Registration of persons with an exemption permit in accordance with Section 9 (1) HwO

Citizens of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland can have their professional qualification acquired in their country of origin recognized in order to be entered in the register of craftsmen for the purpose of practising a craft requiring a license.

You must be registered in the Register of Craftsmen if you wish to work independently in a craft requiring a license in Germany.

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 the owner or proprietor 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. If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland and would like to work independently in a craft requiring a license in the Federal Republic of Germany, you have the option of having your professional qualifications acquired in your home country recognized as part of an exemption permit. In principle, recognition of both practical professional experience and formal professional qualifications (training certificates) is possible for most trades requiring a license. On this basis, an entry can be made in the register of craftsmen.

The Chamber of Skilled Crafts in whose district the main commercial establishment is located is responsible.

Recognition of professional experience

• When recognizing professional experience, proof must be provided that at least essential activities of the trade have been carried out over certain periods of time. For example, at least six years of uninterrupted full-time work as a self-employed person or self-employed person or company manager within the last 10 years may be sufficient.
• Professional experience cannot be recognized in the healthcare trades. This includes the following professions:
  • Opticians and optometrists,
  • Hearing aid acousticians
  • Orthopaedic technicians and orthopaedic technicians
  • Orthopaedic shoemakers and orthopaedic shoemakers
  • Dental technicians

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 training content 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.

Note: Alternatively, professional qualifications can also be recognized on the basis of an equivalence assessment. This procedure applies regardless of nationality and for all professional qualifications, regardless of where they were acquired.

There are no indications or special features.