Recognition for Bildungsurlaub

How to have your courses recognized as Bildungsurlaub: Step-by-step guide for course providers

Would you like to have your courses recognized as Bildungsurlaub and enable participants to benefit from paid time off?

Here you will find step-by-step instructions on how to obtain Bildungsurlaub recognition for your courses.

Step 01:

Check Requirements

For your courses to be recognized as Bildungsurlaub, they must meet certain criteria. In most federal states, the following requirements apply:

Topic Relevance: The course should promote professional, political, or personal education.

Minimum Duration: The program generally must last at least five days, with eight hours per day.

Target Audience: Your courses should be aimed at employees and serve as continuing education under the Bildungsurlaub law.

In Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), recognition for Bildungsurlaub is granted directly to the provider rather than for individual seminars.

In Hesse, there is a dual certification system: both you as a provider and your seminars must receive approval from the Ministry.

Incidentally, you can have not only in-person seminars but also online courses recognized as Bildungsurlaub in many federal states. Exceptions include Baden-Württemberg, Berlin & Brandenburg (as well as Saxony & Bavaria, where there are no legal regulations for Bildungsurlaub).

Step 02:

Gather Documents

For the recognition application, you’ll need various documents. Typically, these include:

Course Description: Detailed information on the content, learning objectives, and methods of the course.

Schedule: A clear outline of the daily schedule and learning times.

Instructor Information: Details on the qualifications of the course instructors.

Certificates and Attendance Confirmations: Samples of the certificates that participants receive upon course completion.

Ensure that all documents are complete and well-prepared.

Step 03:

Submit Application to the Relevant Federal State

Bildungsurlaub must be recognized in the federal state where participants are employed. Submit the application to the appropriate authority.
Here is a list of application forms & authority contacts by federal state:

Fees for Recognition as Bildungsurlaub

The fees for recognition applications within the framework of Bildungsurlaub vary depending on the federal state:

In Hamburg, the costs are 92 €, while political education offers and voluntary qualifications are free of charge.
Schleswig-Holstein charges 69 €, whereas Sachsen-Anhalt requires 25 €.
For organizers in NRW, recognition costs 200 €, and in Baden-Württemberg, it is 150 €.
Thüringen sets fees between 10 and 150 €, depending on the processing effort. For complete applications, costs are usually between 20 and 35 €.

The fee regulations strongly depend on the respective federal state and the scope of the application.

State	Application Form	Info Page	Authority Contact
Baden-Württemberg	Antragsformular	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in BW	Regierungspräsidium Karlsruhe – Referat 12 Tel.: 0721 926-205 Mail: bildungszeit@rpk.bwl.de
Bayern	In Bayern gibt es bisher keinen anerkannten Bildungsurlaub
Berlin	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Berlin	Senatsverwaltung für Integration, Arbeit und Soziales – Abteilung II Tel.: (030) 9028-1414, -1482 Mail: bildungszeit@senias.berlin.de
Brandenburg	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Brandenburg	Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport Tel.: (0355) 4866-3791, ,- 3961 Mail: bildungszeit@mbjs.brandenburg.de
Bremen	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Bremen	Senatorin für Kinder und Bildung, Referat 23 Tel.: 0421 361-4809 Mail: bildungszeit@bildung.bremen.de
Hamburg	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Hamburg	Hamburger Institut für Berufliche Bildung – Referat Bildungsurlaub – HI 43 Tel.: 040 428 63-4672 Mail: bildungsurlaub@hibb.hamburg.de
Hessen	Kein Formular verfügbar	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Hessen	Hessisches Ministerium für Soziales und Integration Tel.: 0611 / 817 – 3673 Mail: bildungsurlaub@hsm.hessen.de
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Antragsformular	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tel. 085/3991-525,-532,-512,-542 Mail: elisabeth.brinner@lagus.mv-regierung.de, elke.hellmann@lagus.mv-regierung.de, heike.rotsch@lagus.mv-regierung.de
Niedersachsen	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Niedersachsen	Agentur für Erwachsenen- und Weiterbildung Tel.: 0511/300330-330 Mail: info@aewb-nds.de, poos@aewb-nds.de
Nordrhein-Westfalen	Anbieter außerhalb von NRW Antragsformulare Bezirke: Arnsberg, Düsseldorf, Köln, Münster, Detmold.	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in NRW	Veranstalter mit Sitz außerhalb von NRW: Bezirksregierung von Detmold Tel.: 0211 837-1929 Veranstalter mit Sitz in NRW: Jeweils zuständige Bezirks- Regierungen von Detmold, Arnsberg, Düsseldorf, Köln, Münster
Rheinland-Pfalz	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Rheinland-Pfalz	Ministerium für Arbeit, Soziales, Transformation und Digitalisierung Tel.:06131/16-2893,-2735 Mail: bildungsfreistellung@mwwk.rlp.de, bildungsfreistellung@mastd.rlp.de
Saarland	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Saarland	Ministerium für Bildung und Kultur Referat E4 – Allgemeine und politische Weiterbildung Tel: 0681 501-7214 Mail: w.kraeuter@bildung.saarland.de Ministerium für Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft F/6: Aus- und Weiterbildung, Fachkräftesicherung Tel.: (0681) 501-3800, – 3805, -4147 Mail: referat.f6@wirtschaft.saarland.de
Sachsen	In Sachsen gibt es bisher keinen anerkannten Bildungsurlaub
Sachsen-Anhalt	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Sachsen-Anhalt	Landesverwaltungsamt Sachsen-Anhalt Referat Bildung Tel.: 0345/5143721,-3923 oder -1218 Mail: bildungsfreistellung@lvwa.sachsen-anhalt.de
Schleswig-Holstein	Antragsformular Anbieter Antragsformular Kurse	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Schleswig-Holstein	Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB.SH) Tel.: 0431 9905-1111 Mail: bildungsfreistellung@ib-sh.de
Thüringen	Antragsformular	Infoseite zu Bildungsurlaub in Thüringen	Thüringer Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport Tel.: 0361-39601-949, -950 Mail: Bildungsfreistellung@tmbjs.thueringen.de

Some federal states also accept recognitions from other states. For instance, Brandenburg accepts recognition from Berlin, Saarland likewise recognizes approvals from other federal states, as does Thuringia, provided that the requirements are similar.

Step 04:

Plan for Processing Time

Processing times can vary by state and authority and may take several weeks. Submit your application in good time, especially if you plan to offer the course soon.

Step 05:

Receive Recognition and Communicate It

Once you receive recognition, make sure to highlight it in your communications. Indicate in your course descriptions and promotional materials that the course is recognized as Bildungsurlaub — this makes your offerings particularly appealing to employees.

Step 06:

Participant Management and Documentation

Ensure that your participants receive a certificate of attendance upon course completion. They will need this to provide proof of Bildungsurlaub to their employer.

All Information on Bildungsurlaub Recognition Available for Download

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Support for Bildungsurlaub Recognition for Foreign Language Schools

If you run a language school abroad and want your courses to be recognized as Bildungsurlaub, we recommend the provider Bildungsurlaub Approval, who can assist you with the certifications.

Do you have questions or need help?
Call us on 030 33075704 and we will be happy to help you!

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About The Author

Nils Freiling

Nils is a digital entrepreneur who combines the digital world with his passion for personal development and work-life balance through meinbildungsurlaub.de. As the initiator of the platform, he wants to to help people achieve their professional and personal goals and promote the topic of Bildungsurlaub.