Glossary

Highest school-leaving qualification in Germany; eligibility to study in higher education

Full access and unlimited opportunities for use of all areas of life, including for people with disabilities

Legal establishment of a parent-child relationship between the adopter and the child to be adopted, regardless of biological descent

Institutions providing further education, particularly adult education

Application for the granting of entry and protection as a person suffering political persecution in accordance with article 16a clause 1 of the German constitution, as a refugee in accordance with the Geneva refugee convention or as a so-called person granted subsidiary protection

Recognition process defined in asylum law and through which asylum seekers pass. The German federal office for migration and refugees conducts the asylum process and determines whether asylum, refugee protection or subsidiary protection is to be granted to the asylum seeker, whether there are obstacles to deportation or the asylum application must be rejected.

Benefits to cover basic needs, which are granted to asylum seekers, people who are obliged to leave the country and other foreign nationals who are temporarily resident in Germany

Law governing the amount and form of asylum seekers’ benefits

Certification with which something is confirmed by an official body as being correct, true, genuine

Abbreviation for the Federal Training Assistance Act; act governing the funding of needy trainees, school pupils and students

Decision of the BAföG office concerning the amount and approval period of the funding amounts

Payment instrument with which, through the bank of the account holder, an account holder can provide a specific amount to the account of the beneficiary

Payment account; all consumers are entitled to one, including asylum seekers and people with permission to remain until deported

Need-based and means-tested social benefits to cover the cost of living

1. Social welfare (SGB XII): Basic provision in old age and in case of reduced earning capacity and for help with the cost of living
2. For job seekers (SGB II): Unemployment benefit II (gen. II) and by association income support for people who are not gainfully employed (children, partners)

Recipient of state aid to secure existence (e.g. unemployment benefit II, social welfare or asylum seeker benefits), offset social disadvantages (e.g. housing benefit, integration benefit), offset the tax burden (e.g. child benefit) and for similar purposes as part of the social state system

Reduction of a social benefit to which the person concerned is essentially entitled, in order to impose sanctions

Volunteer-run self-help organisation for people with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses

Programme to offer homeless people unbureaucratic accommodation during the cold season

Required attestation for the birth notification in order to obtain the birth certificate

Official (register office) document of someone’s birth (place and date) as well as parentage

Written notification of a birth at the register office

Treatment centre for victims of torture, see survival centre

Inhumane form of punishment abolished in Germany by article 102 of the constitution, rejected by the United Nations, members of the Council of Europe and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

People in need of care are those who require assistance to a significant or greater degree due to physical, mental or psychological illness or disability

Category of care cases determined by level of care dependency

Database of the German federal office of administration with personal records for foreign nationals who are or have been resident in Germany

Proof, issued by an authority, of entitlement to social housing

Representation of interests of the trade in the form of a body under public law

Benefit from the state for tax relief for families with children

Notification from the family benefits department confirming the receipt of child benefit

State grant for parents on low incomes

Abbreviation for: children’s day nursery; facility in which children are looked after for a full or half day

Required so that your child can go to a children’s day nursery or children’s day care centre in Berlin and issued by the youth welfare office responsible

Test to prove knowledge of the legal and social order and of living conditions in Germany in order to gain naturalisation

Legal obligation for children of a certain age to attend a general educational school regularly

Regulation prohibiting storage of the physical remains of a dead person (i.e. the coffin with the body or the urn with the ashes) in a place other than a place dedicated to this purpose, the cemetery

Obligation imposed on an applicant with a notification

Advice for pregnant women in an emergency or conflict situation

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany

Entire body of principles defining the form of a state and the rights and obligations of its citizens

Total financial expenditure for the essentials of life (food, clothing, accommodation etc.); measured in the right of residence according to the relevant standard rates in unemployment benefit II plus costs of accommodation and heating and any other amounts

Public institution for cultural purposes

Care for the elderly, which takes into account the cultural diversity of ideas about age and about provision and looks at cultural and migration-specific backgrounds of the people to be cared for

Association of German higher education institutions and student bodies to maintain their international relationships; supports students, graduates and scientists from Germany and abroad

Public interest in deportation of foreign nationals, governed by § 54 of the German residence act

Is established if there is a considerable specific risk to life, limb and freedom or a risk of other serious violations of human rights for the people concerned in the event of deportation to the destination country

Using the direct debit system, a payment recipient can collect outstanding debts from an account of the person liable for making the payment at the bank of the same

Proof of the level of disability

Unequal treatment of individual people or groups on the grounds of specific actual or attributed characteristics

Independent administrative division of Berlin

Part of the Berlin administration at district level; there are twelve district authorities in Berlin

