Work experience

You must have practised at least one of the craft's activities, uninterrupted for a period of at least

• six years in a self-employed capacity or as a manager of an undertaking, as long as the activity did not cease more than ten years before the application was made
• three years in a self-employed capacity or as a manager of an undertaking, if this was preceded by a training period of at least three years
• four years in a self-employed capacity or as a manager of an undertaking, if this was preceded by a training period of at least two years
• three years in a self-employed capacity or five years as an employee, as long as the activity did not cease more than ten years before the application was made
• five years in a senior position in a company. For at least three of these years, you must have performed an activity with technical tasks and with responsibility for at least one department of the company.
  In addition, you must have completed training for the activity for a period of at least three years.
  This does not apply to the hairdressing business.

Persons responsible for running a company are persons who were active in a company in the relevant business:

• as the general manager of the company or of a branch of the company
• as deputy for an owner or for the general manager if this position involved responsibility comparable with that of the person who was represented
• in a managerial post with duties of a commercial or technical nature and with responsibility for one or more departments of the company

Caution: The following are exceptions to these regulations:

• Opticians,
• Hearing care professionals,
• Orthopaedic technicians,
• Orthopaedic shoemakers and
• Dental technicians.

Educational and training certificates

You must have at least one of the following qualification levels:

• Completed school education at a general secondary school, supplemented with
  • technical and vocational training,
  • a professional traineeship which was required in addition to the course or
  • professional practice in the relevant activity or
• Completed school education at a general secondary school or a vocational secondary school, supplemented with
  • technical and vocational training,
  • a professional traineeship which was required in addition to the course or
  • professional practice in the activity

In the following cases you can also be granted an exemption:

• In your country of origin, the trade is a regulated profession. Also, in your country of origin your qualification entitles you to carry out a key subactivity of the regulated profession.
• The trade is not regulated in your country of origin and there is no state-regulated training for the activity. The training you have completed, however, corresponds to the qualification level described above.
  • You have also performed at least one key activity of the relevant trade as a full-time position for at least two years.
  • You performed this activity within the last 10 years.
• The trade is not regulated in your country of origin but there is state-regulated training in the other member state. This corresponds to the qualification level described above and is
  • specifically geared to the pursuit of a specific profession, and
  • consists of a completed course of training, also together with a professional traineeship or professional practice in the relevant activity.
• The training course you completed is listed in Annex III to Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications in its current version.

Note: In certain cases, the Chamber of Crafts and Trades can, as a compensatory measure, insist on participation in an adaptation training course with a maximum duration of three years. Only after this, will it grant the exemption. This is possible in the following cases:

• The proven course of training is at least a year shorter than the course of training required in Germany or
• Your training to date relates to subjects which are significantly different to those which are covered by the German master craftsman's examination in the relevant trade or
• In Germany, the relevant trade consists of key activities which are not components of this profession in your country of origin. Also, there is a difference in the specific training,
  • which is required in Germany and
  • which relates to subjects which differ significantly from those which are covered by the attestation of competence or evidence of training which have been presented.

Compensatory measures are not ordered if the exemption is based on the recognition of professional experience. The same applies if the expertise you have gained as part of your professional experience compensates for the differences described above.