Educational Leave in Germany: your
entitlement by federal state
How many days do you get, when does the right kick in, and how long is the application window?
What is educational leave?
Paid time off for vocational, civic or general further education. Not regulated at federal level but by each state.
Educational leave (Bildungsurlaub or Bildungsfreistellung) is paid time off from work for further training. Your employer keeps paying your salary while you attend an approved seminar or course. The days are on top of your regular vacation, not deducted from it.
There is no federal law on this in Germany. Each of the 16 states regulates it individually, with its own number of days, application deadlines and accreditation rules. Currently 14 of 16 states have a statutory regulation on it. Bavaria and Saxony currently have no statutory entitlement. Saxony passed its Qualification Time Act (Sächsisches Qualifizierungszeitgesetz) on 04.02.2026, which provides three days per year from 01.01.2027.
Eligibility typically requires: an employment relationship in the relevant state (your place of work counts, not where you live), a minimum employment period of usually six months with your current employer, and participation in a course officially recognised under that state's law. How recognition works is set by each state law. Usually the individual course is recognised, and in some states university events count as recognised by law.
Applying usually works like this: you find an accredited course, submit a written request to your employer within the deadline, and attach the recognition certificate from the provider. Your employer can only refuse or postpone for compelling business reasons, not because the topic does not appeal to them. For part-time work, the entitlement is pro-rated based on weekly working days.
Educational leave by German state: all 16 at a glance
As of 15.09.2026. Days per year, minimum employment period, statutory basis and application deadline in one table.
Which German states have educational leave?
A statutory right to educational leave currently exists in 14 of the 16 German states: Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia. The German name varies (Bildungsurlaub, Bildungszeit, Bildungsfreistellung), but the idea is the same. There is no entitlement in Bavaria, and in Saxony until the end of 2026. Once the Saxon law applies on 01.01.2027, Bavaria will be the only state without statutory educational leave. The state that counts is always the one where you work, not where you live.
| Federal state | Days / year | Min. employment | Statutory basis | Application deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | 5 days | 12 months | Bildungszeitgesetz (BzG BW) | 9 weeks before start |
| Bavaria (Bayern) | no state law | n/a | only via collective or company agreement | n/a |
| Berlin | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Bildungszeitgesetz Berlin (BiZeitG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Brandenburg | 10 days / 2 years | 6 months | Brandenburgisches Erwachsenenbildungsgesetz (BbgEBG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Bremen | 10 days / 2 years | 6 months | Bremisches Bildungszeitgesetz (BremBZG) | 4 weeks before start |
| Hamburg | 10 days / 2 years | 6 months | Hamburgisches Bildungsurlaubsgesetz | 6 weeks before start |
| Hesse (Hessen) | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Hessisches Bildungsurlaubsgesetz (HBUG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 10 days / 2 years | 6 months | Bildungsfreistellungsgesetz (BfG M-V) | 8 weeks before start |
| Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Niedersächsisches Bildungsurlaubsgesetz (NBildUG), replaced from 01.01.2027 by the Niedersächsisches Bildungszeitgesetz (NBildZG) | 4 weeks before start (from 2027: 8 weeks) |
| North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Arbeitnehmerweiterbildungsgesetz (AWbG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP) | 10 days / 2 years | 6 months | Landesbildungszeitgesetz (LBZG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Saarland | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Saarländisches Bildungsfreistellungsgesetz (SBFG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Saxony (Sachsen) | no entitlement yet, from 01.01.2027: 3 days | from 2027: 6 months | Saxon Qualification Time Act (SächsQZG), passed on 04.02.2026, in force from 01.01.2027 | from 2027: 12 weeks before start |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Bildungsfreistellungsgesetz Sachsen-Anhalt | 6 weeks before start |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 5 days (10 / 2 years) | 6 months | Weiterbildungsgesetz Schleswig-Holstein (WBG) | 6 weeks before start |
| Thuringia (Thüringen) | 5 days | 6 months | Thüringer Bildungsfreistellungsgesetz (ThürBfG) | 8 weeks before start |
Sources: state laws (including BzG BW, BiZeitG, BbgEBG, BremBZG, LBZG, SBFG, SächsQZG) and the information pages of the responsible state ministries and state offices. Table fully checked on 15.09.2026.
