In short: Last updated: October 2026. The BAföG forms are the numbered forms in which you provide details about yourself, your studies, your parents’ income, time abroad or an advance payment. Form 1 is always needed. The others depend on your situation. The numbering follows bafoeg-aktuell.de (as of 20 Feb 2026).
Anyone applying for BAföG (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, the German federal student financing law) quickly meets a series of numbered forms, and the labels can look cryptic. This guide explains forms 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the order in which they usually come up. It also tells you who completes each form and when you need it. Forms 4 and 9 cover special cases and are only mentioned briefly.
The most important points
- Form 1 is the application with your personal details. It is always required.
- Form 2 confirms your training. Your university completes it. Alternatively, the automatically generated enrolment certificate is accepted.
- You usually need Form 3 because the income of your parents or partner is counted.
- Form 5 is the proof of performance required from the 5th semester. Form 6 applies to training abroad.
- Form 7 updates your parents’ income. Form 8 requests an advance payment if your parents do not pay maintenance.
The forms at a glance
| Form | Purpose | Who completes it? | When needed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Application with personal details | You | Always |
| 2 | Certificate under § 9 BAföG | Educational institution (or enrolment certificate) | With the first application |
| 3 | Income of parents, spouse or partner | Parents or partner | Usually |
| 5 | Proof of performance under § 48 BAföG | Educational institution | From the 5th semester |
| 6 | Supplementary sheet for training abroad | You | Before a stay abroad, together with Form 1 |
| 7 | Update of income | You, with income evidence | If current income is clearly lower |
| 8 | Application for advance payment | You | If parents do not pay maintenance |
Form 1 and Form 2: application and training certificate
Form 1 is the core of your application. You enter personal details here, for example about yourself, your studies and any earlier funding. For follow-up applications you use Form 9 instead, a simplified request for continued funding. Our guide to the BAföG online application step by step explains how the whole process runs.
Form 2 is the certificate under § 9 BAföG. Your educational institution completes it and confirms that you are enrolled there and which course you are studying. Instead of the form you can submit the automatically generated enrolment certificate. If you already have that certificate, you do not need to ask the university twice.
Form 3: income of parents, spouse or partner
Form 3 records the income situation of your parents. You usually need it, because funding independent of your parents is the exception. Even in a marriage or civil partnership without lasting separation, the income of your partner is part of the calculation. Whether you qualify for independent funding depends on conditions that our guide on independent BAföG (in English) explains.
When you complete Form 3, have your parents’ income evidence ready. It must cover exactly the years the office asks for. If details are missing, processing is delayed and the office will ask you for them.
Form 5: proof of performance from the 5th semester
From the 5th semester, funding at universities is only paid once proof of performance is available (§ 48 (1) BAföG). With Form 5, your educational institution confirms that you have achieved the usual results. Alternatively, a certificate of ECTS credit points is sufficient, provided the usual number of points has been reached.
The proof must be issued after the start of the 4th semester. A certificate for an intermediate examination completed between the end of the 3rd and the end of the 4th semester also counts. A proof is treated as submitted at the end of the previous semester if it arrives within the first four months of the following semester and shows that the performance was already achieved in the previous semester. The government draft for the BAföG reform would remove the proof of performance. As of October 2026 this has not been decided.
Form 6: training abroad
Form 6 is a supplementary sheet that you submit together with Form 1 if a stay abroad belongs to your training. Under § 13 (4) BAföG, the requirement can be adjusted with a surcharge or deduction to the conditions in the country of training. The Federal Government sets the amounts by ordinance. Our guide to Auslands-BAföG (in German) shows how this works in practice.
Plan this early. The form belongs to the application before you leave, not to a later addition once you are already abroad.
Form 7: update of income
Form 7 requests that the current income of your parents is taken into account if it is clearly lower than in the year before last. This matters most when the family financial situation has changed, for example after a job loss or a reduction in working hours.
An example shows the idea. Assumption: your parents earned clearly more in the year before last than they do now. With Form 7 you request that the current situation is used. Whether and to what extent this succeeds is decided by the office on the basis of your evidence.
Form 8: advance payment if parents do not pay
Form 8 is the application for an advance payment under § 36 BAföG. It is relevant if your parents do not pay the maintenance that is counted and your training is therefore at risk. Before you submit the form, bafoeg-aktuell.de advises contacting the office in advance. The page also warns against confusing the advance payment with a BAföG advance.
We explain the exact requirements, the hearing of your parents and the cases in which no advance payment is made in a separate guide on the advance payment. Read it before you submit the form.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to submit all the forms?
No. Form 1 is mandatory, and the others depend on your situation. Whether you need Form 3 depends on whether your parents’ income is counted. Whether you need Form 5 depends on your semester. Check the list against your circumstances before you submit anything.
Where do I get the current forms?
You get the current forms from the responsible office for education funding. The overview on bafoeg-aktuell.de lists the forms in version 2025 with a status date of 20 Feb 2026. Before you submit, confirm with the office that this version still applies.
Can I print the forms?
In the online procedure, the data is printed without an eID, signed and posted. For a paper application, the same applies in principle: you complete the forms in full, sign them and attach the evidence you are asked for.
What is Form 9?
Form 9 is the simplified follow-up application for students. If you are already receiving funding, you usually use it instead of Form 1. Form 4 concerns your own children under 14. For that, read our guide on BAföG with a child (in German).
How to proceed now
- Decide which forms apply to your situation. Form 1 is always needed.
- Have Form 2 completed by your educational institution or submit the enrolment certificate.
- Agree with your parents who completes Form 3, and ask the office which income years apply.
- Submit Form 5 to your university in time, before the 5th semester begins.
Related guides
- BAföG application: deadlines and documents (in German)
- Independent BAföG: Requirements and Application
- BAföG for Studying Abroad: Eligibility and Allowances
- BAföG Reform 2027: What Is Changing and When
Sources: bafoeg-aktuell.de, overview of forms and online application (as of 20 Feb 2026); § 36 BAföG, advance payment (gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed October 2026); § 48 BAföG, proof of performance (gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed October 2026); § 13 BAföG, requirement for students (gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed October 2026).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
