Au pair visa for caring for young people: Is that possible?

The daughter is thirteen, the son fifteen; both parents work full-time and are frequently away on business trips. A young Canadian woman who wants to spend a year in Germany seems like the ideal solution: she speaks English as her native language, has already learned some German, and gets along wonderfully with the two teenagers. However, just a few weeks after the application, it is rejected – with the terse explanation that a need for childcare is "not apparent." Whether an au pair visa is also possible for the care of teenagers, what the law says about it, and why the practice of German embassies and consulates is considerably stricter than the letter of the law, we explain in this article.

What does the law regulate regarding au pair stays?

The legal basis for au pair stays is Section 19c Paragraph 1 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) in conjunction with Section 12 of the Employment Ordinance (BeschV). According to this, the Federal Employment Agency can grant approval for individuals who have basic knowledge of German, are under 27 years old, and are employed as au pairs for up to one year in a family where German is spoken as the native language. If German is only spoken as a family language in the host family, approval under Section 12 Sentence 2 of the Employment Ordinance is only possible if the au pair does not come from the host parents' country of origin.

In addition to the general requirements for granting a residence permit under Section 5 of the Residence Act (AufenthG), a valid passport is required. In practice, the Federal Employment Agency also requires a written au pair contract, monthly pocket money (currently €280), room and board, a private room in the host family's home, health insurance, and accident and liability insurance. The assistance provided is limited to a maximum of 30 hours per week and six hours per day. The word "may" is important: Neither Section 19c of the Residence Act (AufenthG) nor Section 12 of the Employment Ordinance (BeschV) establishes an entitlement – the embassy and the Federal Employment Agency decide at their discretion.

Does the law state that only children may be cared for?

No. Anyone who reads Section 12 of the Employment Ordinance carefully will notice that the provision contains neither the word "child" nor an age limit for the persons being cared for. The regulation merely refers to employment "as an au pair" in a family. The traditional understanding of an au pair stay—cultural exchange in exchange for assistance with childcare and light household chores—only emerges from information sheets, directives, and actual practice. These consistently refer to childcare.

The wording of the regulation does not explicitly exclude young people from being considered as caregivers. Legally, there is a strong case to be made that a family with a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old child may also host an au pair. The decisive factor is whether the stay actually corresponds to the nature of an au pair relationship.

Why are embassies so skeptical of children aged twelve and older?

This is where theory and practice diverge. Based on our experience with numerous cases, German embassies and consulates view applications with considerable skepticism once all the children in the host family are older than approximately twelve years. This age limit is not explicitly stated in any law, but it is applied in practice by the visa office. The rationale is that young people are considered largely independent. The authorities therefore quickly suspect that the au pair is intended not for childcare, but rather as cheap domestic help. The administration aims to prevent precisely this circumvention of regular employment regulations.

The procedures are by no means uniform. Some embassies and consulates almost routinely reject applications from families with only teenage children, while others request additional documents or invite the au pair for a detailed interview. Even nationals of the USA, Great Britain, or Canada, who are permitted to enter Germany visa-free under Section 41, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the German Residence Ordinance and apply for their residence permit directly at the immigration office, are not exempt from this review: Approval from the Federal Employment Agency is also required within Germany, and the Berlin State Office for Immigration applies the same criteria. The chances of success are noticeably lower for families with only teenage children – but such an application is not hopeless.

When can an au pair stay still be successful for young people?

The key lies in a clearly demonstrated need for support. The authorities must be able to see that the au pair will take on a genuine role within the family and not simply manage the household. Significantly better chances exist, for example, if a younger sibling also lives in the household alongside the young person, if a child requires more intensive support due to a disability, chronic illness, or special educational needs, or if the parents are absent for extended periods due to shift work or frequent travel.

In practice, a detailed weekly schedule has proven effective, outlining homework support, transportation to sports and music lessons, shared leisure activities, and afternoon supervision. Especially with au pairs from English-speaking countries, language support for the young people in everyday life can also play a role – however, this must not transform the stay into a disguised teaching activity. It is equally important that the information provided by the host family, the au pair contract, and the au pair's statements during the interview with the embassy are consistent. In our experience, discrepancies are the most frequent reason for rejection.

What mistakes should host families avoid?

Many families submit their applications independently using templates from agencies or online forums. These standard documents are tailored to families with young children and completely fail to address the particular burden of proof required for families with teenagers. A weekly schedule where cleaning, laundry, and shopping take up the most space almost inevitably leads to rejection. It is equally risky to simply submit a second, identical application after a rejection: The embassy or consulate will see the earlier decision and is unlikely to rule differently.

Conclusion

The law does not explicitly restrict au pair stays to the care of young children. Section 19c Paragraph 1 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG) in conjunction with Section 12 of the Employment Ordinance (BeschV) generally also permits host families with teenagers. In practice, however, embassies and consulates and immigration authorities are very skeptical about any children over twelve years of age, and the chances of success are correspondingly lower. Anyone who still wishes to host an au pair should carefully justify the specific childcare needs, keep the child's contribution to the household to a minimum, and absolutely avoid providing contradictory information. We support host families and au pairs from the USA, Great Britain, and Canada in overcoming this hurdle correctly from the outset – or in effectively challenging a rejection.