Register of Craftsmen; Registration as a trade or business with a fixed location

Registration in the Register of Craftsmen is mandatory for any self-employed (independent) operation of a skilled craft or trade liable to a license as a trade or business with a fixed location. Prerequisite for registration in the Register of Craftsmen: supporting documents evidencing the person's professional skills and qualifications.

Description

The self-employed (independent) operation of a skilled craft or trade liable to a license, or of a substantial section thereof (cf. Appendix A to the German Handicrafts Regulation Act) as a trade or business with a fixed location is permitted only to natural persons or legal entities or partnerships registered in the Register of Craftsmen.

The term "trade or business with a fixed location" shall be deemed to include any trade or business enterprise whose activities are not attributable to itinerant trading or street market trading. If several different skilled crafts or trades are practiced at your company, it is normally mandatory for each of these skilled crafts and trades liable to a license to be registered in the Register of Craftsmen.

By virtue of its registration in the Register of Craftsmen, the company automatically becomes a member of the competent Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades and is obliged to the payment of contributions in accordance with the membership fee schedule of the respective Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades.

Prerequisites

As a prerequisite for registration in the Register of Craftsmen, either you or one of the operations managers in your employ must possess the personal credentials for registration in the Register of Craftsmen, i.e.

your or they must have successfully passed the examination for the master craftsman's diploma in the respective craft or trade (cf. Article 7 Para. 1a of the German Handicrafts Regulation Act (HwO)), or
you or they must meet the prerequisites pursuant to Article 7 Para. 2 of the German Handicrafts Regulation Act (HwO), or
your or they must be in possession of a certificate of exemption (cf. Article 7 Para. 3 of the German Handicrafts Regulation Act (HwO)) or a practicing permit (cf. Article 7 Para. 7 of the German Handicrafts Regulation Act (HwO)) for the skilled craft or trade in question (for further details please go to "Trade Law; certificates of exemption as prerequisites for registration in the Register of Craftsmen"), or
if a displaced person or ethnic German immigrant, you or they must have successfully passed an examination equivalent to the German examination for the master craftsman's diploma prior to leaving their territory of origin for the first time.

The registration is made upon the proprietor's written application to the locally competent Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades. Registration in the Register of Craftsmen is combined with the issuance of a craftsman's card. The craftsman's card legitimizes you as a registered craftsman's business.

Deadlines

Registration must precede commencement of the trade or business activities.

Required documents

Required document, Bavaria-wide: Proof of qualifications
(e.g. master craftsman's diploma, engineering technician's diploma)
Required document, Bavaria-wide: Registration of a trade or business
(may be submitted at a later date)
Required document, Bavaria-wide: For corporations (with the exception of BGB companies): Excerpt from the commercial register
(for incorporation: notarized memorandum of association)
Required document, Bavaria-wide: For partnerships: Memorandum of association
Required document, Bavaria-wide: For hiring of an operations manager (required in all cases for legal entities):
- employment contract,
- registration of the operations manager with the statutory social security insurance,
- notification advising whether or not the person is active elsewhere as an operations manager or a self-employed (independent) tradesperson or businessperson
Required document, Bavaria-wide: If necessary, please provide additional documents depending on the circumstances of the particular case
Required document, Bavaria-wide: Alle notwendigen Unterlagen können in Fotokopie (ggf. beglaubigt) vorgelegt werden.

Forms

If you select a location in "On location" the adress of the responsible authority can be pre-filled.

Prefilled form - recipient data will be enterd after the selection of the location , Bavaria-wide: Information sheet of the Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades

This form requires no signature. You can sent it electronically (e.g. by secure email or De-Mail) or as hardcopy to the responsible authority.