Formal legal dissolution of a marriage

Examination of which state in Europe is responsible for implementation of the asylum process and, if applicable, subsequent process to transfer the applicant to the relevant state

Authority responsible for the school system

Grants for children and young people from families with low incomes to ensure educational participation and social participation

Building in which training or teaching takes place

Protestant youth and welfare foundation

Temporary accommodation

Overnight accommodation facility for homeless people

All people who undertake an activity with the aim of economic gain

Employed (= salaried) paid activity

Evidence that someone is enrolled at a higher education institution

Special form of protection afforded to refugees and defined by the authority responsible during the asylum process; it is issued if the person has fled from torture, capital punishment or dangers to the civilian population in connection with armed internal state conflicts but not been persecuted on the grounds of specific characteristics (e.g. origin, political belief, religion).

Equal rights; political or social equality

Residence permit to practise in highly qualified employment under the German residence act

Educational establishment at which working people in particular receive further training in evening courses

Assumed particularly if circumstances exist that make the rejection of certain decisions by the immigration authority seem unacceptable

Issued after examination of the marriage conditions by the presidents of the higher regional courts or in Berlin by the president of the superior court of justice, in order to allows the marriage of foreign engaged couples whose country of origin does not issue a certificate of no impediment to marriage.

Office of the German federal employment agency; responsible for child benefit and child supplement

Entry into Germany of family members of a German or a foreign national with residence permit in order to live here together as a family

See family reunification

Geographical area of validity of a fare

Designation of facilities for the accommodation of asylum seekers after their residence in the reception centre

One of 14 ministries of the Federal Republic of Germany, responsible for foreign policy

Institution of a donor who provides a certain sum and determines for which purpose the asset should be spent

Generic term for self-employed and employed activity; for employed activity see “employment”

German federal law which should “prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or ideology, disability, age or sexual identity” also called anti-discrimination law

Actually: “Convention relating to the status of refugees”. Title of an international convention signed by many countries in the world, which determines who is to be regarded as a refugee and which legal protection, which aid and which social rights the states must grant to refugees in their national territory

German federal office responsible for fighting crime in cooperation between the federal government and federal states

Higher federal authority in the operating area of the German federal ministry of the interior (BMI); responsible for the tasks in the areas of asylum, migration, integration, return support and Jewish immigrants

Diplomatic representation of Germany abroad

Governs the entry, residence, gainful employment and residence termination of foreign nationals

Second book of the German social code, governs basic provision for job seekers (unemployment benefit II)

Higher school form leading to higher education entrance qualification

Support granted by the state, foundations, the Church or other institutions to finance studies, research or artistic work

Salary without deductions

Justified fear of persecution in the home country due to race, religion, nationality, membership of a certain social group, or political belief

Agreement by means of which a guarantor undertakes to take responsibility for the liabilities of a third person towards creditors

Can be claimed if there is an exceptionally high cost of care

People who have no residence permit and who have an enforceable obligation to leave the country can contact the Berlin hardship commission and request the issue of a residence permit for hardship cases in accordance with § 23a of the German residence act. The condition is the existence of urgent humanitarian or personal grounds justifying continued presence in the federal territory.

Colloquial name for:

1. Unemployment benefit II, also called Hartz for short
2. The so called “basic provision for job seekers”, see also second book of the German social code (SGB II)

Insurance against costs arising due to illness

Serves as proof of entitlement to receive benefits for medical care; issued to members by the statutory or private health insurance

Offers help in the event of impending or already existing homelessness

Establishment for scientific training and research, organised in several faculties

A person is homeless who has no housing secured with a rental agreement

Regulations for the conduct of tenants or inhabitants issued by the landlord of a residential building or by the management of a home, concerning the use of certain facilities belonging to the house

A social benefit under the German housing allowance law (WoGG); allowance granted by the state, particularly for accommodation rent

Office for housing

The permanent spiritual-moral value of every person’s own self, independent of external characteristics

Residence permit under the German residence act, issued for humanitarian reasons or to mitigate or resolve a humanitarian emergency

Official document for a person, with a photograph, personal details and a signature of the holder

Summary of how someone understands or explains the world

Authority responsible for measures and decisions concerning the residence and gainful employment of foreign nationals in Germany (execution of the right of residence)

Joint education of disabled and non-disabled children in nursery schools and (mainstream) schools

Offers comprehensive, understandable, neutral and free advice and information to patients, whether with statutory or private health insurance – also anonymously if desired

A special form of support for children and young people with and without disabilities

Illness caused by infection with pathogens (e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites)

