Apply for recognition of a foreign professional qualification in an unlicensed craft or craft-like trade (master craftsman's examination)

Application

You submit an application for equivalency determination to the responsible office.
You may be able to send the application electronically. The competent office will inform you. You can also hand in the application with the documents to the competent body or send it by mail. Do not send originals.

Checking the equivalence

The competent body will then check: Is your professional qualification equivalent to the German professional qualification? In doing so, the competent body compares the qualifications with the help of certain criteria. Important criteria are the content and duration of the training. The competent body also takes into account your professional experience, your other certificates of competence and qualifications when carrying out the equivalence test.

Possible results of the examination

You will receive a notice with the result of the procedure. You will receive recognition if your professional qualification and the German professional qualification are equivalent.

Sometimes there are significant differences between the professional qualifications. The differences are listed in your notification. You can use this decision to obtain further qualifications and later submit a new application for equivalence.

If your professional qualification is not equivalent at all, you will not receive recognition.

• There are many counselling services. These can be found on the Recognition in Germany portal.
• Let an IQ counselling centre advise you personally on this procedure and your qualifications. The advisors will also help you with your documents before submitting your application. The consultation is free of charge.
• You can also call the hotline of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The hotline will answer your questions on the subject of "Working and living in Germany". Phone Number: +49 30 1815-1111
• If you are abroad: You can also reach the Central Service Centre for Professional Recognition (ZSBA) via the hotline. This offers you in-depth advice and support in the recognition procedure and carries out a location consultation.

• You have a state-recognized professional qualification in a craft from abroad.
• You would like to work in the profession in Germany.

The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit. Important documents are generally:

• Proof of identity (passport or identity card)
• Marriage certificate (if your name has changed due to marriage)
• Curriculum vitae
• Proof of your professional qualification (for example, certificates, professional certificate)
• Proof of education
• Certificate of the type and duration of relevant professional experience
• Have you ever applied for an equivalence assessment? If so, please indicate the office to which you submitted the application.
• Perhaps: You come from a third country and do not yet live or work in the EU, EEA or Switzerland? Then you must prove: You want to work in Germany in the profession. Evidence includes, for example, applications for a job, invitations to interviews or a location note from the Central Service Office for Professional Recognition (ZSBA).
  

The competent office will tell you which documents you need to submit as a simple copy, as a certified copy or as an original.

You must submit your documents in German, and the translations must be done by publicly appointed or authorized translators.

You may need to submit additional documents in the course of the recognition procedure. The responsible office will inform you.

The costs generally depend on the effort required for processing.

In addition, further costs may be incurred (for example, for translations or certifications of your documents). These costs vary individually.

There is no deadline.

Sometimes documents are still missing from the procedure. The responsible office will then inform you by when you have to submit the documents.

• § 51g Handwerksordnung (HwO)
• §§ 4-7 Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BQFG)
• § 8 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BQFG)

You can take legal action (for example, file an appeal) against the decision of the responsible office within a certain period of time. The decision will then be reviewed. Details on this can be found in the appeal instructions at the end of your decision. You should first talk to the responsible office before taking legal action against the decision.

Qualification analysis

You have completed a formal education, but you no longer have all the necessary documents for the application? Then you may be able to prove your professional qualification through a qualification analysis. This means: you can practically prove your professional competences. The responsible office will inform you.

Procedure for late repatriates

As a late repatriate, you can go through the recognition procedure either according to the laws mentioned here or according to the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide this yourself. The competent office will advise you which procedure suits you.

18.07.2023

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.