Law and rights

Frequently asked questions

• Who will be granted asylum in Germany?

  According to § 16 a I GG politically persecuted persons are granted constitutional individual protection. Refugees are treated equal to those entitled to be granted Asylum according to the EU Asylum recognition guideline.

  There is a range of factors under which Germany offers refugees protection. However, decisions are made based on each each individual case and are determined by your personal situation.

  To find out about the steps of the procedure for granting the right of asylum in Germany, please follow the BAMF link.

• Who do I contact regarding legal issues?

  If you are seeking professional legal advice we suggest to contact a lawyer who is specialised in the area of your case. You can find all addresses of lawyers working in migration and asylum law in this directory.

  In addition to the lawyers whose services are liable to pay costs, you can contact further counselling services which you can find in the section advisory services.

• What is a statutory social insurance?

  The German social insurance system is compulsory and offers effective financial protection against life risks and their implications such as illness, unemployment, age and need of care. It guarantees a stable living standard for each individual and offers pension support once a person has ended their professional life.

  Social insurance is compulsory. Half of the contribution is payed by the employer the other half by the employee, whose part will be deducted from the wage automatically.

• What is the statutory pension scheme?

  Generally, all employees are insured through the statutory pension scheme which offers you financial protection in old age.

  Currently, the pension scheme comes into effect at the age of 67.

  The statutory pension scheme also protects you if you are unable or restricted to work due to illness or disability or if you are a widow or orphan.

• What is statutory health insurance?

  Statutory health insurance covers all areas of your personal health care. In Germany you have to have health insurance, it is mandatory.

  Health insurance covers most costs such as medical treatment, illness prevention and rehabilitation.

  If you are unable to work for a period longer that 6 weeks due to illness, the health insurance will pay you sick pay.

• What is statutory long-term care insurance?

  Statutory long-term care insurance will help you in old age or if you are unable to work due to severe illness, can’t take care of yourself anymore and depend on care. In addition, the care insurance will help you if you are caring for a relative and therefore need financial support.

  If you want to claim benefits from care insurance, you have to hand in a request.

  Once you are insured through the statutory health insurace, you are automatically a member of the statutory long-term care insurance.

• What is statutory accident insurance?

  Statutory accident insurance offers support in case of medical or financial problems that have directly resulted from work accidents or work-related disease. Work accidents include accidents that happend on the way to work or school as well as on the way home.

• What other insurances are there?

  In addition to the statutory insurances, there are private insurances. Private insurances are voluntary. You can therefore decide for yourself whether you want to be insured. In most cases, you then pay a monthly premium for the insurance. For example, there is liability insurance. If you break someone else’s property, your liability insurance can pay for the damage. Another example of private insurance is homeowners insurance. With homeowner’s insurance, you insure your property. The insurance can then pay if your property is damaged by fire or stolen, for example. You can take out private insurance with various insurance companies.

  Find out exactly in which cases you are insured and in which cases you are not insured.