Integration course in Germany – costs, German levels and the tests for settlement and citizenship
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
The integration course is still where most newcomers learn German in Germany, but it costs €2.29 a unit and places for EU citizens are rationed. Here is who can join, what you pay, which level each permit needs and how the tests work.
If you want to learn German in Germany, you will most likely start with the integration course (Integrationskurs) run by BAMF (the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees). In 2026 it costs €2.29 per teaching unit; Grundsicherungsgeld, which replaced the Bürgergeld on 1 July 2026, can exempt you from paying; and since 1 August 2026 BAMF again admits some EU citizens and Germans, but only within available places.
German also decides your permits: the Residence Act ties joining a spouse, settling and becoming a citizen to levels from A1 to C1.
What is the integration course in Germany?
Every course has a language part and an orientation part on the legal and social order. A placement test decides where you start. Courses are normally full-time, with part-time or evening courses in exceptions, for example for workers.
| Course | Teaching units |
|---|---|
| General integration course | 700 (600 language, 100 orientation) |
| Intensive course | 500 (400 language, 100 orientation) |
| Special courses | Up to 1,000 |
| Literacy course (reading and writing the Latin alphabet) | Up to 1,300 |
Source: BAMF, read 23 September 2026.
The language part ends with the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ), the orientation part with the test Leben in Deutschland. Only a B1 exam run to ALTE standards – by telc, the Goethe-Institut or the TestDaF-Institut – counts for completing the course.
Who can take an integration course – and who has to?
| Your situation | Right to a place? | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| Non-EU citizen with a first permit issued after 1 January 2005 for work, family reunification or humanitarian reasons, living here permanently | Yes | Permanent means a permit of more than one year, or one held for over 18 months |
| Asylum seeker, or holder of temporary protection such as Ukrainians | Only within available places | Temporary protection holders have priority from 1 August 2026 |
| EU citizen or German | No legal entitlement | Admission resumed on 1 August 2026, within available places |
| Pupil at a German school, or already speaking enough German | No | – |
Source: BAMF and the Residence Act, read 23 September 2026.
The Ausländerbehörde (immigration office) can oblige you to attend when it issues your permit if you cannot communicate in simple or sufficient German; the job centre can oblige people receiving Grundsicherungsgeld. You cannot be obliged while in education or training in Germany, if attending is permanently impossible – for example because you care for a relative – or if you work and cannot manage even a part-time course.
The 2026 rules for EU citizens and Germans
BAMF suspended admissions of voluntary participants at the start of 2026. Since 1 August 2026 it admits two priority groups in equal shares: holders of temporary protection, and EU citizens or Germans (and their families) who lack the German needed for work or training – for example people entitled to unemployment benefit, low earners exempt from the fee, or people who worked here without earning unemployment benefit. Apply online via the Bundesportal (the federal online portal); applications go in order of arrival, and incomplete ones are rejected.
How much does the integration course cost in 2026?
| Item | Cost or rule |
|---|---|
| Per teaching unit | €2.29 (€2.20 if you registered before 1 August 2022) |
| General course, 700 units | €1,603, paid per 100-unit module |
| 1,000-unit course | €2,290 |
| Refund | Half your contribution back if you pass the final test within two years of admission (three for special courses) |
| Missed classes | The fee for a module you have started is still due |
| Travel subsidy | If you are exempt from the fee and the walk to the course is at least 5.0 km |
Source: BAMF, read 23 September 2026.
You can be exempted if you receive Grundsicherungsgeld, unemployment benefit or social assistance, are otherwise in need, or earn gross pay below a threshold in the Integration Course Ordinance: 33 per cent of the annual pension contribution ceiling, plus 10 per cent with one child or 20 per cent with two or more.
You may choose a provider near you unless BAMF assigns one, and the course should start within six weeks of registering. Your entitlement lapses if, for reasons you are responsible for, you do not start within a year or interrupt for more than a year. After a literacy course you may repeat up to 300 language units once, at €2.29 a unit unless exempt, with one free exam resit.
Which German level do you need for a permit or citizenship?
