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Admission to Patent Attorney Training

Before you can start your training in the field of IP rights, you need to be admitted by the DPMA.

Prerequisites for admission

To be admitted to the training, you must have a completed degree in natural sciences or engineering at a university-level institution. This includes all degree programmes at a university where the scientific or technical aspects significantly outweigh any other aspects and where graduates earn the academic degree "Diplom" or "Master" upon completion.

This requirement can also be fulfilled if candidates have a foreign degree, as long as the foreign degree is recognised in Germany or considered equal. To help us determine this, we regularly ask the Central Office for Foreign Education for assistance.

In addition to completing your studies, you must have at least one year of practical technical work experience.

For more details regarding university degrees and practical technical work experience, please refer to our Merkblatt zur Patentanwaltsausbildung und -prüfung (in German).

Application for admission

To be admitted to the training, you need to submit a written application as well as various documents (either originals or certified copies) so we can check if your degree and your practical technical work experience satisfy the requirements.

In addition, you need to already have found a training position at a patent law firm or in a company's patent department at the time of applying. For more information regarding possible places for training positions, please go to the Chamber of Patent Attorney's electronic register of patent attorneys.

There are no fixed dates for admitting an application – they can be submitted to the DPMA at any time. However, please note that we receive many applications and that checking your documents might take some time. In some cases, we might also have to ask for additional documents. So please submit your application for admission to the DPMA as early as possible, ideally six months before the planned start date of your training.

Please send your application as well as all necessary documents and the training declaration to:
Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt
Referat 4.3.5 Patentanwalts- und Vertreterwesen
80297 München

For more details regarding the deadlines as well as the form and content of the application for admission and the necessary documents, please refer to our leaflet regarding the patent attorney training and qualifying examination (in German).

Studies in general law

If you don't already have a degree in general law, the Chamber of Patent Attorneys will sign you up for the study programme "Law for patent attorneys" (Recht für Patentanwältinnen und Patentanwälte) at the FernUniversität in Hagen, which will take place alongside your training. These classes begin on three fixed dates each year (February/June/October).

The Chamber of Patent Attorneys automatically signs you up for the study programme at the FernUniversität in Hagen once you have been admitted to the training by the DPMA. We notify the Chamber of your admission to the training, so that they can register you to start at the next possible date. You will take your classes during your first training phase, i.e. during the training at a patent law firm or in a company’s patent department. If possible, you should have completed the study programme before starting the second training phase at the DPMA.

Picture: DPMA

Last updated: 18 June 2025