Engineer; application for permission to use the professional title

If you would like to use the professional title "engineer" in Germany, but have completed the relevant training abroad, you will need a permit to use the professional title.

According to the Bavarian Engineering Act (BayIngG), the professional title "Ingenieurin" or "Ingenieur" (alone or in a word combination) may be used by anyone who has successfully completed an undergraduate degree (usually a Bachelor's degree) at a state or state-recognized German university. This must be a course of study

• in a technical or scientific subject area,
• which has a standard period of study of at least six semesters full-time and with which at least 180 points can be acquired using the ECTS system and
• in which the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology predominate; this requirement does not apply to the use of the professional title exclusively in the word combination industrial engineer by persons who have completed an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering.

Furthermore, the professional title may be used by

• anyone who has received authorization to do so after training abroad,
• who is authorized to do so under the law of another state of the Federal Republic of Germany or
• who was entitled to do so until this Act came into force.

• Proof of identity (e.g. identity card, passport or birth certificate; if necessary with translation into German)
• Proof of intention to pursue a profession in Bavaria (e.g. registration certificate, employment contract, application for a job in Bavaria or application for an entry visa for gainful employment)
• Curriculum vitae including full details of education (primary school, secondary school, grammar school, etc.)
• Proof of undergraduate studies (usually Bachelor's degree certificate, diploma); proof of postgraduate studies (e.g. Master's degree, doctorate) is generally NOT required.
• Translation of the training certificate (e.g. Bachelor's degree certificate, diploma) into German
• Subject catalog for undergraduate studies (e.g. Diploma Supplement / Diploma Supplement / Annex to Diploma / Transcript)
• Translation of the subject catalogue into the German language
• In individual cases, the following additional documents must be submitted:
  • Proof of name change (e.g. marriage certificate)
  • Proof of authorization to represent (e.g. written power of attorney) if the application is made on behalf of another person
  • Confirmation of admission from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Nuremberg, or status certificate - only necessary for Jewish emigrants from the former Soviet Union (quota refugees) - in these cases the permit is issued free of charge
• Evaluation letter from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) - if available
• Notes:
  • The translations must be prepared by a translator publicly appointed or sworn in Germany or in the EU.
  • The documents can be submitted in the form of copies or transmitted electronically.

The prerequisite for a permit is the equivalence of the training, which is based on the Bavarian Engineering Act and the Bavarian Professional Qualifications Assessment Act.

Equivalence is checked on the basis of the foreign diploma and catalog of subjects; the Central Office for Foreign Education in Bonn provides technical support.

Copies of the diploma and subject catalog are required for the examination. The translations must be prepared by a translator publicly appointed or sworn in Germany or in the EU.

If you have completed your training abroad, you must apply to the competent authority for permission to use the professional title "engineer".

• The competent authority for engineers specializing in civil engineering, building and supply engineering or surveying is the Bavarian Chamber of Engineers - Construction.
• The government of Swabia is responsible for engineers in all other disciplines.

You can also work as an engineer in Bavaria if you do not have permission to use the professional title. However, you are not allowed to call yourself an "engineer".