The Angelschein app for the German fishing license exam (Fischerprüfung)

In most federal states the path has three steps. First you pass the Fischerprüfung, your state's official fishing exam (some states, such as Bavaria, require a preparation course before you can register). With the exam passed, your local authority issues your Fischereischein, the actual license document. Finally you buy a fishing permit (Angelkarte) for the specific water you want to fish. The app prepares you for the first and hardest step: the exam.

Yes. To fish legally in Germany you need a Fischereischein, and to get one you normally have to pass the Fischerprüfung of your federal state. On top of the license you also need a permit for the specific water you fish. A few states offer limited exceptions, such as a time-limited tourist license in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but for anyone living in Germany the regular license via the exam is the way to go.

There is no single national price, because each federal state sets its own fees. The total is made up of the exam fee, the fee for issuing the Fischereischein plus the fishing tax (Fischereiabgabe), a preparation course where your state requires one, and the fishing permit (Angelkarte) for the water you fish, which always comes on top. Practicing the exam questions costs nothing with the app; check your state's official pages for the current fees.

You can prepare completely online, but the exam itself is official and supervised. Some states run it digitally: Bavaria's Fischerprüfung is taken online at approved testing locations, and Saxony and Hamburg also run computer-based exams at approved test centres. What you cannot do is buy the license itself online without passing the exam, no matter what some websites promise.

No. The Fischerprüfung is held in German in every federal state, and there is no official English version of the exam. The realistic path for non-German speakers is to practice the official German questions until you know them: the exam draws on published catalogs, so the questions you practice are the same ones the exam draws from. The app's plain explanations help you understand every question and learn the German fishing terms as you go.

You need enough German to read multiple-choice questions, not fluent German. The questions come from official catalogs, you pick answers instead of writing text, and the same technical terms (Schonzeit for closed season, Mindestmaß for minimum size) repeat again and again. If you drill the real questions with explanations, you learn exactly the German the exam uses.

With preparation it is very doable. The exam is multiple choice, the questions come from published official catalogs, and in most states you need 45 of 60 correct answers. For non-native speakers the language is usually the real hurdle, which is why practicing the original German questions with explanations matters more than anything else. The app's exam simulation tells you before the real date whether you are ready.

60 in almost every federal state, with 45 correct needed to pass and, in most states, a minimum score in every subject area on top. Rhineland-Palatinate is the exception: 50 questions, and you pass per subject area only, with at least 7 of 10 correct in each of its 5 areas. Time limits range from 60 to 120 minutes depending on the state. The app's simulation follows your state's exact rules.

Yes. You do not need to be a German citizen: foreigners living in Germany take the same Fischerprüfung as everyone else, in German, in the federal state where they live. Registration details differ per state, so check your state's fisheries authority or anglers' association. The exam is the same for everyone, and so is the preparation.

In some states, yes. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, for example, issues a time-limited Touristenfischereischein without an exam, and a few other states have similar visitor arrangements. Rules, durations and conditions vary by state, so check the state where you want to fish. If you live in Germany and want to fish regularly, the regular license via the Fischerprüfung is the lasting solution.

There is no fixed timeline; it depends on your federal state and your pace. You prepare for the exam (with a required course in some states, such as Bavaria), wait for one of your state's exam dates (some states offer them frequently, others run only a few sittings a year), and after passing you have the Fischereischein issued by your local authority. Starting the question practice early is the part you fully control.

In everyday German, Angelschein is what people call the whole thing. Officially, the Fischerprüfung (called Angelprüfung or Fischereiprüfung in some states) is the exam you have to pass, and the Fischereischein is the license document you are issued after passing it. On top of that you need an Angelkarte (also called Gewässerkarte or Erlaubnisschein), the permit for the specific water you fish. So: pass the Fischerprüfung, get the Fischereischein, buy the Angelkarte, go fishing.

No. There is no legal way to buy a regular German fishing license without passing the Fischerprüfung, and offers that promise one are not legitimate. The genuine exceptions are the limited state schemes, such as tourist licenses in some states and the Jugendfischereischein for children and teenagers, which come with their own age limits and time limits.

Fishing without the required license or permit is an offense in every federal state, and fines can be substantial. Fishing in waters where you have no permission at all can even be prosecuted as Fischwilderei (fish poaching) under criminal law, and your equipment can be confiscated. The exact rules are set per state; the safe answer is simply to get licensed first.

Broadly yes: a Fischereischein issued by one federal state is generally recognized when you fish in another, for example on holiday. But you always need a fishing permit (Angelkarte) for the specific water, the local rules on closed seasons and minimum sizes apply where you fish, and some state-specific documents such as tourist licenses are only valid in the issuing state. If you move to another state, ask the local authority how your license carries over.

The passed Fischerprüfung is valid for life: you never have to retake the exam. The Fischereischein document itself depends on the state: some states issue a lifetime license, others issue it for a set number of years, after which you renew it by paying the fees again. Renewal is paperwork, not a new exam.