Apply for exemption permit for persons from the EU/EEA foreign countries and Switzerland for registration in the register of craftsmen

You must be registered in the Register of Craftsmen if you wish to operate 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 will 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 owners 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. For nationals of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, there are special recognition regulations in this respect as part of a procedure for the granting of an exemption permit.

In principle, you can obtain an exceptional permit by having your training certificates and/or professional experience recognized. The periods of professional experience to be proven can be shortened by providing proof of training in a skilled trade.

Recognition of professional experience:
When professional experience is recognized, proof must be provided that you have carried out at least essential activities in the trade over certain periods of time. For example, at least six years of uninterrupted full-time work as a self-employed or self-employed person or as a person responsible for a business within the last ten years may be sufficient. Recognition of practical professional experience is not possible if the applicant wishes to work in a healthcare trade (optician, hearing aid technician, orthopaedic technician, orthopaedic shoemaker, dental technician).

Recognition of formal professional qualifications:
Recognition of formal professional qualifications documented by training certificates or certificates of competence is possible for all craft 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 content of the training 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 at the applicant's discretion.

Note: Alternatively, professional qualifications can also be recognized on the basis of an equivalence assessment. This procedure is regulated in Section 50c of the Crafts Code (HwO) and applies regardless of nationality requirements and for all professional qualifications, regardless of where they were acquired.

Requirements

• You must be a citizen or national of a member state of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
• Recognition of professional experience:
  You must provide evidence of one of the following requirements regarding your professional experience, taking into account any training:
  
  • You have worked continuously for at least 6 years as a self-employed or self-employed person or as a person responsible for a business. You have not ended your activity more than 10 years before submitting your application.
  • You have been self-employed or self-employed for at least 3 years without interruption or have been responsible for a business. You have previously completed at least three years of training in the trade.
  • You have worked continuously for at least 4 years as a self-employed or self-employed person or as a company manager or company manager. You have previously completed at least two years of training in the trade.
  • You have worked as a self-employed person for at least 3 consecutive years and as an employee for at least 5 years. You have not ended your activity more than 10 years before submitting your application.
  • You have held a managerial position in a company for at least 5 consecutive years. Of these 5 years, your work was characterized by technical tasks and responsibility for at least one department of the company for at least 3 years. You have also completed at least three years of training in the trade.
• 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 content of the training 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 at the applicant's discretion.