The integration course (Integrationskurs) - entitlement, costs and how to apply in 2026

Before you start

• A certificate of entitlement (*Berechtigungsschein*) or an admission letter (*Zulassung*) from the BAMF, the immigration office or the Jobcenter
• A placement test and counselling session at the course provider

Documents you need

• Valid passport or national ID card

  required

• Residence permit card

  Non-EU citizens.

  optional

• Certificate of entitlement or admission letter (Berechtigungsschein / Zulassung)

  Issued by the immigration office

  required

• Registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung)

  Often asked for by providers and needed for Berlin-funded courses for refugees.

  optional

• Proof for a fee waiver

  Current benefits notice (Bescheid) from the Jobcenter

  optional

• Salary slips

  Only for a low-income fee waiver.

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Work out whether you are entitled, obliged or need admission

   Entitled (Anspruch): you usually have a legal right to one integration course if you live in Germany long-term and received your first residence permit for:

   • work (for example skilled-worker permits, the EU Blue Card or research),
   • family reunification (joining a spouse, parent or child),
   • certain humanitarian grounds (for example recognised refugees and people entitled to asylum), or
   • as a long-term resident of another EU country (section 38a), or a permit under section 23(2) or (4).

   A stay counts as long-term if the permit is valid for more than a year or you have held a permit for over 18 months.

   No entitlement in these cases: children and young people who go to school in Germany; people whose German is already sufficient (B1) - they may still take the orientation course; and people with an obviously low need for integration. The last group usually means people with a university degree or a job that normally requires one, who are expected to integrate without state help - unless their German is too weak to find a job matching their qualification. Many highly qualified workers therefore receive no entitlement and must apply for admission instead.

   Obliged (Verpflichtung): the immigration office records an obligation when it issues your permit if you are entitled and cannot communicate in basic German (A1), or - for spouses and some family members - do not yet have B1. The Jobcenter can also oblige you if you receive basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld, which replaced Bürgergeld). You are not obliged if you are in vocational training or comparable education in Germany, if attending is permanently impossible or unreasonable (for example because you care for a relative), or if you work and cannot reasonably attend even a part-time course.

   Admission (Zulassung): everyone else - EU citizens, Germans without sufficient German, people whose entitlement has lapsed, and people with a temporary protection permit (section 24), a toleration or permission to stay as an asylum seeker in certain cases - can apply to the BAMF for admission within available places.

2. 2

   Step 2: Get your certificate of entitlement or apply for admission

   • Entitled or obliged: the immigration office gives you the certificate of entitlement (Berechtigungsschein) when it issues your residence permit. In Berlin this is the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA). If you did not receive one, ask the office.
   • Jobcenter or employment agency: if they require or approve your participation, they issue the confirmation.
   • Everyone else: apply to the BAMF for admission, preferably online via the federal portal (Bundesportal, verwaltung.bund.de) or with form 630.007. Course providers can help with the online application.

   Admission in 2026. Admission depends on the federal budget. After a pause at the start of the year, the BAMF has since 1 August 2026 been admitting voluntary participants again, with priority for two groups in equal shares:

   1. people holding a temporary protection permit under section 24 (for example people from Ukraine), and
   2. German and other EU citizens whose German is not good enough to take up work or training - in particular people entitled to unemployment benefit, people who worked in Germany without acquiring such an entitlement, and low earners who qualify for a fee waiver - plus the family members of both groups.

   Applications are processed in order of receipt and incomplete applications are rejected. If you do not belong to a priority group, an application may currently not succeed; check the latest BAMF information before you rely on a place. The admission letter is valid for one year.

3. 3

   Step 3: Apply for a fee waiver if you qualify

   You can be exempted from the €2.29 contribution on application, with a current proof, if you:

   • receive basic income support (SGB II, Grundsicherungsgeld), social assistance (SGB XII) or benefits under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act,
   • receive unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld), or
   • are employed and your gross annual pay does not exceed 33% of the annual pension contribution ceiling. In 2026 the ceiling is €101,400, so the limit is about €33,460 gross a year; it rises by 10% of the ceiling (about €10,140) with one child and by 20% (about €20,280) with two or more children who count for tax purposes. (Our calculation from the 2026 figures; the BAMF form states the exact amounts, which change every year.)

   The BAMF can also waive the contribution in cases of undue hardship. Apply online via the federal portal or with form 630.027 to the responsible BAMF regional office (BAMF-NAvI shows which one). You can submit the waiver application together with an admission application. If your situation changes - for example your benefits end or your pay rises above the limit - you must tell the BAMF straight away.

   If you are exempt and the course is at least 5 km on foot from your home, you can apply for a travel cost subsidy.

