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Social assistance; application for habitual residence abroad

If you have your habitual residence abroad, you can only apply for social assistance under certain conditions.

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Stilisiertes Bild eines Hauses
Deutsche Auslandsvertretungen (Botschaften und Konsulate)
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Bezirk Oberfranken

Street address

Cottenbacher Str. 23
95445 Bayreuth

Postal address

Postfach 101152

95411 Bayreuth

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Procedure details

The granting of social assistance generally requires a habitual residence in Germany.

Recipients of basic security benefits in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity who stay abroad for more than four weeks without interruption will not receive any benefits after the end of the fourth week until their proven return to Germany (federal territory).

Germans who have their habitual residence abroad can only receive social assistance benefits if they are in an exceptional emergency situation and a return to Germany is not possible for certain reasons. The assistance is paid out via the diplomatic and consular missions of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The supra-local social welfare agency (district) in whose area the applicant was born is responsible for granting social welfare benefits for Germans abroad.

You have your habitual residence abroad and are in an exceptional emergency situation.

You can prove that it is not possible for you to return to Germany for the following reasons:

  • Care and upbringing of a child who must remain abroad for legal reasons,
  • long-term inpatient care in an institution or the severity of the need for care or
  • force of law.

  • Proof of exceptional hardship
  • Proof that return to Germany is not possible

You must apply for social assistance benefits. The application must be submitted to the German diplomatic mission abroad (e.g. embassy, consulate) in the country of residence.

After checking the application, the diplomatic mission abroad forwards it to the competent supra-local social welfare institution in Germany. In Bavaria, this is the district.

The competent district decides on the application and informs the person who submitted the application and the German diplomatic mission abroad. The diplomatic mission abroad then pays the approved benefits to the beneficiaries and settles the accounts with the social welfare agency.

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In the event of a temporary stay abroad, the responsible social welfare office will review the suspension of benefits.

Recipients of basic security benefits in old age and in the event of reduced earning capacity who are abroad for more than four weeks without interruption will not receive any benefits after the end of the fourth week until their proven return home.

Objection, social court action

Status: 22.01.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Familie, Arbeit und Soziales
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