievements (such as seminar papers or dissertations) during your training as well as framework curricula and training regulations for the examination.
  • If you meet the registration requirements, you will receive written notification of your registration.
  • Together with the notification of registration, the company will receive the so-called craftsman's card.

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.

  • Legal action can be taken against a rejection of the application.
  • Depending on the federal state in which the application was submitted, a preliminary procedure must be carried out first.
  • Information on the existing legal remedies can be found in the information on legal remedies in the notifications.

Legal action may be taken against a rejection of the application. Depending on the federal state in which the application was submitted, preliminary proceedings must be carried out first. Information on the existing legal remedies can be found in the information on legal remedies in the notifications.

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 Section 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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