Regulation

Structure and Organization of the Profession

General Information

Today, more than 134.000 architects in Germany are active as freelancers, employees, public servants or they are engaged in the building and construction business (i.e. they operate, for instance, a construction business under their own responsibility).

The architect performs consulting, planning, designing services on behalf of the client and oversees and controls the execution of the plans on a fiduciary basis. With their enrolment in the official list of architects they commit themselves to comply with strict principles of the trade.

The official list of architects is kept by the 16 Architects’ Associations in the federal states, which as statutory professional bodies have been charged by the state with the task of maintaining this list.

Architects may belong to one or several disciplines (specialisations), being:

  • Architecture (building construction)
  • Interior architecture
  • Landscape architecture
  • Urban planning.

The enrolment in the list of architects is affiliated with the protection of the job title: Only such persons may trade under the job titles “architect”, “interior architect”, “garden and landscape architect” or “urban planner”, who have been enrolled in the list of architects of a federal state. These job titles are protected by specific laws made for the trade and serve, through the control of the qualification, also the protection of consumers.

Federal Chamber of German Architects

The Federal Chamber of German Architects (Bundesarchitektenkammer e.V. – BAKBAK Bundesarchitektenkammer) is the national association of the 16 Chambers of Architects of the German Länder, bodies under public law. It represents the interests of Germany´s architects, landscape architects, interior architects and urban planners in politics and society. Although both architect and building order regulations are a matter of individual federal state legislation, many important political decisions pertaining to the profession are made in Berlin or Brussels. The profession of architects is one of the “liberal professions” whose titles are protected by law.

Chambers of Architects of the German Länder

Architects are obliged to register at the Länderkammer of the federal state (German Land) where they are settled. The regulations vary between the different Bundesländer.

The tasks of the 16 Chambers of Architects of the German Länder are in principle:

  1. To promote building culture, architecture, construction, urban development and landscape management,
  2. To safeguard the professional interests of all its members and the reputation of the profession, to advise the members on matters relating to professional practice and to supervise the performance of professional duties,
  3. To promote and to provide vocational training,
  4. To keep the lists and directories required by law and other legislations and to issue the necessary certificates,
  5. To contribute to the regulation of competition,
  6. To support authorities and courts in all matters relating to professional duties,
  7. To work on the settlement of disputes arising from professional practice,
  8. To contribute to the regulation of expert
More details on the Chambers of the Länder

Network for Architecture Exchange NAXNAX Netzwerk Architekturexport

For the purpose of promoting activities abroad, the BAK established the Network for Architecture Exchange – Netzwerk Architekturexport (NAX) early in 2002. NAX gathers export experienced architects, acts as an agent for providing colleagues and awarding authorities with national and international contracts and improves the flow of export-relevant information.

Website Network for Architecture Exchange

Q&A FOR GERMAN AND FOREIGN ARCHITECTURE GRADUATES IN THE EUEU Europäische Union

Are you an EU-graduate and want to work in Germany?

If you have completed a university degree in architecture and would like to work in Germany, you can apply on the labor market and perform the activities of an architect (e.g. employed in an architect’s office).

However, in order to use the professional title “architect” or “urban planner” and if you want to submit building documents, you need to be registered at the regional Chamber.

You benefit from the so-called automatic recognition of your professional qualification if you have both a notified degree program and the additional certificate from the respective member state. Please also contact the regional chamber in this case.

In the event that your university degree is not listed in the Professional Qualifications Directive (Annex V.7) or you do not have the additional certificate, automatic recognition is not possible.  The Chamber of Architects of the federal state in which you wish to work will then check your admission requirements on the basis of the Architects Act applicable in that federal state.

In any case, please contact the Chamber of Architects of the federal state in which you wish to work.

Further information on the registration requirements in Germany and an overview of contact persons in the individual federal states can be found on the online portal “Recognition in Germany”.

Are you a graduate with a university degree from Germany and would like to have your professional qualification recognised in another European member state?

Automatic recognition of a German professional qualification in another European member state requires a notified higher education qualification in accordance with the Professional Qualification Directive (Annex V.7). In addition to the notified university degree, the additional certificate listed in column 4 of Annex V.7 must be covered – two years of professional practice under supervision. You can obtain this certified by the Chamber of Architects in your federal state.

If only the degree listed in Annex V.7 is required or your degree program has not been notified, the registration authority of the respective member state will check whether you would be eligible for registration under national rules. To this end, they will check which content you may be missing and will inform you how to compensate for this in order to enable national access.

Further information on individual country-specific regulations for practising the profession can be found in the NAX country database.

Here you can find the European Commission’s database on regulated professions in the EU.