4. 4

   Step 4: Find a course provider

   Use BAMF-NAvI, the BAMF's online map, to find approved integration course providers near you, with addresses and phone numbers. The immigration office or a migration counselling service (Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer, MBE) can also give you a list.

   In Berlin, the 12 district Volkshochschulen are among the providers. Before any of their German or integration courses you need a counselling session at the VHS of your choice: some have walk-in hours, others require an appointment (see the VHS overview page for times). They check your documents, test your level and whether you can read and write the Latin alphabet, and can help you apply to the BAMF.

5. 5

   Step 5: Take the placement test and choose your course type

   The provider runs a placement test to decide where you start and which course suits you. Course types in 2026:

   • General integration course - 600 lessons of German in six 100-lesson modules (A1 to B1) plus 100 lessons of orientation.
   • Intensive course - 400 + 100 lessons, for fast learners whose placement test suggests they will reach B1 in that time.
   • Literacy course (Alphabetisierungskurs) - for people who cannot read and write well in any language; up to 900 + 100 lessons.
   • Second-script course (Zweitschriftlernerkurs) - for people who read and write well but not in the Latin alphabet.
   • Support course (Förderkurs) - for people with special learning needs; up to 900 + 100 lessons.

   Courses are normally full-time; part-time, afternoon and evening courses exist, for example for people who work. Hand over your certificate of entitlement and register. Berlin VHS modules run on three, four or five weekdays.

6. 6

   Step 6: Attend and pay per module

   You pay the contribution at the start of each 100-lesson module (€229 in 2026), not all at once. If you drop out or miss lessons during a module, you still owe the contribution for the whole module.

   Attend regularly. If you were obliged to attend, the obligation only ends once you have attended properly. You may skip modules if your level allows, and you can change provider in special circumstances - for example a move, a switch between full-time and part-time, childcare needs, or starting a job or training.

7. 7

   Step 7: Take the final tests

   • Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ): a scaled test that certifies A2 or B1. Written part of 100 minutes (listening, reading, a short letter) and an oral part of about 15 minutes with another candidate. You reach B1 overall if you reach B1 in speaking and in at least one of the other two parts. Below A2 you receive only a results notice.
   • Leben in Deutschland (Life in Germany): 33 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, drawn from an official catalogue of 310 questions that you can practise free of charge in the BAMF online test centre. You pass with 15 correct answers; with 17 or more the result also counts for naturalisation.

   The BAMF pays for the first attempt at both tests. If you fail the DTZ before using up your lessons, it also pays for a second attempt. Results are evaluated centrally: in late September 2026 the BAMF reported it was evaluating Leben in Deutschland and citizenship tests taken up to 9 July 2026, so expect to wait a few months. DTZ certificates are posted to you.

   If you pass the DTZ at B1 and the Leben in Deutschland test, the BAMF issues the paper Zertifikat Integrationskurs. Keep the original safe - it is not issued electronically.

8. 8

   Step 8: After the course - refund and next steps

   • 50% refund: if you complete the course successfully (B1 and Leben in Deutschland passed) within two years of your first certificate of entitlement - three years for literacy and other special courses - you can apply to the BAMF for half of the contribution you paid. Apply online or with form 630.031.
   • Did not reach B1? Only participants of literacy and support courses who have used up their hours can be admitted once to repeat up to 300 lessons. Everyone else can continue in a job-related German course at A2 or B1 level if available, or in a paid course.
   • Use your certificate for the settlement permit and naturalisation. See the guides on the settlement permit and naturalisation.
   • Keep going with job-related German (see the section on Berufssprachkurse below).

What happens if you are obliged and do not attend

Job-related German courses (Berufssprachkurse, DeuFöV)

Berlin notes

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Assuming a highly qualified worker with a degree is automatically entitled - many are classed as having a low need for integration and must apply for admission.
• Forgetting to apply for the fee waiver before the course starts, then paying contributions that could have been waived.
• Paying in full and not claiming the 50% refund after passing within the deadline.
• Registering for the final test without first checking that the certificate of entitlement is still valid.
• Not telling the BAMF when benefits end or income rises after a fee waiver.

Tips

• Apply for admission and the fee waiver together, online, with every document the form asks for.
• Practise the Leben in Deutschland questions in the BAMF online test centre while you attend the language modules.
• If you aim for naturalisation, aim for at least 17 points in the Leben in Deutschland test - then you do not need a separate citizenship test.
• Use the free vhs-Lernportal between modules or while waiting for a course to start - it follows the integration-course curriculum.
• Ask your employer whether they will pay for a job-related course or give you time off for it.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Register for an integration courseAdd to plan
• Check when you can apply for a settlement permitAdd to plan
• Reach B1 German and get it certifiedAdd to plan
• Start a German course in HamburgAdd to plan
• Start learning basic German before you arriveAdd to plan
• Take the citizenship testAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 4 Dec 2026.