Request for paid educational leave (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
An employee's request in Germany for paid educational leave (Bildungsurlaub, called Bildungszeit or Bildungsfreistellung in some Länder) for a recognised course, with its title, organiser, place, dates, number of working days and proof of recognition. One document for all 14 Länder that have an educational leave law: choose the Land where you work, whose law sets the entitlement, the waiting period, the notice period and course recognition. Bavaria has no educational leave, and Saxony only from 1 January 2027. In German.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Employer
- Employer's postal address (street and number, postcode and town on separate lines)
- City
- Date
- Absent from
- Absent until
- Employee's personnel number
- German Land where you work
- Title of the course
- Course organiser
- Place of the event
- Number of working days of leave
- Recognition of the course (body, reference number)
- Date of hiring
- Deadline
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Which Land's law governs educational leave in Germany?
- The law of the Land where your workplace is, not where you live. 14 of the 16 Länder have such a law. Bavaria has none, and Saxony's Qualifizierungszeitgesetz applies only from 1 January 2027: three days a year after six months' employment, applied for twelve weeks ahead — so this document does not yet offer Saxony. There is no federal educational leave law.
- What differs between the Länder for educational leave in Germany?
- The amount: usually five working days a year or ten over two years; in Berlin, employees under 25 get ten days a year. The waiting period: usually six months, twelve in Baden-Württemberg. The notice period: six weeks in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, nine weeks before the start in Baden-Württemberg. Small employers: in North Rhine-Westphalia there is no entitlement in a business with fewer than ten employees. Check your Land's rules before applying; the course organiser usually states them with the recognition.
- Which courses count as educational leave in Germany, and who pays?
- As a rule, only courses recognised as educational leave in the Land whose law applies — mostly vocational or civic education. The organiser certifies the recognition; enclose it with the programme. During the leave the employer keeps paying your wages; the course fees, travel and accommodation are yours to pay. After the course, prove your attendance with the organiser's certificate.
- May an employer in Germany refuse educational leave?
- Only on the grounds the Land law names — usually pressing operational reasons. In Baden-Württemberg the employer must decide in writing at least four weeks before the start and give reasons for a refusal. Do not stay away from work on your own initiative without the leave being granted; a refusal can be reviewed by the labour court (Arbeitsgericht). Send the request in good time and keep proof of receipt.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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