Elterngeld for foreigners: who qualifies and how to apply

Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026

In short

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can generally get Elterngeld if they live or work in Germany. Other nationals qualify with a settlement permit, EU long-term residence permit, EU Blue Card, ICT card or a residence permit allowing work for at least six months, except some training, au pair and job-search permits. It pays 65 to 100 percent of lost net income, 300 to 1,800 euros a month.

The short version

Elterngeld is Germany's parental allowance. It replaces part of the income you lose when you stay at home with your baby. Whether you can receive it as a foreigner depends on two things: your nationality and, for non-EU nationals, the exact residence title printed on your card. The rules are in the Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act (BEEG), section 1, and are the same for mothers and fathers or co-parents.

The basic conditions (everyone)

You can receive Elterngeld if you:

live in Germany (residence or habitual stay),
live with your child in the same household,
look after and raise your child yourself, and
do not work, or work no more than 32 hours a week on average per month.

Married and unmarried parents both qualify. An unmarried father needs proof that he has acknowledged paternity, or that the procedure has started. Some people who live abroad also qualify, for example employees temporarily posted abroad by a German employer who stay in the German social insurance system.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

If you are a citizen of another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, the federal family portal says you can generally receive Elterngeld in Germany if you live or work here. You do not need a residence title.

If you live in one country and work in another, special EU rules for cross-border workers apply: family benefits are paid first by the country where you work, and the other country may pay the difference if its benefit is higher.

Non-EU nationals: the residence titles in the law

Under BEEG section 1, paragraph 7, a foreigner without EU free movement rights can receive Elterngeld only with one of the following.

Your residence title	Elterngeld
Settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)	Yes
EU long-term residence permit (Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt-EU)	Yes
EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU)	Yes
ICT card or Mobile ICT card	Yes
Residence permit that allows, or allowed, you to work for at least six months	Yes, except the permits below
Residence document for UK nationals under the Withdrawal Agreement	Yes, according to the federal family portal
Toleration for employment (Beschäftigungsduldung)	Yes
Training (section 16e Residence Act), au pair or seasonal work (section 19c(1)), European Voluntary Service (section 19e), job search or recognition under section 20a(5) sentence 1	No
Studies (section 16b), recognition of qualifications (section 16d), job search (section 20 or 20a(5) sentence 2)	Only if you work, take Elternzeit or receive certain unemployment benefits
Humanitarian permits under sections 23(1), 23a or 25(3) to (5)	Only if you work lawfully, take Elternzeit or receive certain unemployment benefits, or have stayed in Germany lawfully, with permission or toleration for at least 15 months
Aufenthaltsgestattung (asylum procedure) or Duldung (other than for employment)	No, according to the federal family portal

How to check your own card

Look for the legal basis of your permit: a section of the Residence Act (AufenthG), for example section 18g for the EU Blue Card or section 16b for studies. Compare it with the table, and check whether your permit allows work and for how long. If you cannot find the legal basis on your card or its papers, ask your Ausländerbehörde.

If your permit is about to expire

Apply for the extension before your current permit expires. Under section 81 of the Residence Act, if you apply in time, your title continues to apply until the Ausländerbehörde decides, and you receive a certificate confirming this (Fiktionsbescheinigung). Keep it with your Elterngeld papers.

How much you receive

Your net income from work before the birth	Elterngeld rate
Below 1,000 euros a month	Rises from 67 percent by 0.1 point for every 2 euros below 1,000, up to 100 percent
1,000 to 1,200 euros	67 percent
Above 1,200 euros	Falls by 0.1 point for every 2 euros above 1,200, down to 65 percent
No income from work	Minimum 300 euros a month
Any income	Maximum 1,800 euros a month of Basiselterngeld

Source: BEEG section 2, as of October 2026. For mothers in employment, the income counted is usually that of the 12 months before the month in which Mutterschutz began; for fathers and partners, the 12 months before the birth.

Income earned abroad

If you worked abroad before moving to Germany, that income counts only if it was taxed in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If it was not, you can still receive Elterngeld, at the minimum amount (federal family portal).

