Gewerbsmäßige Versicherungsberatung

Recognizing foreign professional qualifications

Anyone wishing to advise third parties on insurance on a professional basis as an insurance consultant requires an official license.

Proof of personal reliability:

• Valid identity card or passport (if passport is presented, also a current registration certificate)*
• Current extract from the Federal Central Criminal Register for submission to an authority (certificate of good conduct)
• Current extract from the central trade register for submission to an authority*

*The information must be requested from the municipality of residence for submission to an authority, i.e. it will be sent to them directly. It is essential that you state the exact address of the competent licensing authority and the purpose of use when applying. The information can also be requested using the online procedure provided by the Federal Office of Justice/Citizen Services. The information must not be older than three months

Proof of orderly financial circumstances:

• Current certificate in tax matters from the responsible tax office (to be submitted in the original)
• Extract from the debtor register of the central enforcement court, which can also be applied for electronically at www.vollstreckungsportal.de
• Information from the insolvency court as to whether proceedings have been opened (so-called negative certificate)

Additionally for legal entities:

Extract from the commercial, cooperative or association register (current copy), or if the cooperative is in the process of being founded, the articles of association

• Proof of existing professional liability insurance (certificate from the insurance company)
• Certificate of successful completion of the IHK professional examination or proof of an equivalent professional qualification

Please note:

Please note that this list is not exhaustive. Further documents may be required by the competent authority when reviewing your individual case.

The competent authority must be notified of the commencement of the permitted activity. Insurance advisors are obliged to be entered in the insurance register immediately after commencing their activities.

• personal reliability
• orderly financial circumstances
• Proof of professional liability insurance
• Proof of expertise

Fees are charged for the application procedure, which are based on the respective fee schedules of the relevant Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The permit must be applied for from the competent authority.

Freedom to provide services:
Insurance advisors based in a member state of the European Union or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area may work in Germany if they can prove that they have been registered in accordance with the statutory provisions in their home state before commencing their activities. They must be reported to the German register of intermediaries via the supervisory authority in their home country.

The competent authority must be notified of the commencement of your activity in Germany. (Link to Cross-border provision of services in a profession regulated in the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act).

Freedom of establishment:
Foreign insurance advisors who wish to establish themselves in Germany, giving up their home branch, must generally undergo the licensing procedure in accordance with Section 34e of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act.

The competent authority for issuing a license is the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in whose district the registered office is or is to be located. In Rhineland-Palatinate these are IHK for Rheinhessen, IHK Koblenz, IHK for the Palatinate and IHK Trier.

Alternatively, you can contact the Single Point of Contact in Rhineland-Palatinate.The Single Point of Contact is a public body through which you can handle all administrative procedures and formalities required for the commencement and exercise of your service activity and for the recognition of a foreign professional qualification. Further information can be found on the website of the Point of Single Contact.