indicate the use of plant protection products; Certificate of competence

If you use plant protection products, advise on plant protection, or want to use, instruct or supervise persons who want to use, instruct or supervise plant protection products as part of an apprenticeship or ancillary activity, you need a corresponding certificate of competence.

They may only

• use plant protection products,
• advise on plant health as defined in point (3) of Article 3 of Directive 2009/128/EC; or
• persons who use, guide or supervise plant protection products in the context of an apprenticeship or ancillary activity,

if you have a certificate of competence in plant protection issued by the competent authority.

If you use or advise on plant protection products professionally, apply for proof of competence for the use of plant protection products including advice with the help of the nationwide online database.

You can upload the required documents (certificates, certificates, declaration of assumption of costs) online during the application process. The application is processed by the competent authority of the federal state in which the applicant is registered as having his first place of residence.

If all requirements are met, you will receive a notification with the recognition of the expertise. After receipt of payment, the production of the certificate of competence cards takes place nationwide once a month. The card will be sent to you by post by the print service provider.

The responsibility lies with the Regierungspräsidium Gießen - Dec. 51.4 Plant Protection Service.

• Certificate of a recognised professional qualification or
• Examination certificate of successfully passing an examination of competence or
• Certificate of recognised studies, if applicable additional certificate (from universities, training centre) or
• Certificate from another EU Member State for the sustainable use of pesticides
• If necessary, certified translation of the submitted documents
• If applicable, informal cost commitment of the specified invoice recipient
• If applicable, certificate for further training in expertise

• Online procedure possible: yes
• Written form required: no

You will be assigned the expertise

• with a certificate of a recognised professional qualification (e.g. farmer, winegrower, gardener, etc.) or
• an examination certificate of a successfully passed competence examination (e.g. as part of a competence course) or
• with a certificate of recognised studies, possibly in conjunction with an additional certificate (from universities, training centre) or
• with a valid certificate from another EU Member State for the sustainable use of pesticides.

If there are more than three years between the issuance of the certificate and the application, a current proof of further training must also be submitted.

A list of the recognized degrees for the certificate of competence can be found here:

• Plant Protection Expertise Ordinance of 27.06.2013 Federal Law Gazette I p. 1953 (No. 34); last amended by Article 376 V of 31.08.2015 Federal Law Gazette I p. 1474
  Validity from 06.07.2013

The authority receives the complete application file and verifies the information and authenticity of the certificates and/or certificates. If all prerequisites for competence have been proven, the authority issues the certificate of competence and a fee notice. Upon receipt of payment, the authority sends the certificate of competence to the person making the application.

The new certificate of competence (SKN) in card format you need since 26.11.2015.

The application must be submitted online at www.pflanzenschutz-skn.de. (Please ask your friends or acquaintances for help if you can't get along on the Internet). Further information can be viewed via the tile of the responsible federal state. The certificate of competence can be applied for with or without registration. Thereafter, the mandatory fields must be filled in with the information on the applicant. After entering the security code, you will be taken to the application page. Enter the application type here. The application type "application" includes the application of plant protection products and the application type "supply" includes the sale of plant protection products. After confirmation of the required knowledge of German and the acceptance of the data protection declaration, you can upload copies of your certificates, such as an assistant's letter or a certificate of competence. Finally, submit the application via the corresponding button. After submitting your data, a brief information will appear in the online portal as to whether your application has been successfully submitted. You will not receive a separate e-mail or further confirmation. It is not necessary to additionally send the signed application by post.

Alternatively: If you cannot upload the certificate yourself, send us the copy by post to the respective department.

Experts in plant protection from EU member states who want to use plant protection products in Germany also need a German certificate of competence.

For technical reasons, it is not possible to apply for the German certificate of competence via the online database.

Please contact the plant protection service or the body responsible for the application directly in the federal state where you want to work.

For this you can use the service finder on the homepage.

In addition to the certificate, old or new experts who graduated more than 3 years ago need proof of participation in a recognized further training course in plant protection.
If all documents are complete, the application will be processed within 4 - 6 weeks.

You will receive a notification and an invoice for 30 euros (40 euros for foreign certificates).
The dispatch of the certificate of competence card can take up to 2 months from payment.
In addition to the application for a certificate of competence, you must participate in a 4-hour training course over a recurring 3-year period.

If there are more than three years between the date of the certificate and the application, a current proof of further training must also be submitted.

8 weeks

• 30,00 Euro when applying via the mentioned online database
• (40,00 Euro for foreign certificates due to the higher examination effort)
• 50,00 Euro if applying by post, mail or fax

Fee from 30,00 EUR to 50,00 EUR