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… about the (initial) Period after Release.

Especially in the first period after release from prison, many tasks and challenges will have to be dealt with.

 

We have combined some important topics on this page. These pages only provide possible steps that affect many, but not all, people after their release from prison. The following information give a rough orientation. Unfortunately, the regulations in the individual cities can also be very different. We strongly recommend that you get in touch with a consultation organisation, for example our association for offender support service.

Possibilities of Support

Being affected by imprisonment changes one's life situation a lot. Often, affected people are dependent on support. Especially in the first period after release from prison, many tasks and challenges will have to be dealt with.

The non-governmental offender support service offers assistance for people at risk of imprisonment, for prisoners and for ex-prisoners, as well as for their relatives. The staff of the offender support service advice and support people with tasks and challenges that arise. Here you can find an overview of the services which the non-governmental offender support service offers in Saxony-Anhalt as well as contact details of the competent staff.

 

Together with the staff of the offender support service, other specialised counselling agencies can be found, for example for debt and addiction counselling.

Registration Obligations

A person has to take care of many tasks after their release from prison. Thus, a lot of registrations have to be made with public authority etc. Keeping track of things can be hard sometimes.

We have compiled a brief overview of the applications that are usually required after a release from prison.

Documents of the Penal Institution

With the release, the prisoner is also issued a release certificate and, if necessary, a confirmation of employment (Arbeitsbescheinigung). These documents should be kept in a safe place, as they are necessary for an application for unemployment benefit I (ALG I) and unemployment benefit II (ALG II).

Contact with Probation Service and Supervision of Conduct

If probation or supervision of conduct has been ordered, the SDJ (probation service) will contact you after release from prison. In case your address changes after your release, you should contact the probation service immediately.

Application for National Identity Card

During Prison Term

It is advisable to check whether your national identity card is still valid before the release from prison.

In case the national identity card expires during prison term, you should contact the responsible social worker in prison. Usually, the national identity card can be re-applied for during prison term.

The address of the penal institution is usually used as the place of residence.

 

After Release from Prison

In case the national identity card expires after release from prison, a new one must be applied for. You can apply for the national identity card at the relevant public administration office at your place of residence.

 

Applying for a new national identity card costs money, even during the prison term!

You can find the prices for a new national identity card on the internet sites of the respective public administration office.

 

Each public administration office decides which documents are required to apply for a new national identity card. Information on which documents are required can be found on the website of the respective city or administrative district.

 

The following documents are usually required:

  • Confirmation of the person supplying the residence
  • Expired national identity card
  • Biometric passport photo
  • Certificate of Birth or Certificate of Marriage (if no longer available, you must apply for it at the registry office (Standesamt). In case your place of birth is outside of Germany, you have to apply for it at the responsible embassy or consulate.

 

It takes about 2 weeks for the identity card to be issued. If you need one immediately, you should have a temporary identity card issued, which you can take with you immediately. This costs about 15 euros.

Changing your Address

While imprisoned, the address of the penal institution is your place of residence. This will obviously change with the release. This means that your place of residence has to be changed according to your new address. The competent authority is located in the public administration office of your place of residence.

You can find information on the required documents for the public administration office on the website of your city or administrative district

 

The following documents are usually required:

  • Confirmation of the person supplying the residence
  • Valid national identity card
  • Certificate of Birth (if necessary)

 

The application for a new national identity card and changing place of residence can be done in one appointment at the public administration office.

Health Insurance

At the latest after the release from prison, you must contact a health insurance company in order to conclude (statutory) health insurance again.

It is advisable to have a membership certificate issued directly by the health insurance company. This is required for employment or for the application for unemployment benefit.

 

Furthermore, it is wise to select the health insurance company where you were insured before imprisonment.  

 

It is mandatory to have health insurance in Germany! Significant costs may incur later on, if you do not take out health insurance.

Registration to the Federal Employment Office (Agentur für Arbeit)/ Job Centre (Jobcenter)/ Social Welfare Office (Sozialamt)/ Pension Services (Rententräger)

In case you cannot (yet) pursue paid work after the release , it is also possible to register yourself as job-seeking. See "Benefits" (below) for further information.

You are entitled to unemployment benefit I (ALGI) if you have worked at least 360 days in the last 2 years. You can find this information on your confirmation of employment (Arbeitsbescheinigung). In case you are not entitled to unemployment benefit I (ALG I), you have to apply for unemployment benefit II (ALG II) at the respective job centre (Jobcenter).

 

Usually, you have to apply in person!

Opening a Bank Account

It is advisable to open an account (again) after release from prison. We recommend first contacting the bank with which you had an account prior to imprisonment.

In many cases it is wise to open an attachment-protected account (P-Konto). The P-Konto protects the unseizable portion of the money from attachment. It is thus possible to pay costs such as rent, insurance and similar costs.  The amount of unseizable money is currently around 1200 euros.

 

A registered address is urgently required for opening a bank account. In case you do not have a registered address, you can for example register in an emergency accommodation. For further information, contact the bank.