The income limit

There is no Elterngeld if your taxable income (zu versteuerndes Einkommen) in the last tax year before the birth was above 175,000 euros. For a couple, the limit applies to the combined taxable income of both parents (BEEG section 1, paragraph 8).

How long: Basiselterngeld, ElterngeldPlus and the bonus

Basiselterngeld: 12 months to share between the parents, plus 2 partner months if both parents' income falls for at least two months. One parent can take at most 12, and each must take at least 2. Available until your child is 14 months old.
ElterngeldPlus: two months at up to half the amount instead of one month of Basiselterngeld. Useful if you work part time.
Partnership bonus: if both parents work 24 to 32 hours a week at the same time, each receives up to 4 extra months of ElterngeldPlus.
Both parents at once: both can receive Basiselterngeld at the same time in only one of the first 12 months (with exceptions, for example twins and premature babies).
Premature babies: one to four extra months of Basiselterngeld, depending on how early your baby was born.

Mutterschaftsgeld after the birth counts against the mother's first months of Basiselterngeld, so most families plan the first two months for the mother.

How to apply, step by step

Before the birth: check your residence title, collect your payslips, and decide together who takes which months.
After the birth: get the birth certificate from the Standesamt. You cannot apply before the birth.
Within three months: apply to the Elterngeldstelle responsible for where your child lives. Elterngeld is paid back at most three months before the month in which your application arrives (BEEG section 7). Every federal state offers a digital application, many through ElterngeldDigital.
Both sign: if the other parent can also receive Elterngeld, they sign your application too.
Attach: the birth certificate, proof of income, the Krankenkasse's Mutterschaftsgeld certificate and the employer's top-up certificate (for mothers), and proof of your residence title if you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. Ask your Elterngeldstelle which proof it accepts.

You can change the months you chose until the end of the Elterngeld period: freely for future months, and for past months only within limits.

My residence title qualifies (or I am an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen)
My permit is valid well beyond the birth, or I have applied to extend it in time
I have payslips for the right 12 months
We have a month-by-month plan for both parents
The application date is in my calendar (first weeks after the birth)

For the partner

The two partner months exist only if both parents reduce their work for at least two months. If you do not take them, they are lost. Check your own residence title too: the rules apply to each parent separately.

Good to know

If anything about your status is unclear, contact your Elterngeldstelle during pregnancy. You can also find local advice through the federal family portal's "Beratung vor Ort" search by postcode.

Questions parents ask

Can I get Elterngeld on a Blue Card?

Yes. The EU Blue Card is one of the titles listed in BEEG section 1, paragraph 7, as long as you meet the other conditions, such as living in Germany with your child and not working more than 32 hours a week.

Can I get Elterngeld on a student residence permit?

A residence permit for studies (section 16b of the Residence Act) qualifies only if you are working, taking Elternzeit or receiving certain unemployment benefits. Ask your Elterngeldstelle before the birth.

My partner works but I do not. Can I still get Elterngeld?

Yes, if you meet the conditions yourself, including the residence rules. Parents without income from work before the birth receive the minimum of 300 euros a month of Basiselterngeld.

I worked in the United States before moving. Does that income count?

Foreign income counts for the amount only if it was taxed in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Otherwise you can still receive the minimum amount.

What if my residence permit expires while I receive Elterngeld?

Apply for the extension before it expires. Under the Residence Act, a title for which an extension was requested in time continues to apply until the Ausländerbehörde decides.

Sources

BEEG, section 1 — Eligibility, residence titles (paragraph 7) and income limit (paragraph 8) checked October 13, 2026
Familienportal — Gibt es Elterngeld auch für ausländische Eltern? checked October 13, 2026
Familienportal — Income earned abroad and Elterngeld checked October 13, 2026
BEEG, section 2 — Amount of Elterngeld checked October 13, 2026
BEEG, section 4 — Duration, partner months checked October 13, 2026
BEEG, section 4b — Partnership bonus checked October 13, 2026
BEEG, section 7 — Application, three months back payment checked October 13, 2026
Familienportal — Wie kann ich Elterngeld beantragen? checked October 13, 2026
Aufenthaltsgesetz, section 81 — Applying for and extending a residence title checked October 13, 2026

Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.