A note on reading the table: where you see "5 days (10 / 2 years)", the entitlement can be combined across two calendar years and taken as a ten-day block, although in Berlin and Saarland only with your employer's consent. Part-time employees get a pro-rated entitlement based on weekly working days. What counts is the state where your workplace is, not where you live. The current version of the state law always prevails. I update this table when laws change.
Using educational leave for a degree: how it works
Educational leave does not cover a whole degree, five or ten days are simply not enough. It can work for individual on-site dates of a part-time or distance degree: seminars or block sessions, depending on the program and the state. Pure self-study at home usually does not count, because the state laws require an event with a fixed period and teaching hours. The Saxon law, for example, requires at least one day with, as a rule, six teaching hours.
What decides it is recognition. In some states, events run by universities are recognised by law, for example in Berlin for vocational education events (§ 10 (5) BiZeitG) and in Saxony from 2027 (§ 5 (1) SächsQZG). In the other states the event needs recognition under the relevant state law. Some universities have the on-site dates of their distance programs recognised in several states and issue you a certificate for it.
Here is how to go about it: before you enrol, ask whether there is recognition for the state where you work. Get the dates and the certificate early so you can meet the application deadline in the table. Then plan each semester which on-site days you cover with educational leave and which with regular vacation. Which continuing education or degree fits, I clarify with you in the free initial consultation.
Common questions about educational leave
What counts as educational leave, when can the employer refuse, what happens if you change states.
Which state applies: where I live or where I work?
What matters is the place of work, meaning the state where you are employed and your main activity takes place. If you live in Bavaria but work for an employer in Hesse, Hesse's law applies and you have an entitlement. With remote work and no fixed company office, the employer's registered seat is used, which has to be checked case by case.
Can my employer refuse educational leave?
Only for compelling business reasons or if other employees already have leave during the same period. "Bad timing for me" is not enough. In small businesses with fewer than ten employees there are sometimes special rules, e.g. in Saarland, where the employer may refuse if more than one third of the workforce has already used the entitlement during the current year. Postponement is possible, outright refusal is rarely defensible.
What counts as an accredited course?
The course must be recognised under the relevant state law, and in some states university events count as recognised by law. Recognised content covers vocational, civic and general further education, with each state interpreting this slightly differently. Language courses, IT courses, leadership training, stress management or yoga with a focus on concentration can qualify, provided the course is officially recognised. Always check before booking that the course is approved for your state.
What happens to days I do not use?
In many states you can combine the entitlement of two consecutive calendar years and take ten days in a row. If you take none during that time, the days expire. In Berlin and Saarland, combining only works with your employer's consent, and in Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia unused days usually lapse at the end of the year. Details are in the relevant state law.
Does the entitlement apply during my probation period?
No. Almost everywhere the entitlement only kicks in after six months of continuous employment with your current employer. In Baden-Württemberg it is even twelve months. If you change jobs, the clock starts again. The entitlement does not transfer from one employer to the next.
What if I work in Bavaria or Saxony?
There is currently no legal entitlement. Time off is only possible if your collective agreement or company agreement provides for educational leave. Ask HR or the works council. Saxony has passed a law with three days per year, but it only applies from 01.01.2027. Alternatively you can combine regular vacation with self-funding, or pick a part-time program that runs in the evenings and on weekends.
Can I use educational leave for a full degree program?
Not for an entire degree, that would be far too long given the day count. But for individual modules, on-site phases or block weeks of part-time degree programs it can work, provided the course is recognised as educational leave. There are also university certificates and short courses with educational leave recognition. In the initial consultation I look at whether a program from my partner network qualifies.
The information on this page is general in nature and based on my advisory practice (last updated 15.09.2026). It does not replace an official credit transfer or recognition decision by the respective university and is not legal advice. Specific decisions are made by universities, the ZAB (Germany), the BMBWF (Austria), or the SBFI (Switzerland). I clarify binding next steps with you in the initial consultation.
Which study path fits your educational leave
You have days to spend, but you need the right program to spend them on. In 30 minutes I clarify what fits your profile and your goals.