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Answer · Childcare and school

How do you get a Kita place in Germany?

Children have a legal entitlement to a childcare place from their first birthday, but the entitlement does not hand you a specific Kita. You register your interest — through the municipal portal, a voucher system or directly with individual Kitas, depending on the city — usually six to twelve months in advance, and then follow up. Registering your address first matters, because most systems are tied to where you live.

Last verified: 19 September 2026 · Settling in

At a glance

Entitlement
From the child's first birthday, under federal law
Under one year
Places exist but there is no general entitlement
Applied for at
The municipality, a city portal or individual Kitas
Lead time
Commonly six to twelve months before the start date
Cost
Set locally; several states have fee-free years
Prerequisite
A registered address in the municipality

Three systems, depending on your city

  • Central portal: you apply once online, rank preferred Kitas and the city allocates.
  • Voucher model (for example a Kita-Gutschein): the youth welfare office confirms your entitlement and hours, and you take the voucher to a Kita that has a place.
  • Direct application: you contact each Kita individually and join each waiting list separately.
  • Church-run, bilingual and parent-initiative Kitas often run their own admissions even in cities with a central portal.

What actually improves your chances

Start early and apply broadly. Waiting lists are usually per institution, so five applications are worth more than one carefully chosen favourite.

Keep contact alive: a short, polite follow-up email a few weeks after applying is normal in Germany and keeps your child visible on the list. Confirm any offer immediately, because places are reallocated quickly.

Be precise about hours. Many places are allocated by care band, and an application for hours you cannot justify can be rejected while a matching one would succeed.

If no place is offered

  • Contact the youth welfare office (Jugendamt) and put the missing place on record in writing.
  • Ask about childminders (Kindertagespflege), which count towards the same entitlement.
  • Ask whether a temporary or partial arrangement is available while you wait.
  • Where the entitlement is not met, parents do have legal options; that is a matter for legal advice on your individual case, not something this page can assess.

Documents you need

  • Child's birth certificate
  • Registration certificate for your address (Meldebescheinigung)
  • Proof of vaccination advice or measles protection, as required locally
  • Employment or study confirmation where care hours depend on it
  • Income evidence where fees are income-based

Common mistakes

  • Waiting until the month care is needed before applying.
  • Applying to a single Kita and assuming the entitlement guarantees the place.
  • Applying before registering your address, which some portals require.
  • Letting an offer lapse while comparing options.

What happens next

  • You accept an offer in writing and sign the care contract.
  • A settling-in period (Eingewöhnung) of a few weeks starts before full days.
  • Fees, where they apply, are set by the municipality and billed monthly.

How Burokrat helps

Workflow support

Reading the answer is the first half. Burokrat turns it into a tracked workflow:

  • A personalized step-by-step path for your situation
  • A document checklist that shows what is still missing
  • Progress tracking across connected tasks
  • Reminders for deadlines and appointment dates
  • Source-cited guidance, with the official page behind each step
  • Trusted partner discovery where a professional is genuinely needed
Keep your childcare search on track

Burokrat tracks applications, documents and follow-ups so nothing lapses.

Related questions

Is childcare free in Germany?
It depends on the state and municipality. Several states have made some or all Kita years fee-free; elsewhere fees are income-based. Food is usually charged separately.
Can I get a place for a child under one?
Places for under-ones exist, especially with childminders, but the legal entitlement starts at the first birthday.
Do we need to speak German?
No. Kitas are used to multilingual families, and bilingual Kitas exist in larger cities. Administration and contracts are usually in German, so plan for that part.

Official sources

Last verified: 19 September 2026

This page is general information about a German administrative process. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice and it does not replace a decision by the responsible authority. Rules, fees and processing times change, and practice differs between cities and offices — always check the official source linked above for your own case.

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