Childcare in Hamburg: the Kita voucher, free hours and finding a place

Before you start

• Your child's main residence is registered in Hamburg (see the guide to Anmeldung in Hamburg)
• Proof of work, training or a German or integration course if you need more than five hours a day or care for a child under one

Documents you need

• Completed and signed Kita voucher application

  required

• Copies of the ID or passports of the parents with custody registered with the child

  required

• Registration confirmation for your Hamburg address

  optional

• Employment or training contract

  Needed for more than five hours a day or for children under one.

  optional

• Proof of income and the financial questionnaire

  Only needed for more than five hours a day.

  optional

• Proof of measles protection

  Required by federal law for children from age one before they start in a Kita or with a childminder.

  required

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Work out how many hours you need

   • Basic entitlement: up to five hours a day including lunch, from the first birthday until school or the pre-school class. Free of charge.
   • More than five hours, or care for a child under one: possible if the adults in your household work, are in training or further vocational training, take part in a job integration measure, attend a German or integration course, or if there is an urgent social or educational need.

   Count travel time to and from work when you choose the hours.

2. 2

   Step 2: Apply for the Kita voucher

   Apply online through the Kita voucher service on the Serviceportal Hamburg, or hand in the form at your district's social services centre or childcare department. You can apply up to six months before care should start; the voucher period can only begin when your application arrives.

   Include the child's surname, first name, date of birth and full registered address in all correspondence. For more than five hours, add the financial questionnaire, proof of income and proof of your working or course hours.

   A voucher is usually approved for up to one year, unless your need is shorter; after that you apply for a follow-up voucher. Report changes in hours, care type or income to the office.

3. 3

   Step 3: Find a Kita or childminder

   Use the city's Kita database (search by district, neighbourhood and type of care) and the Kita map. Contact several Kitas and childminders near your home or work, visit them and ask about free places and start dates. Hamburg had 1,175 day-care centres in March 2026, according to the Statistikamt Nord.

   Contact Kitas early, even before your voucher arrives, so you know which ones might have a place for your start date.

4. 4

   Step 4: Sign the care contract

   When a Kita offers a place, you sign a care contract with it and hand over the voucher. Bring proof of measles protection: federal law requires all children from their first birthday who start in a Kita, with a childminder or at school to show proof of the measles vaccinations recommended by the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO).

5. 5

   Step 5: If you cannot find a place

   Contact the childcare department (Kindertagesbetreuung) of your district office. In a place-finding procedure (Platznachweisverfahren), the district office searches for a place; if none is found within three months, the education authority becomes involved. The city reported in June 2026 that this is rarely needed now: only about ten procedures were open in May 2026, and in several districts there were only isolated cases or none.

What longer hours cost

Kita, Krippe and childminders

Before school - language assessment and pre-school

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Waiting for the voucher before contacting Kitas; many places are allocated months in advance.
• Forgetting to report a change in working hours or income, which can affect the voucher and the fee.
• Assuming the five free hours depend on parents working; they do not.

Tips

• Contact Kitas near your workplace as well as near home.
• Ask Kitas about multilingual staff or bilingual concepts if that matters to you; the Kita database lets you search by type of care.
• Keep copies of everything you send to the district office.

Frequently asked questions

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

Official links

In your plan

• Apply for the Kita voucherAdd to plan
• Find a Kita place or childminderAdd to plan
• Plan childcare and school for your childrenAdd to plan
• Register your child for primary school entryAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Feb 2027.