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Apply for a certificate of competence for the application of plant protection products and advice in plant protection

Service Description

You may only

  • use plant protection products professionally,
  • advise on plant protection within the meaning of Article 3(3) of Directive 2009/128/EC, or
  • instruct or supervise persons who use plant protection products as part of a training relationship or an auxiliary activity,

if you have a certificate of competence in plant protection issued by the competent authority.

Applications are submitted via a standardized national online database.

Please note that the dispensing of plant protection products is not included in this certificate of competence.

Process flow

You have needed the new certificate of competence (SKN) in card format since 26.11.2015. Use the online service for this.

  • The authority accepts the complete application documents and checks the details and the authenticity of the certificates and/or attestations.
  • If your application is successful, you will receive confirmation by email. It is not necessary to also send the signed application by post.
  • If all requirements for the recognition of expertise have been met, the authority will issue a notification of recognition and fees.
  • Once payment has been received, the certificate of competence cards are produced once a month throughout Germany. It can take 2 months from the time of application until the certificate of competence card is sent out.
  • The card will be sent to you by post by the printing service provider.

Who should I contact?

State processing, fundamental issues
Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas
Department 23 Plant Protection and Seeds

Application processing and decision by employees of the branch offices:
Rudolstadt, Sömmerda, Zeulenroda, Leinefelde-Worbis, Hildburghausen, Bad Salzungen, Bad Frankenhausen

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas
Unit 25 Specialist legislation and cross-compliance controls

Competent authority

State processing, fundamental issues
Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas
Department 23 Plant Protection and Seeds

Application processing and decision by employees of the branch offices:
Rudolstadt, Sömmerda, Zeulenroda, Leinefelde-Worbis, Hildburghausen, Bad Salzungen, Bad Frankenhausen

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas
Unit 25 Specialist legislation and cross-compliance controls

Requirements

You have the required expertise or certificates.

Which documents are required?

  • The following certificates or attestations are required:
    • Certificate of a recognized professional qualification or
    • Certificate of successful completion of a plant protection examination in the field of application/advice or
    • Certificate of completed vocational training or completed studies with additional certificate (from university, training institution) or
    • Certificate from another EU Member State within the meaning of Directive 2009/128/EC
  • Other evidence or certificates from other European member states or non-EU states may be recognized if the required technical content was part of the training/examination and this is clearly evident from the evidence/certificates submitted.
  • If necessary, certified translation of the documents submitted
  • If applicable, informal confirmation of costs from the specified invoice recipient
  • If applicable, certificate of further training (if there are more than three years between the date of the certificate and the date of application)

Supplement for Thuringia:

It is very important to provide a telephone number or e-mail address so that we can contact you if we have any queries during the application processing. Please always provide this information.

What are the fees?

Fee: 46,00 EUR
Payment in advance: no

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

If there are more than three years between the date of the certificate and the date of application, a current certificate of further training must also be submitted.

Processing duration

It can take 2 months from the time of application until the certificate of competence card is sent out.

Legal basis

Applications / forms

For Thuringia:

You can lodge an objection to this administrative act with the Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas, based in Jena, within one month of notification. The deadline is also met by timely receipt at a branch office of the State Office.

Appeal

What else should I know?

Plant protection experts from EU member states who wish to use plant protection products in Germany also require a German certificate of competence. For technical reasons, it is not possible to apply for the German certificate of competence via the online database. Please contact the plant protection service or the office responsible for the application in the federal state where you wish to work directly. You can use the service finder on the homepage for this purpose.

In addition to the application for a certificate of competence, you must take part in at least four hours of further training over a recurring three-year period. The start of the first training period is noted on the card.

Further Information

Author

Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture Rhineland-Palatinate

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Technically approved by

Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas; Department 23 Plant Protection and Seeds

Professionally released on

04.06.2025

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6Plus)

Start your request directly online:

Competent Authority

Thüringer Landesamt für Landwirtschaft und Ländlichen Raum (TLLLR) - Referat 23 - Pflanzenschutz und Saatgut

Address
Kühnhäuser Str. 101
99090 Erfurt
Telephone
+49 361 574198-000
Fax
+49 361 574198-140
E-Mail
Contact us
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Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas (TLLLR)