Elektrofachkraft: what the recognition decision leaves open

The recognition decision for your new electrician from the Western Balkans or Tunisia has arrived. It tells you how a German recognition body classifies the electrician’s qualification. Which work the employee takes on at your installations is something you decide yourself. The standard for that is set by occupational safety law, and the responsibility lies with your business.

The decision for your electrician from abroad only assesses his qualification

Anyone who has completed electrical training abroad can apply in Germany to have the competent body examine its equivalence. What is recognised is the qualification, not the person. The body compares the foreign certificate with the corresponding German qualification, the reference occupation. In the workshop people usually say electrician. In the recognition statistics, the reference occupations are called, for example, Elektroniker or Elektroanlagenmonteur. We have summarised the costs and the course of the procedure in our article on electrician recognition.

In the 2025 reporting year, the statistics counted 5,070 positive decisions in the occupational group of mechatronics, energy and electrical occupations, 2,607 of them with full and 2,460 with partial equivalence (Federal Statistical Office). The rest were other types of decision. Almost every second positive decision in this group therefore certifies only partial equivalence. For the reference occupation Elektroniker alone there were 729 positive decisions, 399 of them with partial equivalence (Federal Statistical Office).

Partial equivalence means that there are substantial differences from German training in certain areas. The decision records where the theoretical or practical gaps lie. For your own assessment, this list is a good template, because it tells you what to ask about in the technical interview.

With full equivalence, a foreign qualification in the skilled crafts is treated as equal to the journeyman’s examination; Section 40a of the Handwerksordnung (Crafts Code) provides for this. Who carries out which work on electrical installations is nevertheless governed by the accident prevention regulation DGUV Vorschrift 3 of the German Social Accident Insurance (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung). Whether your candidate needs a decision for his visa is a question of residence law, which we explain in our article on the difference between work permit and residence permit.

For an Elektrofachkraft, what counts is what someone can assess at your installations

Under Section 2 (3) of DGUV Vorschrift 3, an Elektrofachkraft (qualified electrical person) is someone who, on the basis of professional training, knowledge and experience and familiarity with the relevant rules, can assess the work assigned to him and recognise possible hazards. Under Section 3 (1), the employer must ensure that electrical installations and equipment are only set up and modified by an Elektrofachkraft or under the direction and supervision of one, in accordance with the electrical engineering rules. The same applies to maintenance.

For a hire from abroad, another document is more revealing. DGUV Information 203-002 “Elektrofachkräfte”, published by the Berufsgenossenschaft Holz und Metall (the accident insurance institution for the wood and metal industries, BGHM) within the DGUV body of rules, explains what counts as professional training. According to it, the requirement is generally met by completing a recognised electrical training or an electrical qualification that is comparable for the intended tasks.

For a candidate with partial equivalence or without a decision, the comparable qualification comes into consideration. Whether your candidate’s training is comparable for your tasks is assessed by your business on the basis of the work the candidate is to take on.

According to the BGHM, knowledge and experience come from recent professional activity in the respective branch of electrical engineering. The BGHM ties the status of Elektrofachkraft to such branches. Someone is an Elektrofachkraft only where he meets all the requirements of the definition. A person who has spent years installing building wiring is therefore not automatically an Elektrofachkraft for the controls of a production line. The branch belongs in the job description.

By familiarity with the relevant rules, the BGHM publication means primarily the VDE standards, state legislation and accident prevention regulations. These are the rules that apply in Germany. A candidate trained abroad does not necessarily know them from his training, even if he has mastered his trade. How confidently he handles them becomes clear in the technical interview and later during induction.

Your new employee can also work at your installations within a narrower frame

The BGHM publication describes two levels with a narrower frame. The first is the Elektrofachkraft für festgelegte Tätigkeiten (qualified electrical person for defined activities). Someone classified this way may carry out similar, recurring work on equipment under his own professional responsibility, as long as the employer has described that work in a work instruction. Training in theory and practice must be evidenced for these activities, and your business writes the work instruction.

The BGHM permits these activities only in installations with nominal voltages up to 1,000 volts AC and 1,500 volts DC, and in principle only when the installation is disconnected. While live, fault-finding and verifying the absence of voltage remain permitted. We consider this level a sound start if the planned work consists of clearly described, recurring tasks.

The second level is the elektrotechnisch unterwiesene Person (electrically instructed person). According to the same publication, this is someone whom an Elektrofachkraft has informed about the assigned tasks and the possible hazards of improper conduct and, where necessary, trained on the job. The definition also includes being briefed on the necessary protective equipment and measures. A vocational qualification is not a requirement. Anyone with none of these qualifications counts as a Laie (lay person). If a decision certifies only partial equivalence, we discuss both levels openly with you.

