Fishing Exam in Germany: How It Works in Your Federal State
Anyone who wants to fish in Germany needs a Fischereischein (fishing licence) – and you only get it after passing the Fischerprüfung (fishing exam) (depending on the state also called Fischereischeinprüfung, Anglerprüfung or Sportfischerprüfung). The exam is state law: each of the 16 federal states has its own Landesfischereigesetz (state fisheries act), its own exam regulations and its own question catalogue. What almost all have in common: 60 multiple-choice questions with three answers, passed from 45 correct. Everything else – time, minimum age, course requirement, fees, practical part – is in the table below, state by state.
Last updated: 14 September 2026
What is the same everywhere
In 15 of the 16 states the written exam is a paper with 60 questions from five or six subject areas (general and special fish biology, water science and fish stock management, nature and animal protection, tackle and equipment, fisheries law); only Rhineland-Palatinate sets 50 questions. Each question has three answers, one of which is correct – in Baden-Württemberg it can also be two. Anyone with at least 45 questions correct passes; most states additionally require a minimum per subject area (usually 6, in Saxony 8, in Hesse 9). The exam is written on paper; Bavaria and Saxony test electronically at the exam venue. A remote exam from home does not exist anywhere.
What differs
- Time: 60 minutes (Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Lower Saxony) to 120 minutes (including Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt).
- Minimum age: from 10 years (Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia) through 12 (Bavaria, NRW, Saxony-Anhalt, Hamburg) to 14 (Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony).
- Course requirement: a preparatory course of usually 30 hours is mandatory in Baden-Württemberg (32 h), Bavaria, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia; Hesse requires an 8-hour practical course, Schleswig-Holstein a practical day since October 2025. Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and NRW require no course (NRW plans a practical day from 2028).
- Practical or oral parts: NRW (tackle assembly and fish identification), Hamburg (practical part with 30 points), Lower Saxony (oral with fish pictures), Saxony-Anhalt (oral-practical exam).
- Fees: €25 (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) to €100 (Saarland, incl. course); plus the fishing licence and the annual fishing levy (Fischereiabgabe).
- Language: The exam is in German. Saarland also offers it in Arabic and Russian; Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Rhineland-Palatinate admit sworn interpreters (at your own expense); Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Bremen test in German only.
Which catalogues are public – and what ScheinFit contains
Only some of the states publish their question catalogue for free use: North Rhine-Westphalia (Anlage 1 of the Fischerprüfungsordnung, an official work), Saxony-Anhalt (the ministry's question catalogue, re-use permitted under § 5 Abs. 2 UrhG), Brandenburg (the ministry's question pool under the Datenlizenz Deutschland – Zero) and Bavaria (text questions of the Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, “freely available”). ScheinFit contains these four catalogues completely and unchanged – with translation, explanations and an exam simulation according to the rules of the respective state.
In Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Saarland and Thuringia a catalogue exists, but it belongs to an association, ministry or illustrator and may only be used with permission; Berlin and Rhineland-Palatinate do not publish a catalogue. For these states ScheinFit is coordinating with the responsible bodies – the current status is shown in the table.
How to get your fishing licence
- Check the responsible body and the rules of your federal state (table below).
- If required: preparatory course with a recognised provider (association, angling school, partly online).
- Learn the theory – in ScheinFit with your state's catalogue, translation in your language and exam simulation.
- Register and take the exam with the authority or the entrusted association; if applicable, practical or oral part.
- With the exam certificate, apply for the fishing licence at your municipality or online and pay the fishing levy.
How it works in your federal state
All 16 federal states compared – from the state laws and exam regulations (as of 14 September 2026).
| State | Exam body | Questions | Minutes | Pass | Min. age | Course | Practical/oral | Fee | In the app |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Baden-Württemberg | Landesfischereiverband Baden-Württemberg e.V. | 60 | 120 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 10 | yes | no | 50 € | soon |
 Bavaria | Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft | 60electronic | 60 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 12 | yes | no | 50 € | available998 official questions |
 Berlin | Prüfungsausschüsse der beiden anerkannten fischereilichen Landesverbände | 60 | 120 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 14 | yes | no | 43 € | soon |
 Brandenburg | Untere Fischereibehörden der Landkreise/kreisfreien Städte und vom Landesamt für Ländliche Entwicklung, Landwirtschaft und Flurneuordnung | 60 | 120 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 14 | no | no | 25 € | available597 official questions |
 Bremen | Landesfischereiverband Bremen e.V. | 60 | 90 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 14 | yes | no | 120 € | soon |
 Hamburg | BUKEA | 60 | 90 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 12 | yes | yes | 66,30 € | soon |
 Hesse | Untere Fischereibehörden | 60 | 120 | ≥ 45≥ 9 per area | 14 | yes | no | 40 € | soon |
 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | Prüfungsbehörden = Amtsvorsteher der Ämter und Bürgermeister der amtsfreien Gemeinden | 60 | 90 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 2 | no | no | 25 € | soon |
 Lower Saxony | No state exam: the recognised Landesfischereiverbände hold the exam | 60 | 60 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 14 | no | yes | 70 € | soon |
 North Rhine-Westphalia | Untere Fischereibehörde of the Kreis / kreisfreie Stadt | 60 | 60 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 12 | no | yes | 50 € | available321 official questions |
 Rhineland-Palatinate | Untere Fischereibehörden | 50 | 120 | ≥ 35≥ 7 per area | 13 | yes | no | 50 € | soon |
 Saarland | Fischereiverband Saar KdöR | 60 | 120 | ≥ 45 | 13 | yes | no | 50 € | soon |
 Saxony | Fischereibehörde = Sächsisches Landesamt für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft und Geologie | 60electronic | 90 | ≥ 45≥ 8 per area | 14 | yes | no | 30 € | soon |
 Saxony-Anhalt | Untere Fischereibehörden | 60 | 120 | ≥ 45 | 12 | yes | yes | 60 € | available619 official questions |
 Schleswig-Holstein | Oberste Fischereibehörde = Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, ländliche Räume, Europa und Verbraucherschutz | 60 | 90 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 11 | no | no | 50 € | soon |
 Thuringia | Untere Fischereibehörden | 60 | 90 | ≥ 45≥ 6 per area | 10 | yes | no | 35 € | soon |
Matching catalogues in the app
Fishing exam (Fischerprüfung) North Rhine-Westphalia
Prerequisite for the fishing licence in NRW: 60 questions from six subject areas as per Annex 1 of the fishing exam regulations (Fischerprüfungsordnung), plus fish identification and a practical part.
- General fish biology10
- Specific fish biology10
- Water bodies & fish management10
- Nature conservation & animal welfare10
- Tackle & equipment10
- Fishing law10
- Pass≥ 45 / 60
Fishing licence exam Bavaria
- Fischkunde12
- Water bodies & fish management12
- Schutz und Pflege der Fischgewässer, Fischhege12
- Fanggeräte, fischereiliche Praxis, Behandlung gefangener Fische12
- Einschlägige Rechtsvorschriften12
- Pass≥ 45 / 60
Fishing licence exam Brandenburg
- Fischkunde und -hege12
- Pflege der Fischgewässer12
- Fanggeräte und deren Gebrauch12
- Behandlung der gefangenen Fische12
- Einschlägige Rechtsvorschriften12
- Pass≥ 45 / 60
Fishing licence exam Saxony-Anhalt
- Fischkunde15
- Tackle & equipment15
- Fishing law15
- Water bodies & fish management15
- Pass≥ 45 / 60