Application for the issue of a certificate of competence in plant protection for the supply of plant protection products

A person needs a certificate of competence if he wants to place plant protection products on the market on a professional basis or via the Internet outside professional activities.

The competent authority checks whether you meet the requirements for obtaining the plant protection expertise. The requirements you have to fulfil depend on the activity you want to carry out (e.g. dispensing plant protection products). If the necessary requirements are met, the applicant will receive a certificate of plant protection expertise. This certificate entitles the applicant to carry out the activity specified in the certificate of expertise.

Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture

Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture

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

You can prove your expertise

• a certificate of a recognised professional qualification (e.g. farmer, vintner, gardener, etc.) or
• a certificate of a successfully passed expert knowledge examination (e.g. within the framework of an expert knowledge course) or
• a certificate of a recognised course of study, if applicable in conjunction with an additional certificate (from a university or training institution) or
• with a valid certificate from another EU member state for the sustainable use of pesticides.

If more than three years have elapsed between the date of issue of the certificate and the date of application, a current certificate of further training must also be submitted.

• Plant Protection Expertise Ordinance (old) of 28 July 1987 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 1752), last amended by Article 27 of the Act of 6 December 2011 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 2515).

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The authority receives the complete application documents and checks the information and the authenticity of the certificates and/or attestations. If all the requirements for the certificate of competence have been met, the authority issues the certificate of competence and a notice of fee. After receipt of the payment, the authority sends the certificate of competence to the person submitting the application.

The new certificate of competence (SKN) in card format has been required since 26.11.2015.

The application for this must be made online. (Please ask your friends or acquaintances for help if you do not know how to use 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. Afterwards the mandatory fields with the applicant's details have to be filled in. After entering the security code, you will be taken to the application page. Enter the application type here. The application type "delivery" includes the sale of plant protection products. After confirming the required German language skills and accepting the data protection declaration, you can upload your copies of certificates, such as an assistant's certificate or a certificate of expert knowledge. Finally, you submit the application by clicking the corresponding button. After submitting your data, a short message will appear in the online portal informing you 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 are unable to upload the certificate yourself, send a copy by post to the relevant office.

Old experts (persons who acquired their expertise in the application of plant protection products before 6 July 2013) or new experts who graduated more than 3 years ago also require proof of participation in a recognised further training course on plant protection expertise in addition to the certificate. If all documents are complete, the application will be processed within 4 to 6 weeks. You will receive a notification and an invoice for 30 euros (40 euros for foreign certificates). It can take up to 2 months from the date of payment for the certificate to be sent to you. In addition to the application for a certificate of competence, you must attend a 4-hour training course in a recurring 3-year period.

Once the application has been received and the documents have been checked by the competent authority, an official notice of recognition of the expertise and a request for payment are issued.

Once payment has been received, a print order for the bag certificate is issued by an external service provider.

for foreign certificates due to the higher examination effort: Fee 40,00 EUR

Fees for issuing the certificate of competence for online applications: Fee 40,00 EUR

Fees for issuing the certificate of competence upon written application (form): Fee 50,00 EUR

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