Kindergeld beantragen, wenn das Kind im Ausland lebt

Sie können Kindergeld auch beantragen, wenn Ihr Kind im Ausland lebt — der Antrag ist derselbe, es kommen nur Blätter dazu. Zum Hauptantrag und der Anlage Kind gehört dann die Anlage Ausland (KG 51). Dort steht, wo das Kind wohnt und wer sich dort um es kümmert. Dazu kommt in der Regel eine Lebensbescheinigung (KG 3b): Den unteren Teil füllt eine Behörde im Wohnland des Kindes aus, nicht Sie.

Kindergeld (child benefit)

Applying for Kindergeld when the child lives abroad

You can apply for Kindergeld even if your child lives abroad — the application is the same, only sheets are added.

The foreign annex (KG 51) then belongs with the main application and the child annex. It says where the child lives and who looks after it there.

As a rule a certificate of life (KG 3b) is added too: the lower part is filled in by an authority in the country where the child lives, not by you.

Fill in Kindergeld (child benefit)

Which annex applies to which country

For most countries the foreign annex (KG 51) applies. For Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo there is a version of its own (KG 51-ju). If you draw a pension or it concerns an orphan, KG 51R comes into question instead. Which of them your case needs follows from your answers — you do not have to decide that yourself.

The certificate of life

The certificate of life confirms that the child is alive and where it lives. We fill in the upper part with your details. The lower part is confirmed by the registration authority in the country of residence. Print the sheet out and hand it in there; once filled in, you enclose it with the application.

How long it takes

Filling it in takes a quarter of an hour with us. How long Familienkasse needs and how it decides we do not know — we have no influence on that and say nothing about it either.

What that costs

The price depends on how many children you are applying for Kindergeld for. The sample calculations are on the page about Kindergeld (child benefit).