Are you an architect with EU citizenship and graduated in the UK?

What does Brexit mean for recognition?

The term Brexit refers to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU). The transition phase ended on 31 December 2020, and since 1 January 2021, a partnership agreement has governed relations between the EU and the United Kingdom. Brexit has legal implications for the recognition of professional qualifications from the United Kingdom.

For professional qualifications that have already been recognised, recognition will remain valid after Brexit. The qualifications covered can be found in Annex V of the Professional Qualifications Directive.

If recognition of a British professional qualification was applied for before 1 January 2021 and a decision has not yet been made, the recognition procedure must continue to be carried out and completed in accordance with EU legislation under the Withdrawal Agreement. More detailed information can be obtained from the competent authority, which can be found in the Profi-Filter.

For applications for recognition submitted after 1 January 2021, the national provisions for professional qualifications from third countries apply. Irrespective of this, the following applies to EU citizens who obtained their qualification in the United Kingdom by 31 December 2020: They can continue to apply for and receive recognition in accordance with the regulations of the EU Professional Recognition Directive.

Under the partnership agreement between the EU and the UKVK Vereinigtes Königreich, professional organisations on both sides can propose simplified recognition procedures for certain professions.

Are you a graduate from a third country or do you want to work in a third country?

If you have completed a university degree in architecture (outside the EU) and would like to work in Germany, you can apply on the labor market and, subject to a residence and work permit, perform the activities of an architect (e.g. employed in an architect’s office).

However, in order to use the professional title “architect” or “urban planner” and to submit building documents, you need to be registered at the State Chamber of Architects of the federal state in which you would like to work.

If you are a German graduate and would like to work in a third country, you can find information on the professional regulations of various countries in the NAX country database. Please also contact the chamber of the country in which you wish to work. Contacts to the chambers and relevant foreign professional organisations such as the Architects’ Council of Europe and the International Union of Architects (UIAUIA Union Internationale des Architectes International Union of Architects) can also be found in the NAX country database.

Practice / professional training / further training

Professional titles in the fields of architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning

In Germany, the titles architect, interior architect, landscape architect and urban planner are protected by law. Registration is mandatory via the chamber of one of the German Länder (ferdal states), where the architect is settled. The title protection plays an important role in consumer protection as it is part of the quality control of the services. Architects and urban planners provide services in advising, planning and constructing as well as supervising tasks.

Professional training

The architects´ chambers of the German Länder register the following architectural professions: architect, interior architect, landscape architect and urban planner.

Requirements and registration

  • For architects, generally minimum of 4 years of academic training required for registration.
    For landscape architects, urban planners and interior designers: 3 or 4 years (depending on the particular state law).
  • Exceptionally, Bachelor of 3 years is accepted by 3 Länder for registration, provided that the applicant has 4 to 6 years of obligatory professional experience (Bavaria 6 years + additional examination; Hessen 4 years; Schleswig-Holstein 4 years).
  • Compulsory registration with the Chamber of Architects of one of the Länder. Registration is based on an assessment carried out by an independent jury of professionals headed by a magistrate or a lawyer. There is provision for an appeal process.

Further training / Continuous Professional Development (CPDCPD Continuous Professional Development)

The obligation for further training is anchored in the architects’ laws.

The architects’ chambers are in charge of the advanced training institutes and academies.

CPD register for Germany

Fees for Services by Architects

Fee scale (HOAIHOAI Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure)

In Germany, the Architects and Engineers Fee Order – HOAI – applies to fees for engineering and architectural services, insofar as these services are covered by the HOAI. The provisions of the HOAI can be used as a basis for calculating a fee agreement.The HOAI fee tables with orientation values based on type and scope of task and performance and fee ranges for each service area from the basic fee rate to the upper fee rate.

It offers fee scales for services in a variety of projects (building, urban planning, landscape planning, transport infrastructure, technical installations, earthworks, surveying etc.) in relation to the total costs of the project. These total fees are broken down into percentages for the various work stages (“Leistungsphasen”).

Construction law

Baugesetzbuch (Federal Building Code)

The national act covers subjects such as land use, property rights, administrative procedures etc.
The 1997 version is available in English here

Bauordnung (the “Building Codes” of the federal states)

Each of the 16 federal states in Germany has its own “Bauordnung” or building code. These building codes set out the requirements for building plots, construction work, building regulations etc., in other words they are focused more on the individual construction projects. There is a “Musterbauordnung” (model building code) which aims to provide a harmonisation framework for the regional codes, but it has not eliminated the regional differences.

model building code in German

Contract law

There is no special contract law for architects in Germany.

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