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School entry examination (Schuleingangsuntersuchung)

Gesundheitsamt · Child and Youth Health Service

In personMandatory under state lawFree of charge

Two things about this examination matter more than anything else, and both are regularly misunderstood. First: it is mandatory. Not under federal law, but under the School Act of your federal state — which is why the timing, scope and procedure differ from state to state, and why the binding information is always that of the local Gesundheitsamt. Second: it does not decide on school enrolment. Admission is decided by the school under school law; the examination provides a health assessment for this purpose. Whoever treats it as an aptitude test prepares their child for something that does not even take place.

What actually happens is a developmental assessment: vision and hearing tests, language and language comprehension, gross and fine motor skills, understanding of quantity and shape, plus a look at the yellow examination booklet and the vaccination record. The purpose is to identify support needs early, while there is still time to address them — not to sort children out. An abnormal finding, as a rule, leads to a recommendation, not to deferral.

The vaccination status is recorded in the process, and here the legal position is more precise than it is usually presented. For measles, the duty to provide proof under § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG applies — but only for those born after 31 December 1970. All other vaccinations are based on recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (Ständige Impfkommission, STIKO) and are voluntary. The examination therefore covers a mandatory part and a recommended part, and it must not lead to a vaccination that nobody has required.

An exception under § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG is almost never mentioned, although it is decisive for parents: the ban on entering premises does not apply to children subject to compulsory schooling. A child subject to compulsory schooling must not be refused lessons because of a missing measles proof — compulsory schooling prevails. The proof remains required, the Gesundheitsamt is notified and a regulatory fine is possible; but the school door stays open. For the Kita (child daycare centre), which is not subject to compulsory schooling, the exact opposite applies: there, the missing proof leads to refusal of admission.

Last updated28 August 2026
Legal basisSchool acts of the federal states
VerificationChecked against IfSG, BBG, HeilprG and SGB XIV
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Gesundheitsamt, not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. No legal advice and not an official authority. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Legal basisState lawSchool act of the federal state
Decides onNothingThe school decides
PurposeSupport needsIdentify early, not sort
CostsFree of chargeFor the family
Required documents

What you need

The yellow examination booklet

The U1 to U9 preventive examinations are the best basis for the assessment: they show the course rather than just the status on one day. If the booklet is missing, much must be recorded anew.

The vaccination record (Impfausweis)

It serves to record vaccination status. For measles, the proof under § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG is mandatory, provided the child was born after 31 December 1970; all other vaccinations are based on STIKO recommendations and are voluntary.

Findings from medical specialists

Reports on vision, hearing, language, motor skills or chronic conditions. They save duplicate examinations and support a recommendation where support would be beneficial.

Glasses or hearing aid, if any

Testing is done with the aid the child actually wears. Without it, a finding results that does not reflect everyday conditions and leads to unnecessary re-tests.

The invitation and the consent

The letter from the Gesundheitsamt and the declaration of the parents or guardians. Where parents live apart, it must be clarified who attends and who signs — otherwise this regularly delays the appointment.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Clarify the rules of your own federal state

    Timing, scope and procedure are set out in the federal state's School Act and the provisions issued under it. What applies in a neighbouring state often does not apply here — the information from your Gesundheitsamt is binding.

  2. 2

    Accept the appointment

    The invitation usually comes via the office or the school. Attendance is mandatory; whoever lets the appointment pass receives a new one, often at a time less convenient for the family.

  3. 3

    Bring complete documents

    Examination booklet, vaccination record, specialist findings, glasses or hearing aid. Completeness shortens the appointment and prevents re-tests.

  4. 4

    Read the result as a recommendation

    Abnormalities, as a rule, lead to recommendations — language support, ophthalmological assessment, occupational therapy. They are not a verdict on the child, but the reason why the examination takes place a year before school enrolment.

