Handicrafts register; application for registration with a university degree from the EU, the EEA state or Switzerland

Have you completed a university degree in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland and the focus of your studies was in a craft requiring a license? Then you can establish yourself in Germany and must be entered in the register of craftsmen.

You can practise a craft requiring a license as a standing trade in Germany if you have obtained a university degree in a member state of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland and the focus of your studies was in the craft you wish to practise.

Before setting up in business, you must be entered in the Register of Craftsmen.

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 having successfully completed a master craftsman's examination for the craft to be practiced or an equivalent professional qualification.

This also includes a university degree completed in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, such as an engineering degree,

• with a standard period of study of at least 3 years full-time or equivalent duration in the case of part-time training
• and a major field of study that corresponds to the content of the trade you wish to practise.

If vocational training is required in the country of training in addition to the course of study, proof must also be provided that this has been completed.

The following are eligible as company managers

• 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 German 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.

• You have completed a university degree in a member state of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
• The focus of your studies corresponds to the content of the trade you wish to pursue.
• The standard period of study is at least 3 years.
• You may also need to have completed vocational training.

• 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 § 40 of the Administrative Court Code (VwGO).

You can apply for entry in the Register of Craftsmen in writing or, in some cases, online at your local Chamber of Crafts. Please contact the relevant Chamber of Skilled Crafts for information on the procedure. 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, based on the certificate, whether the focus of the qualification corresponds to the trade you wish to pursue.
• 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.

You must be entered in the Register of Craftsmen before starting work.

The amount of the fees can be found in the fee schedule of the relevant Chamber of Crafts. Please contact the relevant Chamber of Crafts for more information.

There are no indications or special features.

• Required document/s

  Sole proprietorship

  • Identity card or comparable identification document (copy)
  • University degree certificate (copy) and, if applicable, proof of vocational training
  • 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)
  • Partnership agreement - if not concluded informally (copy)
  • University degree certificates and, if applicable, proof of vocational training (copy)
  • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the trade register

  For commercial partnerships with legal capacity

  • This refers to
    • General partnership (OHG),
    • limited partnership (KG) and
    • corresponding foreign company forms
  • Identity cards or comparable identification documents of the shareholders or authorized representatives (copies)
  • For proof of the company's legal form
    • for companies domiciled in Germany:
      • for companies entered in the commercial register: extract from the register, for general partnerships additionally a copy of the articles of association
      • if no entry has been made in the register: copy of the articles of association
    • for foreign legal forms:
      • Extract from the register, if already entered in the foreign register, otherwise
      • Copy of the articles of association
  • University degree certificates and, if applicable, proof of vocational training (copy)
  • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen

  For legal entities

  • This refers to:
    • Limited liability company (GmbH),
    • Limited liability 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
  • University degree certificates and, if applicable, proof of vocational training (copy)
  • Business registration (copy): Can be submitted after entry in the register of craftsmen
  • Details of the company management

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

  • Manager's declaration
  • Proof of the manager's activity: Employment contract (copy)
  • Proof of social insurance for the operations manager
  • University degree certificate and, if applicable, proof of vocational training (copy)