Bildungsurlaub for language courses: what applies in Germany

Bildungsurlaub for language courses: what does it mean?

Bildungsurlaub is paid time off work for approved further training. Depending on the state, it is also called Bildungszeit, Bildungsfreistellung or Qualifizierungszeit. Your employer keeps paying your salary, while you usually cover the course fees yourself unless agreed otherwise. Bildungsurlaub comes on top of your normal annual holiday entitlement, so it does not reduce your leave.

There is no federal law. Each of the 16 federal states (Bundesländer) sets its own rules, and some have no rules at all. Whether you can use a language course as Bildungsurlaub therefore depends on the state in which you work, what kind of training the state law covers and whether the specific course is approved there.

For companies, the topic matters for two reasons. First, employees submit applications, and HR has to assess them correctly. Second, Bildungsurlaub is only one of several ways to build language skills in a team. A planned, company-organised programme, for example through language courses for companies, is often the better solution for both sides.

Please note: this article gives a general overview and is not legal advice. The current version of the relevant state law always takes precedence.

How much Bildungsurlaub do you get in each federal state?

Most federal states grant five days of Bildungsurlaub a year or ten days over two years. Bavaria is the only state without a statutory scheme, and Saxony is introducing three days a year of Qualifizierungszeit from 2027. Where a qualifying period is stated, it is six months, as in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, or twelve months, as in Baden-Württemberg.

Status: November 2026. The table below summarises the key points, based on the state-by-state overview from InfoWeb Weiterbildung (in German). Qualifying periods are only listed where the overview states them explicitly. Always check the details in the state law itself.

New: Saxony introduces Qualifizierungszeit

For a long time, Saxony had no statutory entitlement. In February 2026, the Saxon state parliament passed a law giving employees three days a year from 2027 (betriebsrat.de, in German). According to the Deutsches Handwerksblatt (in German), the entitlement requires at least six months with the employer, applications must be submitted twelve weeks in advance, and smaller employers with up to 20 staff receive compensation for the days lost.

Bavaria still has no statutory entitlement

This makes Bavaria the only federal state without statutory Bildungsurlaub. If you work in Nuremberg, Munich, Augsburg or Ansbach, you have no legal right to time off for training, even if your company’s head office is in another state. What counts, as a rule, is where your employment is based. We cover the alternatives further down.

When is a language course approved for Bildungsurlaub?

A language course qualifies for Bildungsurlaub when three conditions are met: the course is approved in the state where you work, it fits the purpose of the state law (for language courses, usually vocational training), and a professional benefit is realistically foreseeable. No language course is approved automatically, and approval from another state does not count.

1. The course must be approved in your state

Each state runs its own approval procedure for courses or providers. Approval in one state does not automatically apply in another. Many laws also set requirements for length, format and content, such as a minimum number of teaching hours per day.

2. The course must fit the purpose of the law

Most state laws cover vocational and civic education, and some also include training for volunteer work. Language courses usually fall under vocational training, which means there has to be a clear link to your job.

3. The professional benefit must be realistic

A case from North Rhine-Westphalia shows how strictly courts can interpret this. An administrator at an immigration office wanted to take an A1 Japanese course as educational leave. The Regional Labour Court of Cologne (judgment of 9 August 2023, 11 Sa 227/23) rejected the claim: a merely theoretical chance of using the language at work was not enough. At the time of the application, it had to be foreseeable that the skills could be put to practical use in her actual day-to-day work (summary of the judgment, in German).

In practice, a Business English course for a project manager with international clients has a good chance of approval, whereas an Italian course to help plan your holiday has very little.

What about choices® courses?

Whether a particular course is approved for Bildungsurlaub depends on the federal state and the course format. choices® does not make blanket promises that a course will be approved. If you want to use Bildungsurlaub, please clarify approval with the responsible state authority before booking and get in touch via our contact page so that we can work out together which documents you need.

How do you apply for Bildungsurlaub for a language course?

You apply in five steps: check your entitlement and qualifying period in the state where you work, choose a course approved there, keep to the application deadline, submit a written application with the course programme, dates and proof of approval, and hand in a certificate of attendance afterwards. Most states use a similar process, but deadlines and formalities differ.

1. Check your entitlement: Does your state have a law? Have you completed the qualifying period? How many days do you have left?
2. Choose a course: Only courses approved in your own state qualify. Ask for written confirmation of the approval.
3. Keep to the deadlines: Depending on the state, you have to apply several weeks in advance. In Saxony, it will be twelve weeks.
4. Apply in writing: include the course programme, dates and proof of approval.
5. Show that you attended: after the course, give your employer a certificate of attendance.

Sample wording for your application

Many German employers expect the application in German, so check what is usual in your company. In English, the content could look like this:

“Dear Ms Example, in accordance with [name of the state law], I would like to apply for educational leave to attend the course ‘Business English for Project Communication’ from [date] to [date]. The course is approved in [federal state] under number [approval number]. Please find the programme and the approval notice attached. The content will directly support me in coordinating with our international clients. I would be grateful for written confirmation. Kind regards”

When can your employer refuse?

Typical reasons are a missing approval, an incomplete qualifying period, a late application or urgent operational needs. Some states make exceptions for small businesses. A refusal should always be justified and documented.

Bildungsurlaub in Bavaria: what are the alternatives?

Bavaria has no statutory Bildungsurlaub, but further training is still possible. Time off can be arranged through collective agreements, works agreements or individual arrangements with your employer. Alternatively, the company organises language courses during working hours, or employees learn online early in the morning or in the evening without any time off. So there are several routes open to you.

• Collective agreements and works agreements: some sectors and companies grant time off for training by contract. It is worth checking your own collective agreement (Tarifvertrag).
• Company-organised language courses: the company offers courses during working hours, tailored to its needs. This is easier to plan than individual applications.
• Individual arrangement: you can agree time off, a share of the costs or flexible working hours for the course with your employer.
• Courses alongside work: online lessons early in the morning or in the evening can be organised without time off, for example through language courses for individuals.

For companies in Bavaria, a company programme is usually the most sensible route because it can target business goals directly. Our article on planning corporate language training explains how to set one up.

Funding for language courses: employment agency, job-related German courses and tax

Besides Bildungsurlaub, three instruments may apply: further training funding from the Federal Employment Agency, which requires more than 120 hours and approved courses; state-funded job-related German courses (Berufssprachkurse); and the possible tax exemption of employer-paid vocational training under Section 3 No. 19 of the Income Tax Act (EStG). Each instrument has its own conditions.

Training funding from the Federal Employment Agency

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit funds further training for employees under certain conditions. According to the Federal Employment Agency (in German), the training must last more than 120 hours and go beyond a short-term adjustment to the job. For individual and group funding, both the course and the provider must be approved. For typical part-time language courses with one or two lessons a week, this funding is therefore rarely the right fit. The employer service (Arbeitgeber-Service) can give you a binding answer.

Job-related German courses

For employees with German as a second language, there are state-funded Berufssprachkurse. If you are employed and on a low income, you take part free of charge; otherwise you pay a contribution, which your employer can cover. The agency points out (status: November 2026) that the offer is currently temporarily restricted (Federal Employment Agency, in German). For skilled workers who need German for their job quickly and flexibly, private online German courses complement these options. Find out more in our article on learning German as a skilled worker.

Tax aspects

If your employer pays for vocational training, it can be tax-free for you under Section 3 No. 19 of the Income Tax Act, provided it serves your employability and is not mainly a reward (Section 3 EStG, in German). If you pay for a job-related course yourself, you can usually claim it as Werbungskosten (work-related expenses). Check individual cases with your tax adviser.

Language courses as staff development: tips for employers

Employers should channel the motivation behind Bildungsurlaub applications into a company programme: content aligned with business goals, continuous learning over months instead of a single week away, short sessions that are easy to plan, and a solution that works regardless of the federal state, including Bavaria. That way, both the company and its employees benefit.

Many HR departments see Bildungsurlaub mainly as admin. Yet it is also an opportunity: employees are actively showing that they want to learn. The smarter strategy is to steer this motivation into a structured offer.

Bildungsurlaub or a company programme?

An intensive week can give learners a good boost. For lasting language skills, however, regular training is more effective. With corporate language courses from choices®, every programme starts with a needs analysis, lessons take place online in small groups or one-to-one, and prices start from €40 net plus VAT per 45-minute lesson. To budget realistically, read planning your language training budget, and to keep employees engaged over time, see motivating employees to learn languages.

Common mistakes with Bildungsurlaub for language courses

The most common mistakes are booking a course before approval in your own state is confirmed, assuming approval from another state applies, missing application deadlines, failing to explain the link to your job and assuming you have an entitlement in Bavaria. Another is stopping after an intensive week, so that much of what you learnt is lost.

• Booking before approval is confirmed. Without approval in your own state, you have no right to time off.
• Assuming approval from another state applies. A course approved in Hesse does not automatically count in Lower Saxony.
• Missing deadlines. Your employer may refuse late applications.
• Not explaining the link to your job. Especially for languages with no obvious connection to your work, describe the benefit in concrete terms.
• Assuming an entitlement in Bavaria. There is no statutory Bildungsurlaub there.
• Relying on a single intensive week. Without practice afterwards, much of what you learnt fades again. Plan regular lessons afterwards, for example through Business English courses.

Sources

1. iwwb.de: Bildungsurlaub in Deutschland weiterbildung 26
2. betriebsrat.de: bildungsurlaub bildungszeit bildungsfreistellung diesen anspruch hab…
3. handwerksblatt.de: sachsen beschliesst gesetzlichen anspruch auf bildungsurlaub
4. arbeitsrechtsiegen.de: bildungsurlaub fuer einen japanischkurs wann der arbeitgeber ablehne…
5. arbeitsagentur.de: foerderung von weiterbildung
6. arbeitsagentur.de: sprachkurse
7. gesetze-im-internet.de

Frequently asked questions