The Residence Act defines the levels: simple German means A1, adequate A2, sufficient B1, and command of the language C1.
| Level | What it is needed for |
|---|---|
| A1 (simple) | Joining a non-EU spouse, with exceptions such as spouses of EU Blue Card holders, skilled workers and researchers; the Opportunity Card (or English at B2); a Blue Card holder's settlement permit after 27 months |
| A2 (adequate) | A recognised refugee's settlement permit after five years |
| B1 (sufficient) | The general settlement permit after five years; a skilled worker's after three years; a Blue Card holder's after 21 months; German citizenship |
| C1 (command) | A recognised refugee's settlement permit after three years; children aged 16 or over joining parents later, unless their integration prognosis is positive |
Source: Residence Act, Nationality Act and BAMF, read 23 September 2026.
Citizenship requires B1, spoken and written; children under 16 need only age-appropriate language development. Since the reform of 27 June 2024 you can naturalise after five years and keep your old nationality. The three-year fast track with C1 German was abolished at the end of October 2025 by a law of 27 October 2025, published on 29 October 2025; official pages that still describe it are out of date. Part 15 has the details.
How do the DTZ, Leben in Deutschland and citizenship tests work?
| Test | Format | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (DTZ) | A 100-minute written part (listening, reading, a short letter) and an oral part of about 15 minutes | The certificate states A2 or B1; you need the level in speaking plus one other part |
| Leben in Deutschland | 33 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, from a catalogue of 310 | 15 correct; 17 if it is to count for citizenship |
| Einbürgerungstest (citizenship test) | 33 questions, three of them about your Land, in 60 minutes; costs €25 | 17 correct; the certificate stays valid if you move |
Source: BAMF and the Naturalisation Test Ordinance, read 23 September 2026.
Pass the DTZ at B1 and Leben in Deutschland and you receive the Zertifikat Integrationskurs, proof of the German and civic knowledge a settlement permit requires. A Leben in Deutschland result of 17 or more also replaces the citizenship test, which you do not need at all if you are under 16, if illness, disability or age prevents you, or if you hold a German school-leaving qualification. Results take time: in September 2026 BAMF was marking tests taken up to 3 July 2026.
What comes after the integration course?
Job-related German courses (Berufssprachkurse) follow the integration course and usually require B1. BAMF has had to prioritise them since 1 January 2025: as of August 2026, B2 courses almost meet demand, but A2 and B1 courses are not offered. Working participants above the income threshold pay €2.56 per unit – €1,024 for a 400-unit course, which employers may cover – and can reclaim half after passing the exam.
In Berlin, the Volkshochschulen (adult education centres) give free advice and placement for integration courses; bring your passport and residence permit. For questions on learning German, in German or English, call the 'Working and Living in Germany' hotline of BAMF and the Federal Employment Agency on +49 30 1815-1111, Monday to Thursday 9:00–16:00 and Friday 9:00–12:00.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check whether your permit gives you a right to a course, or an obligation | When you collect your permit |
| 2 | Apply for exemption from the fee if you qualify | Before your first module |
| 3 | Take the placement test and choose a provider | After admission; the course should start within six weeks |
| 4 | EU citizens and Germans: apply online with complete documents | As early as possible |
| 5 | Take the DTZ and Leben in Deutschland, then reclaim half your fee | Within two years of admission |
| 6 | Note the level your next permit needs | Before you apply |
Source: BAMF, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) · bamf.de
- BAMF · bamf.de
- BAMF – Infoschreiben Wiederzulassung nach § 44 Abs. 4 AufenthG ( · bamf.de
- BAMF · bamf.de
- BAMF · bamf.de
- BAMF · bamf.de
- Bundesministerium der Justiz – gesetze-im-internet.de (AufenthG § 2(9)–(12)) · gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesministerium der Justiz – gesetze-im-internet.de (AufenthG § 9) · gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesministerium der Justiz – gesetze-im-internet.de (AufenthG § 18c) · gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesministerium der Justiz – gesetze-im-internet.de (AufenthG § 30(1)) · gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesministerium der Justiz – gesetze-im-internet.de (AufenthG § 20a(4)) · gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bundesministerium des Innern (BMI) · bmi.bund.de
- BMI – Gesetzgebungsverfahren 'Gesetz zur Änderung des Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetzes sowie weiterer Vorschriften'; StAG · bmi.bund.de
- Bundesministerium der Justiz – gesetze-im-internet.de (StAG § 10, last amended 21 July 2026) · gesetze-im-internet.de
- Einbürgerungstestverordnung; BAMF; Service-Portal Berlin · gesetze-im-internet.de
- BAMF – Einbürgerung · bamf.de
- Service-Portal Berlin – Landesamt für Einwanderung · service.berlin.de
- BAMF · bamf.de
- Service-Portal Berlin · service.berlin.de
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.