The biggest surprise for newly arrived parents is the timing. Registration happens not in the August before school but almost a year earlier, and it brings a compulsory medical with it. Arriving late does not remove the obligation — it removes your choices.
Registration: nearly a year before school starts
Registration runs long before the school year — usually in the autumn or winter before it. It comes with a compulsory school medical, without which no child is admitted.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
The registration invitation went to our old address and we heard about the deadlines from neighbours by chance. Check your address registration before the school year begins.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Take a translated vaccination record from your home country to the medical. Without one the doctor starts from scratch, and that means extra appointments.
Useful Tools
- Familienportal des Bundes family
Federal family portal: child benefit, parental leave and support around childbirth.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When exactly do we register? ▾
Usually a year before starting, in autumn or winter. The exact weeks are set by your city or state, and schools normally post invitations to registered addresses. If no invitation arrives you must act yourself — the obligation does not disappear.
What is the school medical? ▾
A compulsory pre-school examination by the public health office covering hearing, vision, speech, motor skills and general development. It is not a test or a selection: the point is to see whether the child needs support at the start of school.
Are vaccinations required? ▾
Proof of measles protection is required for admission. Other vaccinations are recommended but not a condition. A doctor issues the proof, and a translated vaccination record from your home country helps a great deal.
Can we choose a school other than the assigned one? ▾
At primary level allocation usually follows your district, but an application to another school is possible and is considered where places are free and there is good reason. There are no guarantees, and the deadlines are the same.