Comprehensive school type (alongside primary school and grammar school)

Course comprising a German course and an orientation course; serves convey knowledge of German history, culture and the political system

Institution that combines various subject specialisations

Secondary school leaving certificate obtained in a leaving process

Someone who translates statements into a foreign language (professional title)

Joint facility of district authority and employment agency, responsible for granting SGB II to people with almost all residence permits

Entrusts an object to the tenant for use for a period. In return, the tenant owes the landlord a fee (rent)

Statutory assessment of language development for all children

Application for a court ruling in a dispute

Person who legally represents a minor by order of the family court in place of the person with legal custody

Abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people

The word has two meanings:

1. Someone who has a permanent partnership with someone else;
2. A registered life partnership (between two people of the same sex); this gives rights and obligations that approximate to those of spouses

Detail or fact determining life

The geographical area for transporting people in commuter, education, shopping and other everyday traffic with road, rail and shipping (ferries) vehicles in scheduled service

Payment of maintenance costs for a child of a parent living alone by certain state bodies if the parent liable for maintenance does not meet the maintenance obligation

Maintenance advance body of the youth welfare office of your district

Offers people with no health insurance a doctor who performs the initial examination and emergency care in the event of sudden illness, injury or pregnancy

Marriage formed only for appearance (for the sake of a certain legal status)

Protection under labour law for working mothers and core area of employee protection for women

Period of protection under labour law for working mothers

Provides anonymous and free treatment from qualified medical professionals to people with no residence permit and no health insurance

Medical statement (particularly about someone’s state of health)

Medical treatment facility in large accommodation establishments

Impairments of perception, thought, feeling, behaviour and processing of experiences or social relationships as an illness, e.g. anxiety or depression

State-certified midwife (professional title)

Lowest wage (permitted by law)

A person under the age of 18 years

Notification to the authorities about the name of your new-born child

Administrative act by means of which a foreign national is awarded citizenship

Dissolution of a contract, tenancy or special employment relationship

Exists if leaving is not possible or reasonable

A person who has reached the age of 18 years

Heating costs, costs for water supply and water heating, fees for wastewater, fees for refuse collection, costs for street cleaning, property tax, costs for a caretaker or cleaning and gardening work, costs for liability or building insurance

Person who owns – possesses – something, who holds a certain right or similar

State benefit to support mothers and fathers who look after their child themselves after the birth and temporarily forego gainful employment either entirely or partially

In Berlin: Youth welfare offices in the individual districts; responsible for processing parental benefit

Career break (with protection from dismissal), which mothers or fathers can take after the birth of a child in order to care for the child

Exists in the case of the following refugees: pregnant women, people with disabilities, people with serious illnesses, women travelling alone with children, homosexual or transgender people

Photograph used for a – generally official – personal document

Sum of money paid for a product, service or activity

Administrative deed in which pension type, pension start date, pension amount and if applicable term of annuity are defined

Temporary suspension of deportation of migrants who are obliged to leave; issued if deportation is not possible for actual or legal reasons or cannot reasonably be expected on urgent personal or humanitarian grounds

Person who has custody (of a specific child)

Termination of a pregnancy by gynaecological measures

The first school that must be attended by all children obliged to attend school; in Berlin it includes the six first years. From the fifth year of school, however, children can already move to secondary schools.

Part of the structured health insurance system in addition to the statutory health insurance; the following tasks here fall to the private health insurance: provision of insurance cover for people who do not have statutory insurance; insuring the services not covered by benefits for people who are eligible for benefits, as part of comprehensive insurance for medical expenses. Provision of insurance cover for people who have statutory insurance as part of additional supplementary insurance to meet individual demands, for example between hospital accommodation and private medical treatment

Limited period in which someone should prove ability, suitability for a job or similar

Institution, person, group of people responsible for dealing with all matters relating to a building

Use of violence due to racist motives

In accordance with its constitution and the General law on equal treatment (AGG), Berlin campaigns for equal treatment and equality of people of different sexual identities and lifestyles

Refers to forms of family of a different constellation, in which at least one parent lives as a lesbian or gay person

School-leaving qualifications acquired after successful examination (after year 9 or 10)

Facility for accommodation of asylum seekers in the initial weeks before and after the initial asylum application is made

(Official) confirmation, declaration of validity, of legality

Authority that certifies births, marriages, deaths or similar

Partnering of same-sex couples, similar to marriage

Recording of the personal details of refugees and allocation to a federal state; first step in the asylum process

Confirmation that the costs of residence (rent) will be covered by the service provider

Allowance for the expenses for living space to provide economic security for reasonable accommodation that meets the needs of the family for tenants

