Education funding for citizens from third countries

As a citizen of a third country, you may be entitled to benefits if you meet one of the following conditions.

You may be entitled to benefits if you

• have a settlement permit or EU permanent residence permit.
• have a right of residence derived from your spouse. Your spouse is a German citizen or a gainfully employed person with EU citizenship in Germany.
• have a right of free movement derived from your parents. At least one parent is a citizen of the EU or EEA and is living in Germany as an employee or jobseeker. Even if you yourself are 21 years old or older, you may be entitled to BAföG benefits if the derived right to freedom of movement existed until your 21st birthday.
• are a homeless foreigner.
• have been recognized as a refugee outside Germany and have a long-term right of residence in Germany.
• have a residence permit with prospects of remaining in Germany. If your residence permit is not long-term, you are only entitled to BAföG if you have been in Germany legally, permitted or tolerated for at least 15 months without interruption.

As a national of a country outside the EU or EEA, you can receive training assistance(BAB, abH, BvB, AsA, EQ) under the generally applicable conditions if you meet one of the following requirements.

You may receive training assistance in accordance with SGB III if you

• have a settlement permit or an EU permanent residence permit.
• have resided in Germany for a total of 5 years before starting vocational training and have been legally employed.
• have at least one parent who has resided in Germany for a total of 3 years during the last 6 years prior to the start of your vocational training and was gainfully employed.
• have at least one parent who has resided in Germany for a total of 3 years during the last 6 years prior to the start of your vocational training and has not been gainfully employed for more than 6 months for a reason for which he/she is not responsible. If a relative takes you into their household, they can take the place of the parent to fulfill the requirements if you yourself have legally resided in Germany for the last 3 years before the start of your vocational training. If you have been taken into the household of a relative, this relative can take the place of the parent in order to fulfill the requirements, provided that you have legally resided in Germany for the last 3 years prior to the start of your vocational training.
• are a family member of an EU or EEA citizen who is entitled to freedom of movement or is not entitled to freedom of movement only because he or she is older than 21 and does not receive maintenance.
• are a homeless foreigner.