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Finding a Kita place in Munich (kita finder+)

How childcare works in Munich in 2026, from the legal right to a place and the city's kita finder+ portal with its annual deadline to the free parents' advice service, measles proof, fees and meal costs, and the changes planned for September 2027.

Checked 8 Oct 2026
Applies to
Parents living in, or moving to, the City of Munich who need care for a child from birth to school age, and parents looking for after-school care (Hort) for primary school children.
Effort
High effort
Time needed
An hour to register in kita finder+; finding a place can take months
Cost
In 2026 municipal kindergartens are generally free of attendance fees; all municipal Kitas charge a meal fee of €105 a month. Crèche and Hort fees depend on care hours and income. New fees are planned from 1 September 2027.
When
For the Kita year starting in September 2027, register in kita finder+ by 3 March 2027. You can also apply for free places at any time during the year.
Where
Munich, Germany
On this page
  1. Overview
  2. Before you start
  3. Documents you need
  4. Step by step
  5. What childcare costs in 2026
  6. Planned new fees from September 2027
  7. Bavarian family benefits have changed
  8. After-school care for primary school children
  9. Watch out
  10. Common mistakes
  11. Tips
  12. Frequently asked questions
  13. Official links
  14. In your plan
  15. Sources
  16. Related guides

From their first birthday until they start school, every child in Germany has a legal right to a childcare place: in a Kita or with a childminder until age three, and in a day-care facility from age three until school entry (section 24 Social Code VIII).

In Munich, all municipal crèches (Krippen), kindergartens, after-school centres (Horte) and combined houses for children are allocated through the city's online portal kita finder+. Many Kitas are run by non-municipal providers such as churches, associations, parent initiatives and companies; they do not have to use kita finder+, so you also contact them directly. A free city advice service helps parents with both.

Before you start

  • A Munich address (register first, or at the same time)
  • Proof of measles protection for children aged one or older before care starts

Documents you need

  • Child's birth certificate

    required

  • Proof of measles protection

    From age one at least one vaccination (or immunity); from age two full protection with two vaccinations. Accepted proof includes the vaccination record, the child health booklet or a doctor's certificate.

    required

  • Proof of your Munich registration

    optional

  • Proof of work or training, if the provider asks for it

    optional

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Register in kita finder+ and choose facilities

    Create a user account in kita finder+, search for facilities near your home or work and register your child at several of them. Each registration puts your child on that Kita's waiting list. For children up to six you can mark one facility as preferred; the city considers this as far as possible, but it gives no claim to a place there. Using the portal is free.

  2. Step 2: Meet the annual deadline

    Most places for the Kita year starting in September are allocated in one central round. For the Kita year 2027/2028, register by 3 March 2027; allocation starts on 4 March 2027. You receive offers through your kita finder+ account. If you do not accept an offer within ten days, it lapses.

    Outside the main round, you can apply for free places at any time. If no place is free by your desired start date, your registration stays valid for another five months, and you can change the start date online.

  3. Step 3: Contact non-municipal providers directly

    Many church, association and parent-initiative Kitas have their own registration process and waiting lists. Contact several of them in parallel to kita finder+. The parents' advice service (see below) can help you find them.

  4. Step 4: If you have no offer, use the city's advice service

    The Elternberatung zur Kinderbetreuung of the Referat für Bildung und Sport advises parents of children aged 0 to 10 for free, by phone, email or in person after a phone call, and helps with kita finder+. If you have no offer after the allocation, or you are moving to Munich or within the city, submit the city's needs form (Bedarfsformular) after registering in kita finder+; the service then tries to arrange a free place, usually not in a facility you selected in advance.

    Contact (2026): phone 089 233-96771, email kita-eltern@muenchen.de, Landsberger Straße 30. Phone hours without appointment: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:30 to 12:00.

  5. Step 5: Prepare the documents and the start

    Before care begins, show proof of measles protection: at least one vaccination from age one, and full protection with two vaccinations from age two. Ask the Kita how its settling-in period (Eingewöhnung) works and plan your return to work around it.

