Legal profession; application for the determination of the equivalence of a professional qualification

If you have completed an education abroad that allows you to work as a lawyer, you can have this degree recognized. With this recognition, you may work as a lawyer in Germany.

Description

Persons who are entitled to practice as a self-employed lawyer in a Member State of the European Union, in another Contracting State to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or in Switzerland under one of the professional titles listed in the Annex to the Act on the Activities of European Lawyers in Germany (EuRAG) may apply to the competent examination offices for a determination of the equivalence of their professional qualification.

With the determination of equivalence, the applicant can obtain admission to the bar in Germany. In addition to practicing as a European lawyer, the applicant is thus able to practice as a lawyer in Germany within the meaning of Section 12 (4) of the Federal Lawyers' Act (BRAO).

If the equivalence of the professional qualification is successfully established, the admission to the bar does not depend on the requirements of an integration according to §§ 11 ff. EuRAG. In particular, admission to the bar does not depend on the fact that the applicant has already exercised a three-year effective and regular activity as a European lawyer in Germany.

Prerequisites

You have a completed education that entitles you to direct access to the profession of a European lawyer.

Procedure

The determination of the equivalence of a professional qualification acquired abroad is made upon application.

The competent examination office for the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony is the State Judicial Examination Office of Baden-Württemberg as the "Joint Examination Office of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the Free States of Bavaria and Saxony".

The aptitude test for admission to the bar is also conducted in Germany by the following examination offices:

  • Joint Examination Office of the states of Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Thuringia for the taking of the aptitude test for admission to the bar, and
  • Joint Examination Office of the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein.

The Examination Office determines the equivalence of a professional qualification from abroad if the professional qualification acquired there includes those skills that are essential for practicing the profession of lawyer in Germany.

If such equivalence cannot be established, the applicant has the possibility to prove his qualification by passing an aptitude test.

Once the equivalence of the training has been established, the competent bar association shall proceed with the admission to the bar.

Deadlines

none

Processing time

The Examination Office confirms receipt of the application for equivalence within one month of receipt of the application. It shall decide on the application no later than four months after receipt of all required documents. The imposition of an aptitude test is considered a decision in this sense.

Required documents

  • tabular resume

    (in German language)

  • Evidence certifying the right to direct access to the profession of a European lawyer.

    (original or copy)

  • Proof that more than half of the minimum training period was carried out in a member state of the European Union or another contracting state of the European Economic Area or Switzerland.

  • if applicable, certification by the state in which the access authorization was issued that the profession of European lawyer has been practiced in the certifying state for at least three years

    (only if the admission to the profession of European lawyer has not been issued by a Member State of the European Union or another Contracting State of the European Economic Area or Switzerland)

  • Declaration as to whether and, if so, at which examination offices an application for the determination of the equivalence of the qualification has already been submitted or an aptitude test has been taken.

    (in German language)

  • If applicable, suitable evidence of professional experience or further training measures

    (if differences in professional training have been compensated by professional practice or further training measures)

  • The relevant Examination Office will indicate whether documents are to be submitted in a simple or certified translation.

Forms

Please select a location in "Localization" so that the address of the responsible authority can be filled in.

  • Prefillable Form, Bavaria-wide: Formloser Antrag (mit Unterschrift)
    Please note

    This form has to be signed and sent to the responsible authority. You can sign the form manually and send it by email/fax or sign the form electronically with your qualified electronic signature an send it by (secure) email. If the responsible authority has set up a De-Mail account, you can also send the form by De-Mail using an sender-confirmed message.

Fees

  • There may be costs for translations and certifications. These costs vary from person to person.

    Information on the costs incurred for admission to the bar associations is provided by the respective bar associations.

Remedy

Action against the Bar Association (Sections 112a et seq. of the Federal Lawyers' Act)

Status:14.09.2023

Responsible for editing:Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Justiz

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  • Online transactions, Bavaria-wide
  • Online transactions, locally limited
  • Form, Bavaria-wide
  • Form, locally limited
  • Prefillable Form, Bavaria-wide
  • Legal bases, Bavaria-wide
  • Legal bases, locally limited
  • Fees, Bavaria-wide
  • Fees, locally limited