If you plan to send workers to a project in Germany, you should verify a key obligation well in advance. Many people mistakenly believe that a Slovak trade license automatically opens the door to the German labour market. This is not the case. If you perform an activity in Germany that falls under a regulated trade (licensed craft) according to local regulations, you cannot legally start without the approval of the local Chamber of Skilled Crafts (Handwerkskammer).
A notification of cross-border service provision must be submitted to the relevant chamber before any work begins. You may only start working once you receive official approval from the chamber.
The “Free Trade” Trap
The most common mistake made by Slovak entrepreneurs is relying on the fact that their activity is classified as an “unregulated” or “free” trade in Slovakia. However, the German list of regulated crafts is significantly broader and stricter.
It can easily happen that work which requires no special documentation at home is a regulated trade in Germany, subject to strict control. Therefore, check the exact classification of your activity under German law in advance to avoid unnecessary administrative delays at the project site.
In the German construction industry, main regulated trades include masons, carpenters, electrical engineers, and plumbers.
How to Prove Professional Qualification
During the notification process, the Chamber of Skilled Crafts checks in detail whether you have the necessary qualifications for the work. In practice, this means you must provide documentation of either relevant education in the field (such as a vocational certificate or diploma) or prove sufficient work experience.
If you do not have a formal education in the field, the only way is to submit a Certificate of Experience (Osvedčenie o povahe a dĺžke praxe), issued by the Slovak Trade Licensing Office upon request. Without these documents, the German chamber will reject your application, and you will lose valuable time, which could cost you a lucrative contract.
Choosing the Right Chamber
Please note: you cannot simply send the notification to any chamber of your choice. You must submit it to the competent chamber responsible for the location of your first project in Germany. If you address the application to the wrong office, it will be rejected due to lack of local jurisdiction, which will only prolong the process.
At the same time, you must account for the fact that German bureaucracy comes with a price. Fees vary significantly by region. While in some places you might pay dozens of euros, in Berlin, the administrative fee is currently as high as €370. However, once you obtain the certificate, it is valid for one year across the entire territory of Germany. For longer projects, you must apply for an extension in time.
No Certificate, No Work
The consequences of neglecting this duty can be very unpleasant. Besides the risk of heavy fines from German inspection authorities, you also face pressure from your clients. Nowadays, it is common for German partners to demand the chamber’s notification certificate before work even starts. If you do not have it in hand, they may deny you entry to the construction site or make the start of cooperation conditional on its submission. This stalls the entire project and seriously threatens your reputation and financial stability.
If you are unsure whether this obligation applies to you, please contact our experts. They will be happy to help you navigate German bureaucracy without unnecessary errors. ProfiDeCon has been helping companies and sole traders do business in German-speaking countries for more than 15 years. We can certainly help you too.