  5. 5

    If deferred, address the correct body

    The school decides on enrolment and deferral under school law, not the Gesundheitsamt. Legal remedies are directed at the school supervisory authority — against the school's decision notice, not against the medical assessment.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Costs and responsibilitiesNo fees arise for families
ExaminationFree of charge
Legal basisSchool act of the federal state
ParticipationObligation
Measles proofMandatory, § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG
Other vaccinationsSTIKO recommendation
School enrolment decisionThe school

The examination is a task of the public health service and is not invoiced to families.

Good to know

Important notes

Two provisions of the Infection Protection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, IfSG) look confusingly alike — both demand “proof relating to vaccination before a child joins a facility” — and yet they order the opposite of each other. § 34 Abs. 10a IfSG merely requires written proof, before admission to a child daycare centre, that medical advice on vaccination protection has taken place shortly beforehand. It does not require a single vaccination, and no regulatory fine is attached to it: if the proof is missing, the facility notifies the Gesundheitsamt, which may invite the parents to a discussion. § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG demands something altogether different: proof of sufficient protection against measles or of immunity — and this proof is an obligation, for children and staff alike, but only for those born after 31 December 1970. Its absence can cost up to €2,500 under § 73. Anyone who pins the warning on the wrong one of the two provisions needlessly alarms some people and wrongly reassures others.

Vaccination status is recorded — but this must not lead to a vaccination. The only mandatory element is the measles proof under § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG for those born after 31 December 1970. All other vaccinations are based on STIKO recommendations; they are sensible but voluntary, and their absence is no bar to admission.

An abnormal finding is not an exclusion. The examination takes place with a time gap before school enrolment so that support can still take effect. Use a recommendation for what it is: an early indication with room to act.

The examination collects health data of the child. What is passed on to the school is limited and follows from state law — regularly the assessment relevant to school, not the full findings. Ask explicitly at the appointment what is passed on and what is not.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Treating the examination as an aptitude test. It records the developmental status; the school decides on enrolment.

Forgetting the examination booklet or vaccination record. Without them, much must be recorded anew, and a second appointment follows.

Leaving the glasses at home. Testing is done with the aid actually worn.

Treating all vaccinations as mandatory. Only the measles proof is mandatory, and only for those born after 31 December 1970.

Lodging an objection against the medical assessment. What is to be challenged is the school's decision, via the school supervisory authority.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Is the school entry examination mandatory?

Yes, though not under federal law: the duty follows from the respective federal state's School Act. This is why timing, scope and procedure differ between the federal states, and the information from the competent Gesundheitsamt is always binding.

Does the examination decide on school enrolment?

No. The school decides on enrolment and deferral under school law. The examination provides a health and developmental assessment as a basis. Legal remedies are accordingly directed against the school's decision, not against the medical assessment.

Does my child have to be vaccinated for school enrolment?

The only mandatory element is the measles proof under § 20 Abs. 8 IfSG, and even that only for those born after 31 December 1970. All other vaccinations are based on recommendations of the Standing Committee on Vaccination and are voluntary. Important for children subject to compulsory schooling: lessons must not be refused to them because of a missing measles proof — compulsory schooling prevails. For the Kita, which is not subject to compulsory schooling, this does not apply.

What is examined?

Vision and hearing, language and language comprehension, gross and fine motor skills, understanding of quantity and shape, plus a look at the yellow examination booklet and the vaccination record. The goal is to identify support needs early enough that there is still time to address them before school enrolment.

What happens with an abnormal result?

As a rule, a recommendation follows — language support, ophthalmological assessment, occupational therapy or a further appointment. This is precisely why the examination takes place with a time gap before school enrolment. Deferral is the exception and is decided by the school, not by the Gesundheitsamt.

What data does the school receive?

Not the full findings. What is transmitted is the assessment relevant to school, to the extent provided for by state law. Because this extent varies between the federal states, it is worth explicitly asking at the appointment what is passed on and what remains in the Gesundheitsamt's file.

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Social psychiatric service
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Free of charge

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