Procedure descriptions
Test engineer for building engineering - Recognition
Accredited test engineers are allowed to carry out the technical inspection of constructions, which is specified in the code of procedure for the state building regulations (Verfahrensverordnung zur Landesbauordnung – LBOVVO) for certain construction projects.
Only those persons, who have been accredited by the legal board of construction or are authorised to do so by the building inspection ordinance (Bauprüfverordnung – BauPrüfVO) (i.e. test engineers from other German Federal States and from European Union countries), may work as a test engineer for building engineering.
You have to apply for accreditation.
Authorisation for test engineers from other German Federal States
Test engineers, who have already been accredited in another German Federal State and who would like to move their registered office to Baden-Württemberg, can be accredited as a test engineer for building engineering without the accreditation procedure, if they meet the requirements.
In individual cases it is also possible for a test engineer, who is accredited in another German Federal State and who does not want to move his/her registered office to Baden-Württemberg, to get a permit from the responsible legal board of construction (Baurechtsbehörde).
Authorisation for test engineers from EU/EEA states or Switzerland
Natural persons, who have set up business in another member state of the European Union (EU) or in another state party to the agreement of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, and who carry out tasks in terms of the building inspection ordinance, can work as test engineers if they meet the requirements. If necessary, they have to apply for certification from the highest legal board of construction. The authorities certify that you meet the requirements with regard to the accreditation requirements, the proof of proficiency and field of activity.
Responsible department
Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg
Details
Prerequisite
for accreditation as test engineers:
Natural persons can be accredited as test engineers, who
- have reached the age of 35 at the time of submitting the application,
- have a degree in civil engineering at a university of technology, institution of higher education or university of applied sciences, where the duration of the course is at least four years before the final examination or at an equivalent educational establishment,
- have gained practical experience at least during the last ten years before filing the application,
- have the required technical knowledge,
- have a spoken and written command of the German language and
- according to their personality provide assurance that they can cope with the duties of a test engineer and will carry them out impartially and conscientiously.
to check the authorisation for test engineers from other German Federal States:
- The registered office should be moved to Baden-Württemberg.
- The applicant is recognised as a test engineer in another German Federal State.
- The requirements for accreditation in this Federal State are equivalent.
- The applicant is not yet 67 years old.
to check the authorisation for test engineers from EU/EEA states or Switzerland:
Natural persons, who have set up business in another EU/EEA state or Switzerland and who carry out tasks in terms of the building inspection ordinance, are authorised to carry out test engineer tasks in accordance with BauPrüfVO, if they
- have a comparable authorisation with regard to the field of activity,
- had to meet comparable requirements for it with regard to the accreditation requirements and the proof of proficiency and
- have a spoken and written command of the German language.
Procedure
for the accreditation procedure as a test engineer:
The application for accreditation as a test engineer has to be submitted to the responsible authority in writing. It has to be signed by hand or have a qualified electronic signature.
Suitable projects will be chosen from the list of supervised construction projects which are presented with the application and they will be professionally assessed by the accreditation committee.
You have to prove your technical knowledge, in particular in the field of building legislation, structural design, solid structures, steel constructions, wood constructions as well as general questions on civil engineering by means of a written exam and during a technical discussion.
The accreditation committee will make a recommendation on your professional suitability as a result of the assessments on the supervised construction projects, the written exam and the technical discussion. On the basis of this recommendation, the Wirtschaftsministerium will decide on the accreditation as a test engineer.
to check the authorisation for test engineers from other German Federal States:
If you can prove that you have an accreditation from another German Federal State, you also have to file a written application for accreditation. Accreditation will then take place without the corresponding procedure.
to check the authorisation for test engineers from EU/EEA states or Switzerland:
Natural persons from other EU/EEA states or Switzerland, who carry out tasks there in terms of the German building inspection ordinance and have an equivalent authorisation, have to notify the highest legal board of construction before they work for the first time.
Natural persons from other EU/EEA states or Switzerland, who carry out tasks there in terms of the German building inspection ordinance and do not have an equivalent authorisation, have to apply for a confirmation from the highest legal board of construction that they meet the requirements.
Both groups can work as a test engineer without having a business in Baden-Württemberg.
Deadlines
Applications for recognition as a test engineer for structural engineering can be submitted informally to the Ministry of the Environment by May 31 of each year.
Required documents
for first-time accreditation as a test engineer:
- overview in table form with complete details of your career, work experience and position in the company at the time the application was filed
- for proof of personal reliability
- If your place of residence is in Germany, you will normally need: certificate of good conduct (Führungszeugnis)
- If your place of residence is abroad, you will need documents from your native country, which prove that you have the personal reliability to provide the requested service.
- certified copy of all certificates regarding your qualifications and previous occupation
- list of at least ten construction projects, which are different in their use and construction, and on which you have worked in the last ten years before filing the application, and which are difficult structurally and from a construction point of view, with details on the location, time, contractor and type of construction as well as the location of the technical inspection of the construction and the reason why the project was difficult
- declaration that there are no impediments in acc. with § 10 Para. 3 BauPrüfVO
- details on any participation in a company, whose purpose is to plan and execute construction projects
- details about any other branch offices, even in a different function
- details of the number of employees
- details on the field of accreditation as well as the location of the business
- details, whether and if so, how often an unsuccessful accreditation procedure has already been attempted in another German Federal State
Alongside the documents listed above, when checking the personal reliability the authorising authority could request in individual cases additional documents, which are suitable for making a statement about the personal reliability of the applicant.
to notify the work for the first time (test engineers from EU/EEA states or Switzerland):
- confirmation from the country of origin that there are no impediments for the job
- proof of the comparability of the requirements
to apply for the confirmation (test engineers from EU/EEA states or Switzerland):
The required documents will be specified by taking into account the circumstance of the individual cases.
Costs
The procedure is chargeable.
Legal basis
Release note
Stand: 26.04.2021
Verantwortlich: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg