Getting a Kita place: how German daycare really works
Vouchers, waitlists and city portals: how daycare places are allocated in Germany, when to apply, and the links to your city's own registration portal.
Every child in Germany has a legal right to a childcare place from their first birthday (Rechtsanspruch). In practice that right does not hand you a place — you have to chase it, often for months, and in the big cities demand far exceeds supply. Treat it like apartment hunting: start absurdly early and apply in parallel.
Two systems — find out which one your city uses
- Voucher cities (e.g. Berlin, Hamburg): you first apply to the Jugendamt for a Kita-Gutschein that states how many hours of care your child is entitled to, then you look for a Kita that accepts it.
- Portal cities (e.g. Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Dresden, Leipzig, Bremen): you register in a central online portal, pick several Kitas, and the Kitas contact you from their waiting lists.
- Everywhere else: you apply directly at each Kita — call, visit, get on their list, and keep in touch.
Church-run, Waldorf, Montessori, parent-initiative (Elterninitiative) and company Kitas often sit outside the central portal even in portal cities, so apply to those separately. Childminders (Kindertagespflege / Tagesmutter) count as childcare too, are often easier to get for under-threes, and are covered by the same voucher or subsidy.
What it costs
Fees are set by each state and city and usually scale with your income, the number of hours and the number of children — several states (including Berlin and Hamburg) have made the core hours free. Food money (Verpflegungsgeld) is charged almost everywhere on top. Your city's fee table is the only reliable source, so check it rather than any figure you read in a forum.
The application, step by step
- 1Register your address (Anmeldung) first — portals and Jugendamt applications key on your registered address.
- 2Find your city's route: the registration portal or the Kita-Gutschein application (your city's link is on this page's guide).
- 3Apply as early as the system allows, and list as many Kitas as it lets you — 5 to 15 is normal, not greedy.
- 4Contact your top choices directly as well: a friendly email and a visit keep you visible on a long list.
- 5When you get an offer, confirm quickly — places are re-offered fast — and tell the other Kitas so the queue moves for everyone.
- 6Keep the Betreuungsvertrag (care contract): employers, the Familienkasse and your tax return may all ask for it.