Germany: Au Pair Rules
In Germany an au pair works as a rule no more than 30 hours a week and six hours a day, receives €280 pocket money a month, and the host family contributes at least €840 towards a German course. Germany has no au pair statute. The binding reference is the Federal Employment Agency’s information sheet for au pairs and host families, which the immigration authorities and the agency itself apply when they approve a stay. The figures below are taken from that sheet.
As of · sources last checked 19 Sep 2026
What changed
- New rules: Visa fee; Residence permit fee; Deutschlandticket; Minimum wage (for comparison); Registering your address.
Are you the au pair? Read the guide written for you →
The rules
- Working hours
Household duties including looking after the children must as a rule not take more than six hours a day and 30 hours a week. Going beyond that needs to be agreed in advance, and the extra hours have to be compensated with time off.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Time off
At least 1.5 full rest days a week — not necessarily at the weekend, but at least one Sunday a month must be free — plus at least four free evenings a week. Time for language courses, religious practice and cultural events must be granted.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Paid holiday
Four weeks of paid holiday for a full year with the family; otherwise two working days for each full month.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Pocket money
€280 a month, independent of the hours of housework. Board and lodging are provided free of charge, including an own room in the family’s home.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Language course
The host family contributes at least €840 in total towards learning German. It can be paid as €70 a month over the stay or as a single payment of €840, and only to the extent the costs actually arise. Travel costs to the nearest suitable German course are paid on top.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Length of stay
The placement must last at least six months and at most one year. A second au pair placement is not possible, even if the year was not used up.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Age and marital status
At least 18 when joining the family; the 27th birthday must not have been reached when the residence title is applied for. Married au pairs can be admitted.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- German knowledge
Basic German at level A1 of the Common European Framework is required; the mission abroad or the immigration office establishes it.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Insurance
Au pair placements are not subject to compulsory social insurance, but the au pair must be insured for illness, pregnancy and childbirth and against accidents. All premiums are borne by the host family.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Visa and residence
Au pairs from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need no permit. Third-country nationals need a residence title applied for as a visa at the German mission before entry, with the Federal Employment Agency’s approval; the residence permit is then applied for at the local immigration office before the visa expires.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Who counts as a host family
Married or unmarried couples and single parents with at least one child under 18 permanently living in the household. Single people and couples without a child are not host families in this sense, and au pairs should not be placed with relatives.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Agency fee
A private agency may charge the au pair at most €150 including VAT, and only once the contract is legally in place. What an agency charges the host family can be agreed freely.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, April 2023 (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- Visa fee
The processing fee for a national visa (for longer stays, such as an au pair stay) is €75. A Schengen visa covers stays of up to 90 days only.
Source: Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), page updated 16 June 2026 (checked 19 Sep 2026)
- Residence permit fee
Issuing a residence permit costs €100.
Source: Federal Ministry of Justice, via gesetze-im-internet.de (checked 19 Sep 2026)
- Deutschlandticket
Since January 2026 the Deutschlandticket costs €63 a month.
Source: Federal Government (Bundesregierung), 1 May 2026 (checked 19 Sep 2026)
- Minimum wage (for comparison)
Au pairs receive pocket money, not a wage. For comparison with a nanny or babysitter: the statutory minimum wage has been at least €13.90 an hour since 1 January 2026.
Source: Minijob-Zentrale (Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See) (checked 19 Sep 2026)
- Registering your address
Anyone who moves into a home in Germany has to register with the local registration office (Meldebehörde) within two weeks of moving in.
Source: Bundesministerium der Justiz (Gesetze im Internet) (checked 19 Sep 2026)
Germany: check a month against the minimum
The calculator opens on an example month for Germany. Move the sliders to your own arrangement — it checks what you enter against the minimum this page cites.
Au pair stipend calculator · Germany
Example monthsourceMinimum in Germany: €280 a month · BA sheet, April 2023
Germany: not more than 30 h a week
This month you pay
€420
€20 above the minimum
- Pocket money
- €300
- Course
- €70
- Transport
- €50
- Per hour of regular child care, at 30 h a week
- €2.31
- A full 12-month stay
- €5,040
- Overtime
- made up with time offsourceBA sheet, April 2023
What we could not verify
These figures are missing on purpose. We found no official source stating them, and an estimate on a page about rules is worse than a gap.
- A pocket money figure for 2026. The Federal Employment Agency sheet we cite is the April 2023 edition and states €280; we found no newer edition. Check the linked sheet for a later version before you sign a contract.
- The cost of health and accident insurance. It depends on the insurer and the au pair’s age; the sheet only settles who pays it.
Sources
- Au-pair in deutschen Familien — Informationen für Au-pair und GastfamilienBundesagentur für Arbeit · April 2023 · checked 17 Sep 2026
- Visas for GermanyFederal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) · page updated 16 June 2026 · checked 19 Sep 2026
- § 45 Aufenthaltsverordnung (AufenthV) — Gebühren für die AufenthaltserlaubnisFederal Ministry of Justice, via gesetze-im-internet.de · checked 19 Sep 2026
- Deutschlandticket: Fragen und AntwortenFederal Government (Bundesregierung) · 1 May 2026 · checked 19 Sep 2026
- Der Minijob mit VerdienstgrenzeMinijob-Zentrale (Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See) · checked 19 Sep 2026
- Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG) § 17 — Anmeldung, AbmeldungBundesministerium der Justiz (Gesetze im Internet) · checked 19 Sep 2026
This page is a summary of published rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and an authority can read its own rules differently in an individual case. Check the linked source, and ask your agency or the responsible authority before you sign.
Coming from outside the EU
Au pairs from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland need no permit. For au pairs from other countries, the German mission in their home country asks for its own documents, fees and certificates. These pages list them, each with its source:
Au pair in Germany from the Philippines
From the Philippines to Germany as an au pair: visa at the Embassy in Manila, A1 German, age 18–26, €75 fee, CFO seminar. Every rule with its source.
Au pair in Germany from Colombia
From Colombia to Germany as an au pair: visa at the Embassy in Bogotá, A1 German, €75 fee, €30,000 health cover. Every rule with its official source.
Au pair in Germany from Indonesia
From Indonesia to Germany as an au pair: visa at the Embassy in Jakarta, about 11 months to an appointment, A1 German, €75 fee. Every rule with its source.
Au pair in Germany from Kyrgyzstan
From Kyrgyzstan to Germany as an au pair: apply via TLScontact in Bishkek, age 18 to under 27, A1 German, €75 fee. Every rule with its official source.
Other countries
United States (J-1)
Federal exchange-visitor rules: 45 hours a week, 1½ days off, education requirement, sponsor and DS-2019.
France
25 hours a week, at least €320 pocket money a month, French course, long-stay visa “jeune au pair”.
Netherlands
30 hours a week, 8 hours a day, two days off, one year maximum, recognised agency only.
Austria
16.5 hours a week including on-call time, at least €551.10 a month, notified to the AMS in advance.
United Kingdom
No au pair scheme: an au pair is an employee entitled to the National Minimum Wage.
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