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Register of craftsmen; application for registration in the case of foreign professional qualifications on the basis of an equivalence assessment

If you wish to work independently in a craft requiring a license with a professional qualification acquired abroad and the equivalence to a domestic master craftsman's examination has been established, you must first have this entered in the Register of Craftsmen.

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Procedure details

In Germany, you can practice a craft requiring a license in a standing trade with a professional qualification acquired abroad that is equivalent to a domestic master craftsman's examination.

To do so, you must first submit a separate application to have the equivalence of your professional qualification acquired abroad with a domestic master craftsman's examination determined.

Once the equivalence has been determined, you must be entered in the register of skilled 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.

The equivalence of your foreign professional qualification has been established.

  • Required document/s

    Sole proprietorship:

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

    Companies under civil law (GbR)

    • Identity card or comparable identification document of the partners or authorized representatives (copy)
    • Articles of association, if not concluded informally (copy)
    • Submission of the certificate of equivalence of the managing partner (copy)
    • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the craftsmen's register

    Commercial partnerships with legal capacity

    • This refers to
      • General partnerships (OHG),
      • limited partnerships (KG) and
      • corresponding foreign company forms.
    • Identity cards or comparable identification documents 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 articles of association (copy)
        • 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)
    • Notification of the equivalence assessment of the managing partner or company management
    • Business registration (copy): can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen.

    Legal persons

    • This refers to:
      • Limited liability company (GmbH),
      • limited liability entrepreneurial company (UG),
      • public limited company (AG),
    • registered cooperative (eG)
    • Identity cards or comparable identification documents of the authorized representatives (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
    • Notification of the equivalence assessment of the company management

    If a manager is employed, the following documents must also be submitted:

    • Plant manager's declaration
    • Proof of management activity: employment contract (copy)
    • Proof of social insurance for the plant manager
    • Submission of the notice of equivalence assessment

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.
  • 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 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 the registration is rejected, 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 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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