A wrong assessment ties up the Elektrofachkräfte you already have

Suppose you have planned an electrician from abroad for work on your installations under his own responsibility, and after arrival it turns out that, for the time being, he can only work as an instructed person. You still pay the agreed wage. Work on the installations under own responsibility stays with your other Elektrofachkräfte. One of them instructs the new colleague, and does so again every time his tasks change. Your bottleneck remains until the induction takes effect.

If your new employee can work as an Elektrofachkraft for defined activities, the gap to the planned work is smaller. He then works only within the section your work instruction describes. You should know this difference before you sign the employment contract.

At MioTalent, around four months pass between the requirements analysis and arrival, as our procedure shows. What the electrician can actually do at your installations only becomes clear during induction. You lay the groundwork for your assessment in these months.

You prepare the assessment before the candidate arrives

Involve an Elektrofachkraft from your business early, someone who knows the installations the candidate will later work on.

1. Describe the work the new employee is to take on, with the type of installation and the voltage level. Name the branch.
2. Ask for the certificates and, if available, the recognition decision. What else a candidate should bring is listed in our document checklist.
3. Hold the technical interview about installations the candidate has set up or maintained himself. Also ask how he disconnected installations at his previous workplace and secured them against being switched back on. These are the first two of the five safety rules in the BGHM publication. The interview can be held by video, as we offer for the presentation of candidates anyway. Whether an interpreter is needed should be settled beforehand.
4. Record the result in writing, with the branches it applies to.

If your new employee is later to take professional responsibility for an electrical business or business unit, tell us at the start. According to the BGHM, VDE 1000-10 requires a responsible Elektrofachkraft for this, generally with a qualification as state-certified technician, industrial master, master craftsman, graduate engineer, bachelor or master. A journeyman’s qualification is not on this list. Whether a foreign master’s or technician’s qualification is sufficient is best clarified in advance with your accident insurance institution. The level of qualification we search for depends on the answer.

After arrival, you instruct your employee under Section 12 of the Arbeitsschutzgesetz (Occupational Safety and Health Act), at the time of hiring, before he starts work, and tailored to his workplace or area of tasks. The BGHM also requires that all insured persons be given enough induction time under the supervision of their superiors to demonstrate their competence. It does not specify a duration.

We recommend a few weeks, because your new employee first has to get to know German standards and installations. In our view, instruction is only sufficient and appropriate, as Section 12 requires, if your employee understands it. Clarify in advance in which language the first instructions take place and who helps with technical terms.

Structure beats chance. A business that describes the work before the search can test every candidate against the same requirements.

Free initial consultation — we will call you back, when suits you? In 15 minutes we talk about your open electrical position and the work it involves.

Information for orientation only, not legal advice.

Sources

• Federal Statistical Office: Statistical Report. Recognition of foreign professional qualifications 2025, Table 21231-02, values rounded to multiples of three for confidentiality. 2026. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bildung-Forschung-Kultur/Berufliche-Bildung/Publikationen/Downloads-Berufliche-Bildung/statistischer-bericht-auslaendische-berufsqualifikation-5212301257005.html (retrieved 04.10.2026).
• Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung: DGUV Vorschrift 3. Elektrische Anlagen und Betriebsmittel, Sections 2 and 3. 1997 edition. https://publikationen.dguv.de/regelwerk/dguv-vorschriften/1052/elektrische-anlagen-und-betriebsmittel (retrieved 04.10.2026).
• Berufsgenossenschaft Holz und Metall: DGUV Information 203-002. Elektrofachkräfte. 2012. https://publikationen.dguv.de/regelwerk/dguv-informationen/313/elektrofachkraefte (retrieved 04.10.2026).
• Unternehmen Berufsanerkennung (DIHK Service GmbH): Was bedeutet eine teilweise Gleichwertigkeit eines ausländischen Berufsabschlusses und deutschen Referenzberufs? n.d. https://www.unternehmen-berufsanerkennung.de/fragen-antworten/was-bedeutet-eine-teilweise-gleichwertigkeit-eines-auslaendischen-berufsabschlusses-und-deutschen-referenzberufs (retrieved 04.10.2026).
• Federal Ministry of Justice: Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz, Section 4, Arbeitsschutzgesetz, Section 12, and Handwerksordnung, Section 40a. Legal status October 2026. https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bqfg/__4.html, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/arbschg/__12.html and https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hwo/__40a.html (retrieved 04.10.2026).