What childcare costs in 2026

In municipal Kitas the monthly cost consists of an attendance fee and a meal fee:

  • Kindergarten (age three to school): generally free of attendance fees in 2026.
  • Meal fee (Verpflegungsgeld): €105 a month for all types of facility, already reduced for an average of 42 absence days a year.
  • Crèche, Hort and day homes: the attendance fee depends on daily care time and household income. Reductions can be requested for joint incomes up to €80,000 a year, siblings get a reduction, and families receiving certain benefits can have meal costs covered.

Non-municipal providers set their own fees, unless they take part in the city's funding system (introduced on 1 September 2024 to replace the earlier Munich funding formula), in which case the city's fee rules apply. If fees are a burden, the economic youth support (Wirtschaftliche Jugendhilfe) at your social services centre (Sozialbürgerhaus) can cover part of them.

Planned new fees from September 2027

The city council intends to introduce new Kita fees from 1 September 2027; the final decision is expected at the end of 2026. Under the published plan, kindergarten places would also carry a fee (for example €174 a month for more than nine hours), families in municipal Kitas with a household income up to €50,000 a year would pay no fees, and families between €50,000 and €80,000 reduced fees. München-Pass holders and families receiving social benefits would remain exempt from parent fees in the city's funding programmes. Check the city's FAQ before you plan.

Bavarian family benefits have changed

Bavaria no longer pays its family allowance (Familiengeld) for children born on or after 1 January 2025, and the crèche allowance (Krippengeld) is also only available for children born before that date. For older children, Familiengeld is €250 a month per child in the second and third year of life (€300 from the third child). Federal child benefit and parental allowance are not affected; see child benefit and parental allowance.

After-school care for primary school children

For children starting primary school, places in a municipal Hort are applied for through kita finder+, while municipal day homes (Tagesheime) and all-day classes are usually requested on the school registration day. See schools in Munich.

Watch out

Do not rely on a single application. Register at several facilities in kita finder+ and contact non-municipal providers as well.

An offer lapses if you do not accept it in kita finder+ within ten days.

Without proof of measles protection, a Kita cannot accept your child aged one or older.

Common mistakes

  • Missing the March deadline for the September start.
  • Assuming kita finder+ lists all Kitas; non-municipal providers often use their own registration.
  • Planning to return to work on the first day of care without asking about the settling-in period.

Tips

  • Start your search as soon as you know your Munich address, even if your child is very young.
  • Call the parents' advice service early; it knows where places are free.
  • Keep your kita finder+ registration active and update the start date if your plans change.

Frequently asked questions

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

Do I have a right to a Kita place in Munich?

From the first birthday every child has a legal right to early childhood care, and from age three to a place in a day-care facility until school. The right is to a suitable place, not to a particular Kita.

We are moving to Munich in the middle of the year. What can we do?

Register in kita finder+ and apply for free places, contact non-municipal providers directly, and submit the needs form to the city's parents' advice service so it can help arrange a place.

Is Kita free in Munich?

In 2026 municipal kindergartens are generally free of attendance fees; you pay a meal fee of €105 a month. Crèche fees depend on income. New fees are planned from September 2027.

In your plan

  • Register your child for Kita places in kita finder+
  • Secure a Kita place or childminder
  • Register your school-age children for school
  • Plan childcare and school for your children
  • Register your child for primary school entry
  • Apply for parental allowance after a birth

Sources

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

  1. Landeshauptstadt München – Referat für Bildung und SportOfficial source
    Kita-Platzsuche im kita finder+ (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Municipal facilities only, deadline 3 March 2027, allocation from 4 March 2027, 10 days to accept, five-month validity, measles rules.

  2. Landeshauptstadt München – Referat für Bildung und SportOfficial source
    Elternberatung zur Kinderbetreuung (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  3. Landeshauptstadt München – Referat für Bildung und SportOfficial source
    Kosten für einen Kita-Platz (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  4. Landeshauptstadt München – Referat für Bildung und SportOfficial source
    FAQs zu den neuen Münchner Kita-Gebühren (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  5. Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales (ZBFS)Official source
    Bayerisches Familiengeld (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  6. Landeshauptstadt München – Referat für Bildung und SportOfficial source
    Anmeldung für die Grundschule (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Hort via kita finder+; day homes and all-day classes on registration day.

  7. Bundesministerium der Justiz – Gesetze im InternetOfficial source
    § 24 SGB VIII – Anspruch auf Förderung in Tageseinrichtungen und in Kindertagespflege (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

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