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Trade register; application for an exemption permit for EU citizens

Are you from another EU/EEA country or Switzerland and would like to practice a craft requiring a license in Germany? Then you can have your professional experience and training certificates recognized in Germany under certain conditions.

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Procedure details

Registration in the Register of Craftsmen is required if you wish to practise a craft requiring a license in Germany on a self-employed basis.
This also applies if

  • you wish to carry out a significant part of a craft requiring a license on a self-employed basis.
  • you want to carry out several trades requiring a license on a self-employed basis. In this case, you need to be entered in the Register of Craftsmen for each craft requiring a license.

Registration in the Register of Craftsmen is possible for

  • natural or legal persons and
  • partnerships with legal capacity.

In addition to the business, the management of the business is also entered in the register. The management of a skilled crafts business must meet the professional requirements (proof of qualification) for practising the skilled crafts requiring a license. Both owners of a skilled crafts business and employed persons are eligible as management. Proof of qualification can be provided in the form of a master craftsman's certificate for the respective trade or an equivalent domestic or foreign professional qualification. For nationals of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, there are special recognition regulations in this respect as part of a procedure for the granting of an exemption permit.

In principle, you can obtain a special permit by having your training certificates and/or professional experience recognized. The periods of professional experience to be proven can be shortened by providing proof of training in a skilled trade.

Recognition of professional experience:
When professional experience is recognized, proof must be provided that you have carried out at least essential activities in the trade over certain periods of time. For example, at least six years of uninterrupted full-time work as a self-employed or self-employed person or as a person responsible for a business within the last ten years may be sufficient. Recognition of practical professional experience is not possible if the aim is to work in a healthcare trade (optician, hearing aid technician, orthopaedic technician, orthopaedic shoemaker, dental technician).

Recognition of formal professional qualifications:
Recognition of formal professional qualifications documented by training certificates or certificates of competence is possible for all skilled trades requiring a license. The prerequisite is the acquisition of a corresponding qualification in an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland. In detail, the recognition regulations differentiate according to whether the profession or at least the training in the country of origin is also regulated or not. If the content of the training differs from that of the domestic reference qualification (master craftsman's certificate) or if the profession in the country of origin does not include essential activities that are the subject of the profession in Germany, the applicant may choose to participate in an adaptation period or take an aptitude test.

Note: Alternatively, professional qualifications can also be recognized on the basis of an equivalence assessment. This procedure is regulated in Section 50c of the Crafts Code (HwO) and applies regardless of nationality requirements and for all professional qualifications, regardless of where they were acquired.

  • You must be a citizen or national of a member state of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
  • Recognition of professional experience:
    You must provide evidence of one of the following requirements regarding your professional experience, taking into account any training:
    • You have worked continuously for at least 6 years as a self-employed or self-employed person or as a person responsible for a business. You have not ended your activity more than 10 years before submitting your application.
    • You have been self-employed or self-employed for at least 3 consecutive years or have been responsible for a business. You have previously completed at least three years of training in the trade.
    • You have worked continuously for at least 4 years as a self-employed or self-employed person or as a company manager or company manager. You have previously completed at least two years of training in the trade.
    • You have worked as a self-employed person for at least 3 consecutive years and as an employee for at least 5 years. You have not ended your activity more than 10 years before submitting your application.
    • You have held a managerial position in a company for at least 5 consecutive years. Of these 5 years, your work was characterized by technical tasks and responsibility for at least one department of the company for at least 3 years. You have also completed at least three years of training in the trade.
  • Recognition of formal professional qualifications:
    Recognition of formal professional qualifications documented by training certificates or certificates of competence is possible for all skilled trades requiring a license. The prerequisite is the acquisition of a corresponding qualification in an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland. In detail, the recognition regulations differentiate according to whether the profession or at least the training in the country of origin is also regulated or not. If the content of the training differs from that of the domestic reference qualification (master craftsman's certificate) or if the profession in the country of origin does not include essential activities that are the subject of the profession in Germany, participation in an adaptation period or taking an aptitude test may be considered at the applicant's discretion.

  • Required document/s
    • Application for exemption authorization for entry in the register of craftsmen
    • Proof of professional experience and / or training qualification

The specific fee can be found in the Chamber of Crafts' schedule of fees, which is available on the Chamber's website.

You can only practice a craft requiring a license if you are entered in the register of craftsmen. An exemption permit must therefore be applied for in good time.

There are statutory deadlines for the exemption procedure. The competent authority must confirm receipt of the documents to applicants within one month and inform them whether any documents are missing. A decision on the application must be made no later than three months after submission of the complete documents. This period may be extended by one month if this is justified in individual cases, in particular due to the scope or the factual or legal difficulties of the case. It may then be necessary to take part in an adaptation period or pass an aptitude test.

If the professional qualification was acquired outside the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, but has already been recognized in one of these countries and the profession has been practiced full-time for at least three years, you can also apply for an exemption permit for entry in the register of craftsmen.

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

Status: 20.10.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Die Senatorin für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Europa der Freien Hansestadt Bremen + Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie
Source: Federal Portal
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