German integration courses: eligibility, costs and how to apply

A German integration course combines language lessons up to B1 level with an orientation course about life, laws and society. The standard course has 700 teaching units, and the government covers most of the cost, but you may still pay 2.29 EUR per lesson (course unit fee in 2026).

How you get into an integration course depends on your situation: some people already have the right to attend, some need to apply to BAMF, and some are required to take the course by the Ausländerbehörde or Jobcenter. Our guide explains what to do in each case.

What to expect from the German integration courses

A standard integration course has 600 German lessons and 100 orientation lessons, each lasting 45 minutes. The German part takes you towards B1, while the orientation module covers German law, politics, history, culture and everyday life.

“In integration courses, people learn German and get to know how everyday life works in Germany. On this basis, they can take part in our society and integrate themselves into the labour market.” – Natalie Pawlik, Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, Integration and Anti-Racism, February 2026.

The German lessons focus on daily topics:

• talking to authorities;
• speaking to neighbours and colleagues;
• shopping and housing;
• work and job applications;
• health;
• childcare and school;
• writing letters and emails;
• filling in forms.

After the language part, you take the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ). The orientation module ends with the Leben in Deutschland test. If you reach B1 in the DTZ and pass Leben in Deutschland, you receive the Zertifikat Integrationskurs and finish the course.

Who can take an integration course

You can take an integration course if your residence status gives you access, BAMF approves your application, or the Ausländerbehörde or Jobcenter tells you to attend. The exact route depends on your situation.

Your situation	Can you take the course?	What happens next
You got your first German residence permit after January 1st 2005 and plan to live in Germany long-term	Usually, yes	The Ausländerbehörde gives you an admission notice that lets you join the course. If your German is very basic, it may tell you that you have to attend.
You came to Germany for family reunification and have a residence permit for this purpose	Usually, yes, if you live in Germany long-term	For family reunification, the Ausländerbehörde gives you permission to join the course. If your German is very limited, it may make the course compulsory.
You receive Bürgergeld	Yes, in many cases	The Jobcenter can let you join or tell you that you must attend.
You are an EU/EEA citizen	You can apply	Apply to BAMF. You can join if BAMF approves the application and a place is available.
You have already lived legally in Germany for a longer time but don’t have an automatic right	You can apply	Apply directly to BAMF.
You are a German citizen but your German is poor	You can apply	Apply to BAMF.
You have an Aufenthaltsgestattung while your asylum case is being processed	You can apply	Apply to BAMF, unless another authority has already told you to attend.
You have a Duldung under §60a(2) sentence 3	You can apply	Apply to BAMF.
You have a residence permit under §24 (for example, temporary protection) or §25(5)	You can apply	Apply to BAMF.
You are a Spätaussiedler, or the spouse/descendant included in the admission decision	Yes, once and free of charge	You get written confirmation from the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA).
You are attending school	No	School pupils can’t take a BAMF integration course.

Rules can differ, so always check your case on the official BAMF page on participation and costs before you apply or book a course.

The easiest way to understand your case is to look at which authority you deal with:

• Ausländerbehörde: for people with a residence permit, including family reunification;
• Jobcenter: if you receive Bürgergeld;
• BAMF: if you need to apply for a place yourself, for example, as an EU/EEA citizen;
• Bundesverwaltungsamt: for Spätaussiedler.

If you already have a letter from one of the authorities, it should say whether you can join the course or have to attend.

What if the course is compulsory for you

If the Ausländerbehörde or Jobcenter requires you to take an integration course, you need to register and attend it regularly. You’ll get the notification in writing. The letter may use terms such as Teilnahmeverpflichtung or Verpflichtung zum Integrationskurs – both mean that the course is compulsory.

Once you get the letter, follow the instructions and register with an approved course provider. If you don’t register or attend the course regularly, there can be consequences. BAMF says your absence can affect the residence permit extension, your benefit amounts, and in some cases, you may face a fine.

