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Registering your child for school after a move to Germany

Every child who lives in Germany has to go to school, and the parents have to register it. When school starts, where you enroll and what you bring depends on the state. In Berlin registration falls ten months before the first day, and welcome classes help children who arrive without German.
Written by
Janine El-Saghir
Reviewed by
Erkan Boga

School enrollment in Germany: at a glance
  • Compulsory from age six. A child must start school on 1 August if it turns six before the cut-off date of its state, which lies between 30 June and 30 September.
  • You register, the school does not come to you. Parents enroll their child at the local primary school. In Berlin, for example, registration is in October, ten months before the first day.
  • No German yet? Your child still goes to school, often first in a welcome or German class that leads into a regular class, sometimes straight into a regular class with extra German lessons.

School attendance in Germany is a duty for every child who lives here, whatever its nationality. In Bavaria, for example, the law ties it to the child’s usual place of residence (for asylum seekers and war refugees, three months after arrival). So once you have an address, the next step is the school: call the local primary school or the school office (Schulamt) of your town and ask for an appointment. Make sure your child is covered by family health insurance before the first day, and keep the vaccination record at hand.

When compulsory schooling starts and ends

Every state sets its own cut-off date. Children who turn six before it start school on 1 August of that year. Two examples:

  • Berlin: cut-off 30 September. Children born between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021 start school in August 2027.
  • Bavaria: cut-off 30 June. For children who turn six between 1 July and 30 September, parents may postpone the start by one year.

Parents can apply for an earlier start. In most states a later start is possible only in exceptional cases, in some only for health reasons. Bavaria’s July to September corridor is the exception. Full-time schooling lasts nine years, ten in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen and Thuringia, and nine or ten in North Rhine-Westphalia. Teenagers who then leave full-time school must attend a part-time vocational school, usually for the length of their training. In Bavaria the whole duty adds up to twelve years.

Registering for the first grade: the Berlin calendar

The steps are similar everywhere, the dates differ. Berlin shows how early it starts:

School start in Berlin in August 2027: what parents do when
When Step
5 to 16 October 2026 Register at the local public primary school, usually the one nearest your home, with your child. Bring your own ID, the child’s birth certificate and ID, and any reports that help the school support your child. Apply for after-school care (Hort) at the same appointment.
After registration School medical check by the district’s child and youth health service. The school gives you the details at registration.
By 26 February 2027 Deadline to apply for a one-year deferral, with a statement from the Kita and after the medical check.
Afterwards The district school office assigns the place, sometimes at a school other than the one where you registered.
21 and 23 August 2027 Welcome ceremony on Saturday, first lessons on Monday. Hort care can start on 1 August.
Source: Berlin Senate Department for Education, school registration for the 2027 school start, retrieved 8 November 2026.

Missed the window because you arrived later? Register anyway, as soon as you have an address. Enrolling your child is a legal duty, not an option that expires.

Can you choose the school?

As a rule, a primary school child attends the local school of its catchment area. North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein let parents pick another primary school. Berlin allows it if places are free, Saxony for an important reason. In Berlin you first register at the local school and hand in a written request with your reasons for the school you want, even for a private school. What to check before choosing a private or international school: its approval as a substitute school. For secondary schools, parents can often choose freely unless the state has set catchment areas. The limit is then the number of places a school has.

Arriving during the school year

Children who move to Germany during the school year join school as soon as possible. Berlin has a guideline for these cases: it covers the duty to attend, the placement in a regular class or a German learning group, and admission at primary and secondary schools. Bring the last report cards from the previous school, translated if you can. Where your child continues after primary school depends on the state’s rules for the recommendation after grade 4: the German school system.

Welcome classes for children who do not speak German

The states support newcomers with German classes under different names. Three examples:

  • Berlin, Willkommensklassen: small learning groups that focus on German as the language of teaching. The aim is to move into a regular class as early as possible. Teenagers and young adults with little or no German can get a place in a welcome class at a vocational school.
  • Bavaria, Deutschklassen: German classes at primary schools and, for grades 7 to 9, at middle schools. Since 2024/2025 there are also German classes for grades 5 and 6 at Mittelschule, Realschule and Gymnasium that do not fix the later school type. A child can move to a regular class during the year. Bavaria also tests the German of every child one and a half years before school starts.
  • North Rhine-Westphalia, Erstförderung: initial German support for newly arrived pupils at public schools.

In other states the names differ again. The school office of your town tells you which school runs the classes nearest to you.

Proof of measles vaccination

Before your child starts at a school or a Kita, you must show proof of protection against measles: the vaccination record or a doctor’s certificate. From the second birthday that means two vaccinations, from the first birthday one. A doctor’s certificate can also confirm immunity or a medical reason against vaccination. If the record is missing, ask your pediatrician.

Care after lessons

Lessons end around lunchtime, so working parents need after-school care. In Berlin every primary school is an all-day school, and you apply for the Hort when you register. Nationwide, children who start grade 1 in the 2026/2027 school year or later have a legal right to eight hours of all-day support on working days, lesson time included, until they start grade 5.

Bottom line

Get the address registered, then contact the school office the same week, with the birth certificate and the vaccination record. For a child without German, ask which school near you runs a welcome or German class.

Part of education in Germany. Before school: Kita. Plan ahead: school holidays · why homeschooling is not an option.

Frequently Asked Questions

That depends on the state. In Berlin the cut-off is 30 September, so a child who turns six in August starts school that summer. In Bavaria the cut-off is 30 June, but for a birthday between 1 July and 30 September the parents may decide to start a year later. The school office of your town tells you the rule that applies to you.

Yes, if the state has approved it as a substitute for a public school (Ersatzschule). Compulsory schooling can be completed there. In Berlin you still register at the local public school first and apply there for the place you want. Which international schools have that approval: ask the school before you sign a contract.

Yes. School is compulsory for children who live in Germany. Bavaria, for example, ties the duty to the child’s usual place of residence, not to the type of contract or visa. Children of diplomats are one of the rare exceptions. A school that teaches in English or follows your home curriculum can make the return easier, as long as it is approved.

Public schools are free, including enrollment and report cards. Most states lend textbooks. Families on social benefits can get lunch, class trips and school supplies paid through the education package.

Sources (as of 8 November 2026)

Sources (as of 8 November 2026)

  1. Eurydice, European Commission, Germany: organisation of primary education: cut-off dates between 30 June and 30 September, early and late school start, choice of primary school; organisation of the education system: length of compulsory schooling.
  2. Bavarian Education Act (BayEUG), Article 35 and Article 37: residence rule, twelve years, registration duty, cut-off date and postponement (in German).
  3. Berlin Senate Department for Education, school registration for the 2027 school start and school integration and welcome classes (in German).
  4. Bavarian Ministry of Education, integration and German classes (in German); Ministry of Schools of North Rhine-Westphalia, newly arrived pupils in initial support (in German).
  5. Infection Protection Act (IfSG), section 20 and section 33: proof of measles protection for children in daycare and schools (in German).
  6. Social Code Book VIII (SGB VIII), section 24: all-day care for primary school children from the 2026/2027 school year (in German).
  7. Eurydice, Germany: organisation of private education and school education funding; German Bundestag research service, compulsory schooling and homeschooling (2016, in German): exceptions for children of diplomats.
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About the authors
Janine El-Saghir Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
Erkan Boga Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating... Read more