BAMF Integrationskurs BerlinWhat you need to know
Germany's official German course for people who have moved here: who can take one, what it costs, how long it takes, and how to choose a school in Berlin.
By Julian Schempp, founder of LingoMap · Checked against the BAMF leaflet of August 2026
What is the Integrationskurs?
An integration course is paid for mostly by the state and run by the BAMF (the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees). You don't book it with the BAMF itself: you book it with a school the BAMF has approved, which the BAMF calls a Kursträger (course provider).
Note: For non-EU citizens, completing the course meets the German-language and basic civic-knowledge requirements for a permanent residence permit.
Who can attend?
You need a written confirmation that you may attend (the Berechtigungsschein). An office can make you entitled (berechtigt) to a course, or obliged (verpflichtet) to take one.
Who issues the confirmation
- The Ausländerbehörde (immigration office) can entitle or oblige you.
- The Jobcenter can admit or oblige you if you receive Grundsicherungsgeld (basic income support).
- The benefits office can oblige you if you receive benefits under the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz (asylum seekers' benefits act).
- Late resettlers (Spätaussiedler) get their confirmation from the Bundesverwaltungsamt.
If nobody sent you
You can apply to the BAMF yourself. Places depend on the BAMF's budget, and it currently gives priority to:
- people who are meant to return to work
- holders of a § 24 residence permit (for example people from Ukraine)
- EU citizens and Germans who don't yet speak enough German for a job, and their families
Applications are handled in the order they arrive. Incomplete applications are rejected.
Important: If you were obliged to attend and don't, the BAMF lists these possible consequences:
- it can affect whether your residence permit is extended
- your benefits can be cut
- you may have to pay the whole fee up front
- you can be fined
From confirmation to first lesson
Without the confirmation, a school cannot enrol you in an integration course.
Check the date on your confirmation
It is valid for one year. Register with a school before the date printed under "Die Teilnahmeberechtigung ist gültig bis…".
Choose a school and register
Unless an office names a school for you, you choose one yourself and show it your confirmation. Register as soon as you can.
Take the free placement test
It decides which course and which section you start in.
Start within six weeks
The school must tell you when your course is expected to start, and it should start within six weeks of registering. If no course comes together in that time, the school must tell you.
What does it cost?
Always free for
- asylum seekers
- people with a Duldung (tolerated stay) under § 60a (2) sentence 3, § 60c or § 60d AufenthG
- holders of a § 25 (5) AufenthG residence permit
- people the Jobcenter admitted or obliged
- late resettlers
Paying less
- Fee waiver (Kostenbefreiung): possible if you receive Grundsicherungsgeld, Arbeitslosengeld, asylum seekers' benefits or Sozialhilfe, if you are in financial need for another reason, or if you work and earn below a monthly limit (higher with children; it changes every year). Apply in writing to your regional BAMF office before the course starts: a waiver is not backdated.
- Half back: pass the final test within two years (three for special groups) and you can get half your contribution refunded, subject to conditions.
- Travel: if you receive one of the benefits above and the school is at least 5 km from home, you can apply for a travel subsidy.
- Lessons you miss are not refunded.
Integrationskurs variants
Besides the general course, the BAMF runs special courses. The placement test decides which one fits. Not every school offers every type.
Allgemeiner Integrationskurs (General)
700 lessons: 600 language, 100 orientation. The standard course for most adults.
Intensiv-Integrationskurs (Intensive)
500 lessons: B1 in 400 language lessons instead of 600, plus 100 orientation. For people who learn especially fast.
Alphabetisierungskurs (Literacy)
For people who cannot yet read and write well in their own language. Up to 1,000 lessons.
Zweitschriftlernerkurs (new script)
For people who read and write a non-Latin script and now need to learn the Latin alphabet. Up to 1,000 lessons.
Integrationskurs für gering Literalisierte (low literacy)
For people who know the Latin alphabet but are not used to reading, writing and studying. 1,200 language lessons plus 100 orientation.
Integration courses in Berlin
LingoMap lists 23 BAMF-approved integration courses at 15 Berlin schools, checked against each school's own page.
Before you choose
- Distance. You will go there several times a week for most of a year.
- Time of day. It has to fit around work and childcare. If you need childcare, ask the school: it knows the local options.
- Switching later is hard. You can usually change school only after a section ends, and only for a reason such as moving house, starting a job or training, or childcare. For any other reason you lose the rest of that section.
Sources
- BAMF: Merkblatt zum Integrationskurs (08/2026)
- BAMF: Was kostet ein Integrationskurs?
- BAMF: Kursarten für spezielle Zielgruppen
Your own situation is decided by the office that issues your confirmation. When in doubt, ask them.