{"id":18190,"date":"2025-07-09T10:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T10:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T10:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T10:11:44","slug":"starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ce_text block\">\n<div class=\"textOnly\">\n<p>\u2018I&#8217;m employed as a plumbing and heating installer and want to work for myself. Now I&#8217;ve heard that, as a qualified tradesperson without a master qualification, I can&#8217;t simply do that. Is it true?\u2019 This question often comes up in our startup advice. With good reason: clear rules apply to master craftsperson requirements when starting a skilled-trade business.<\/p>\n<h3>What is the master craftsperson requirement?<\/h3>\n<p>It is defined in the German Crafts Code (HwO) and says that certain trades and services may be carried out only by people who hold a master craftsperson certificate, awarded after successfully passing the master examination. This standard has applied in Germany for many decades.<\/p>\n<h3>Which trades and services require a master qualification?<\/h3>\n<p>Some examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bricklayers and concrete workers<\/li>\n<li>Carpenters and roofers<\/li>\n<li>Painters and varnishers<\/li>\n<li>Scaffolders<\/li>\n<li>Chimney sweeps<\/li>\n<li>Metalworkers<\/li>\n<li>Vehicle body and vehicle builders<\/li>\n<li>Bicycle mechanics<\/li>\n<li>Refrigeration system technicians<\/li>\n<li>Information technology technicians<\/li>\n<li>Automotive technicians<\/li>\n<li>Plumbers and plumbing and heating installers<\/li>\n<li>Joiners<\/li>\n<li>Bakers and pastry chefs<\/li>\n<li>Butchers<\/li>\n<li>Opticians and hearing aid specialists<\/li>\n<li>Dental technicians<\/li>\n<li>Hairdressers<\/li>\n<li>Tile, slab and mosaic layers<\/li>\n<li>Signmakers and illuminated advertising manufacturers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A complete list is available in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gesetze-im-internet.de\/hwo\/anlage_a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Annex A of the German Crafts Code (HwO)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I start a business without my own master certificate?<\/h3>\n<p>Even without a master certificate, founders have options for becoming self-employed in a skilled trade. For example, you can employ someone with a master qualification as operations manager. A special rule applies if you are an experienced qualified tradesperson who has worked in your trade for at least six years, including at least four in a management position. Under certain conditions, the chamber of skilled trades may also grant an exemption. EU citizens may be able to obtain authorization to practice. And some trades and trade-like businesses do not require a license. The complete list is in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gesetze-im-internet.de\/hwo\/anlage_b.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Annex B of the HwO<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gesetze-im-internet.de\/hwo\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Go to the German Crafts Code (German laws online) \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, NBank offers financial support for your master training through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbank.de\/F%C3%B6rderprogramme\/Aktuelle-F%C3%B6rderprogramme\/Meisterpr%C3%A4mie-im-Handwerk.html#aufeinenblick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">master craftsperson bonus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What should you consider when starting a skilled-trade business? Some trades require a master craftsperson qualification. Here are the key facts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":18191,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-kategorie":[91],"class_list":["post-18190","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-kategorie-tips-and-information"],"acf":{"news_kategorie":91,"kurzbeschreibung":"What should you consider when starting a skilled-trade business? Some trades require a master craftsperson qualification. Here are the key facts.","inhaltstyp":"news","interne_gruendungsberatung":false,"anzeigedatum":"2025-07-09 10:32:00","bildstatus":"originalbild","bildquelle":"Former Startup Region website","bild_alt_text":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required?","original_bild_url":"https:\/\/gruenden-region-goslar.de\/files\/Newsbilder\/Gr%C3%BCndungsnews\/2025\/2025-07-news-meisterpflicht.jpg","alte_url":"https:\/\/gruenden-region-goslar.de\/news-leser\/gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht.html","import_hash":"2997a0b4d92a390ea88b5e237c7c3af3f1f3c15f"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required? - Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required? - Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What should you consider when starting a skilled-trade business? Some trades require a master craftsperson qualification. Here are the key facts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-03T10:11:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1277\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"810\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/\",\"name\":\"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required? - Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-09T10:32:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-03T10:11:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg\",\"width\":1277,\"height\":810,\"caption\":\"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/gruendungsregion-goslar\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Tips and information\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/news-kategorie\\\/tips-and-information\\\/?e-filter-1c62f36-news-kategorie=tips-and-information\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\",\"description\":\"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Logo-Gruendungsregion.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Logo-Gruendungsregion.svg\",\"width\":490,\"height\":119,\"caption\":\"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required? - Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required? - Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","og_description":"What should you consider when starting a skilled-trade business? Some trades require a master craftsperson qualification. Here are the key facts.","og_url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/","og_site_name":"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","article_modified_time":"2026-10-03T10:11:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1277,"height":810,"url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/","url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/","name":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required? - Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-09T10:32:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-03T10:11:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2025-07-09-2025-07-09-gruendung-im-handwerk-meisterpflicht-oder-nicht-bild.jpg","width":1277,"height":810,"caption":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/starting-a-skilled-trade-business-is-a-master-craftsperson-qualification-required\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/gruendungsregion-goslar\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Tips and information","item":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/news-kategorie\/tips-and-information\/?e-filter-1c62f36-news-kategorie=tips-and-information"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Starting a skilled-trade business \u2013 is a master craftsperson qualification required?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/","name":"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","description":"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/#organization","name":"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar","url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Logo-Gruendungsregion.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Logo-Gruendungsregion.svg","width":490,"height":119,"caption":"Gr\u00fcndungsregion Goslar"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/18190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"acf:term":[{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"news-kategorie","href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-kategorie\/91"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-kategorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruendungsregiongoslar.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-kategorie?post=18190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}