If there is a concern that, after decommissioning of the long-term storage facility, the facility or the facility site may cause harmful environmental impacts or other hazards, significant disadvantages and significant nuisances for the general public and the neighborhood within the meaning of § 5 paragraph 3 number 1 of the Federal Immission Control Act, the operator must, at the request of the competent authority, have an expert appointed in agreement with the authority to check whether the requirements of § 5 paragraph 3 number 1 of the Federal Immission Control Act are met.
Anyone wishing to act as an expert requires official approval. The application can be submitted informally.
In the case of foreign applicants, exceptions are possible depending on the decision of the licensing authority with regard to the documents listed below, provided that the expertise and reliability (see "Requirements") are proven in another way.
If the licensing requirement is waived due to the existence of an equivalent license from another EU or EEA country, the expert must submit documents relating to the equivalent license to the competent authority before commencing work in Germany and, at the request of the authority, submit a certified translation, among other things. In this case, processing or further consultation via the responsible single point of contact is not possible.