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Migration and Home Affairs
  • 18 September 2025

Volunteer in Germany

Are you a non-EU citizen wishing to be a volunteer in Germany? You can find information below on the conditions to fulfil and procedures to follow, as well as the rights you can enjoy during your stay.

Conditions

You can apply to be a volunteer in Germany if you take part in the European Solidarity Corps on the basis of an agreement with the entity/organisation responsible for the voluntary service.

If you fulfil the conditions, you will be issued a residence permit.

Procedures

A non-EU citizen shall be granted a temporary residence permit for the participation in a European Solidarity Corps scheme pursuant to Directive (EU) 2016/801, if the Federal Employment Agency has granted approval or it has been determined by statutory instrument or by intergovernmental agreement that participation in the European Solidarity Corps scheme is permissible without approval from the Federal Employment Agency.

The third-country national must provide an agreement with the host entity containing the following information:

  • a description of the voluntary service scheme;
  • the duration of the voluntary service scheme and the volunteering hours;
  • the placement and supervision conditions of the voluntary service;
  • the resources available to cover the non-EU citizen’s subsistence and accommodation costs and the minimum sum of pocket money he/she will have at his/her disposal throughout the stay; and
  • the training the third-country national will receive, where applicable, to help perform the voluntary service.

The non-EU citizen’s residence title shall be granted for the agreed duration of participation in the European Solidarity Corps scheme, but may not exceed one year.

Where the non-EU citizen is under 18 years of age, the persons entitled to his/her care and custody must consent to the planned stay.

Rights

Social benefits (according to SGB II and SGB XII) may be possible, such as housing benefit (Section 3 (5) No. 3 WoGG) but certain benefits and allowances are excluded by law (e.g. the rights to child benefit, parental allowance and advance maintenance payments).

Change of status

It is generally possible to apply for a different status after the TCN finished the voluntary service (Section 39 Residence Ordinance).

Family members

Subsequent immigration of minor children is in general possible if there is sufficient living space and the third-country national’s subsistence is secure. However, subsequent immigration of spouses is limited due to the limited period of validity of the volunteer’s residence title, and other family members may only be granted family reunification in exceptional hardship cases.

Long-term residence

Yes, however it should be noted that reductions of the period counted may be reduced in case the third-country national left the federal territory intermediately.