Competent authority

The Recognition Finder on the Recognition in Germany portal helps you find the competent authority (chamber of trade or federal state authority).

The competent authorities are responsible for determining the equivalence of diplomas and issuing certificates of equivalence.

Competent authorities for recognition of professional qualifications

• For all manual occupations: the Chamber of Crafts (Handwerkskammer, HWK)
• For all professional qualifications covered by the Chambers of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer, IHK): IHK FOSA [Foreign Skills Approval] and the IHKs of Hanover, Braunschweig and Wuppertal-Solingen-Remscheid
• For agricultural qualifications: the Chambers of Agriculture
• For qualifications in the liberal professions: the chambers and associations of the liberal professions
• For other regulated professions: the respective federal state authorities