Integration Courses
Find out more about what integration courses are, whether and how you can participate and what costs are involved.
Integration courses are a state-sponsored offer funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and developed specifically for immigrants. In these courses, you will learn to use German in everyday situations. At the same time, you will receive important information about your new home in Germany.
How can I participate?
Migrants who speak little or no German can attend an integration course under certain conditions. If these conditions are met, you will receive a certificate of eligibility (“Berechtigungsschein”) to attend the integration course. People can also be obliged to attend.
The BAMF provides detailed information on this topic on its website. You can also find the forms for the application for admission (under “Anträge und Merkblätter”) there. The BAMF also provides information sheets on the application in numerous languages.
If you have any questions about where to apply for an integration course, you can contact the Hamburg Welcome Center with this questionnaire.
Information is also provided by the Service Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, which you can contact by email at service@bamf.bund.de or by phone at +49 911 943-0.
What does the course cost?
If you take part in an integration course, you have to pay half of the costs yourself. The BAMF covers the other half of the fees, so you pay €2.29 (as of 2024) per teaching hour (UE, 45 minutes). For example, a general integration course with 700 UE costs €1,603.
If you successfully complete the course, half of the cost contribution paid can be reimbursed.
Under certain conditions, you do not have to pay the cost contribution, e.g. if you receive a citizen's income, unemployment benefit or assistance with living expenses (social assistance) or if you are financially needy for other reasons. You can find more information about this directly in the application form. If you are exempt from costs, you can also receive a subsidy for travel expenses.
On the website of the BAMF, you will find further information on the requirements for participation, who can issue an entitlement or obligation for you, and information on the costs.
How is the course structured?
A general integration course lasts 700 teaching units. Each integration course consists of a language course and an orientation course.
The language course (600 teaching units) teaches language skills up to language level B1. The aim of the language course is to enable you to cope well in everyday life and to communicate.
In the subsequent orientation course (100 teaching units), you will cover topics such as the history, culture and political system of Germany.
How do I find a course provider?
If you have received an eligibility certificate, you can use the BAMF-NAvI to search for integration courses offered in your area and register with a provider. You can also find an overview of integration courses offered in Hamburg via the WISY course portal.