More tips for expats in Germany:

• How to open a German bank account for non-residents.
• LinkedIn Premium price in Germany: plans and whether it is worth it.

How much you pay for the integration course

The course costs 2.29 EUR per teaching unit if you pay the standard price. For the 700-unit course, that comes to 1,603 EUR in total. You don’t have to hang over the whole sum at once. You usually can pay 229 EUR before each 100-unit block and before the orientation course. If you miss a lesson, you don’t get that part of the fee back.

Some people don’t have to pay at all:

• asylum applicants;
• people with some types of Duldung, including Ausbildungsduldung and Beschäftigungsduldung;
• people with a residence permit under §25(5) AufenthG;
• people sent to the course by the Jobcenter;
• Spätaussiedler.

You can also ask BAMF to waive the course unit fee if you can't afford it and receive benefits like Bürgergeld, Arbeitslosengeld, Hilfe zum Lebensunterhalt / Sozialhilfe, or asylum-seeker benefits.

How to apply for an integration course

You can register with a course provider once you have the right document from BAMF, the Ausländerbehörde or Jobcenter. If you don’t have one yet, you may need to apply to BAMF first.

Get the document you need

If the Ausländerbehörde or Jobcenter has already told you that you can or must take an integration course, use the document they gave you. You don’t need to apply to BAMF again.

If you need to apply yourself – for example, as an EU/EEA citizen – you can apply to BAMF either online through the federal portal or with the official paper form.

• For the online application, you need a BundID account.
• For the paper application, fill in the BAMF form and send it with a copy of your ID or residence document.

If BAMF approves your application, you receive a Berechtigungsschein – this admission notice confirms your place and is what you take to a course provider to register there.

Find an approved course provider

Use BAMF-NAvI to find approved integration courses near you. Search by location, then compare the next available start date, course type and timetable – for example, daytime, evening or part-time classes. The integration course isn’t a general language course, as it follows a fixed structure set by BAMF, so not every language school qualifies as an approved provider.

Once you find a suitable provider, contact them directly and ask whether they have places. To register, you’ll need your Berechtigungsschein or the document you received from the Ausländerbehörde or Jobcenter. The provider will tell you what to bring and when to come for the placement test.

Take the placement test

Before the course starts, you take a free placement test, which shows your current language proficiency level. Don’t worry about the test – it’s not something you need to pass. The school just uses the result to see where you should start. If you’re starting from zero, you’ll begin with the first module. If you already know some German, you can start later instead of repeating things you’ve already learned.

“Language is the key to integration. Anyone who lives or grows up here has to be able to speak German. That's why I pushed for massive investment in integration and work-related language courses in the federal budget, for wider access to courses, and for good provision of German classes in all regions." – Natalie Pawlik, Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, Integration and Anti-Racism, October 2025.

Get your course date

After the placement test, the school tells you which module you’ll join and when the next suitable group starts.

BAMF says the course should begin within six weeks after you register. If there’s no place that soon, the school has to tell you. In that case, ask when the next group starts and whether another nearby provider has an earlier place.

What happens at the end of the course?

At the end, you take two tests: one for German and one for the orientation course. The final tests are free in 2026.

• Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ) checks your language proficiency level. To complete the integration course successfully, you need to reach B1.
• Leben in Deutschland (LiD) checks what you learned in the orientation course about Germany, its laws and society.

The LiD test has 33 questions and lasts 60 minutes. You pass with at least 15 correct answers. If you get 17 right, BAMF says the result can count towards the knowledge requirement for a later citizenship application.

If you reach B1 in the DTZ and pass LiD, you get the Zertifikat Integrationskurs.

What if you don’t reach B1

You may get another chance to work on your German and take the language test again.

In some cases, BAMF lets you repeat up to 300 German lessons once and then retake the DTZ. The exact rules depend on the type of integration course you took, so ask your course provider what applies to you.

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FAQ: German integration courses