Table from which the usual rent for living space with comparable facilities in a community or residential district can be seen

Contract between renting party and landlord concerning the conditions of the rental

Deportation of foreign nationals

Obligation of official bodies to inform the respective authority responsible of certain facts

Permanent settlement of refugees in a third country

Place of permanent residence of a (natural) person

Requirement to have habitual residence in a specific place

Temporary residence permit under the German residence act

Official restriction to one neighbourhood, district or federal state for the residence area of asylum seekers and people with permission to remain until deported

Entitlement for migrants to reside in the federal territory

Establishment for the accommodation, care and support of old people

Right of Union citizens to enter and reside in the member states of the European Union

Map of the public transport network

Urgent, rush application / in court: Application for order or reinstatement of the deferral effect of a claim or for provisional settlement of a situation by temporary injunction

States in which due to the general political conditions there is a statutory assumption that neither political persecution nor inhumane or degrading punishment or treatment takes place (§ 29a AsylVfG)

Funding of particularly gifted school pupils and students through scholarships

Information about the credit rating of a person

Allows catching up of a school leaving certificate or higher qualification

Bodies, institutions or authorities responsible for the provision of a social benefit

Unlimited residence permit under the German residence act

Anyone with a disability level of at least 50 is severely disabled

Fundamental self-conception of people of who they are as sexual beings, how they perceive themselves and how they wish to be perceived by others

Facility accommodating several people

Accommodation constructed from public funds, which has relatively low rental costs for tenants on low incomes

Offers advice and support for accommodation emergencies, rent arrears and homelessness

Democratic state that endeavours to guarantee the economic security of its citizens and to offset social contrasts within society

Means-tested state social benefit for people who are unable to work or of retirement age

Someone whose job is in social work (professional title)

Grammar school with vocational focus leading to general higher education entrance qualification

State company that finances the construction of accommodation and that manages and markets such accommodation

Authority responsible for all questions concerning registration, the granting of benefits and accommodation of refugees in Berlin

Financial support for trainees whose means are inadequate for the cost of living

Branch of the social insurance system for protection in the event of illness; all people in Germany have compulsory insurance in this unless they are classified as exempt from insurance or otherwise protected

Loans that should serve to finance the costs of living and/or possible study fees

Treatment and rehabilitation working area, (formerly the treatment centre for victims of torture) offers medical and psychotherapeutic help for severely traumatised people who have experienced torture, war violence, escape and persecution

Money that must be paid to the state as part of income (e.g. income or inheritance tax) or as a surcharge on the price of goods and services (e.g. turnover or mineral oil tax)

Tiered tax assessment basis within the tax scale for income and wage tax, determined according to family status and number of children

State authorised consultant and representative on tax matters (professional title)

Lowest authority of the financial administration, responsible for collection and administration of taxes

School focused on vocational specialisations, leading to advanced technical college certificate

Time between two terms, in which no classes take place

Restriction to a specific period of time

Treatment as a result of which great physical or psychological pain or suffering is deliberately inflicted on a person in order to break or influence the will

(Holiday) traveller; person who travels to discover foreign places and countries

Residence permit under the German residence act

1. a) (Independent) professionally practised activity learnt on a training course characterised by tradition and consisting of manual producing or repairing work performed with tools of the trade
   b) Someone’s occupation, activity, work (with which someone subsists)
2. Occupation of traders

Directory kept by a chamber of trade in which the independent traders are entered with the trade they practise

Person who is doing an apprenticeship or taking vocational training

Agreement concerning training between the person or institution giving the training and the person to be trained

Civil status document (photocopy); reflects the basic register and all changes of civil status (name changes, adoptions)

In Berlin: primary school, grammar school and integrated secondary school

Wage replacement benefit financed by contributions and limited in duration

Benefit to cover the cost of living for employable people in need of help

UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Residence permit as a note in the passport of approval to cross the border

College attended once or twice per week in addition to practical vocational training in a company

Grants or loans for vocational training

Position exercised on a voluntary basis and predominantly free of charge

Written list of the gross monthly salary, all deductions for taxes, social security contributions, additional company provisions etc. and the remaining net monthly salary of an employee; generally includes further information such as tax class, number of child allowances, date of joining the company etc.

Learning group for new arrivals with no German skills in all types of school

Personalised (travel) ticket valid on the transport of BVG and S-Bahn Berlin as well as all other transport companies in Berlin AB fare zone

Charitable organisations that (in addition to the state welfare work) are the principal sponsors and operators of public social welfare, health and care facilities in Germany. An additional task of the welfare associations is to safeguard and represent the interests of the welfare state.