Signing up with Energy Providers (Electricity and Heating)

If you move into a new apartment, it is necessary to sign up with an electricity and heating provider. To do this, you need the protocol of the apartment handover (with meter readings and meter numbers) as well as your national identity card. You can ask the utility company for other documents required. 

 

Housing

Looking for suitable housing is not always easy. It is advisable to obtain necessary documents for renting an apartment beforehand. For instance, many landlords require these documents:

  • Copy of a valid national identity card
  • A document on financial reliability (Schufa-Bonitätsauskunft)
  • Documents on financial situation (employment contract/ payslips, approval for unemployment benefit I (ALG I) or unemployment benefit II (ALGII), social benefit)

 

This is just a list of the documents that are most frequently requested. The landlords themselves determine which documents they need. Nevertheless, it is necessary to ask the respective landlords which documents they need.  

 

Sometimes it is not possible to move into a new apartment or (temporarily) stay with relatives or acquaintances immediately after release from prison. There are other options for temporary accommodation, such as a pension or homeless shelter.

 

Many associations of the non-governmental offender support are able to help you, due to the fact that they have gathered many contacts to pensions and other forms of accommodation over the years.

A few associations of the non-governmental offender support in Saxony-Anhalt have their own housing projects:

 

If you receive unemployment benefit I (ALG I), it is possible to receive supplementary benefits. This means that if the money from unemployment benefit I is not sufficient to cover rent and other fixed costs, you are able to apply for further financial support at the Job Centre (Jobcenter).

 

The staff of the non-governmental offender support service can help you check whether it makes sense to apply, and if so, provide support during the application process.

 

The contact details of the individual associations in Saxony-Anhalt are listed here.

If you receive Unemployment Benefit II (ALG II)

If you receive unemployment benefit II (ALG 2/Hartz 4), you have to take into account a number of criteria when looking for an apartment. For instance, the basic rent and the size of the apartment must be reasonable. This means that the apartment must not exceed a certain amount of basic rent and square meters, so that the housing costs can be paid in full. Whether the costs are reasonable depends on where you live. The respective guidelines are handed out with the application for unemployment benefit II (ALG II).

Moving into a new apartment costs a lot of money. Money that you may not have. Especially if you do not have any furniture after release from prison, it can be very expensive to buy new one.

In case you receive benefits from the Job Centre (Jobcenter), you can apply for coverage of the costs for basic furniture.

You have to apply separately. You can only receive this benefit once and you do not have to pay anything back.

 

The Job Centre can also cover deposit payments. This happens in the form of a loan, which has to be repaid in small instalments. 

 

The staff of the non-governmental offender support service assist in the application for benefits as well as in looking for suitable apartments and also keep an eye on the criteria of the places of residence.

You can find the contact details of the responsible staff members here.

Broadcasting Contribution/ ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio

In Germany, every citizen is obliged to pay a broadcasting contribution. A contribution must be paid per household. Since it is a fee, it is due regardless of whether a TV set or radio is owned. The "Beitragsservice ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio" (Contribution Service ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio), based in Cologne, is responsible for collecting the broadcasting fees.

 

If you move into your own flat, you must inform the Contribution Service.

You can register online or by filling out a form available on the Contribution Service homepage.

If you move in with someone who already pays the licence fee, you should still register with the Contribution Service and provide the corresponding contribution number of the person paying. You do not have to pay twice.

 

There are groups of people who are exempt from paying the broadcasting fee, e.g. recipients of ALG II, social assistance, BaföG and many more. In this case, an application for "exemption or reduction of the broadcasting fee" must be submitted.

The staff of the ZEBRA project, for example, can provide assistance with registration/notification/exemption/reduction.

If you do not register/notify the Contribution Service, they will automatically contact you within the next few months.

 

If no notification is made or if there is no response to the letter, high debts will arise very quickly!

Benefits

Unemployment Benefit I and/or Search for (new) Employment​​​​​

You can check at the Federal Employment Agency whether you are eligible for unemployment benefit I (ALG I).

Currently, ALG 1 can be claimed, for instance, if 12 months (365 days) of insurable work have been completed in a period of 30 months and a personal notification of unemployment has been made.

 

There are 2 kinds of notifications to the Federal Employment Agency: 

  1. Job search notification: is necessary to enable the Federal Employment Agency to support you in searching for new employment. The notification must be made no later than 3 months before the termination of the employment.
  2. Unemployment notification: secures the financial entitlements and is necessary to obtain unemployment benefits. You have to notify the competent Employment Agency in person on the first day of unemployment.

 

If a released person is eligible to ALG I, it is absolutely necessary to notify the Employment Agency within one day. The following documents are usually required:

  • a valid national identity card
  • release certificate
  • confirmation of employment/ wage certificates (of the last 2 years)
  • coverage confirmation of the health insurance
  • tax class (tax identification number)
  • if possible, tabular CV

 

The documents required can be obtained at the competent Employment Agency.

 

After all necessary documents have been submitted, the processing time should take a maximum of 14 days.

Unemployment Benefit II (ALG II)

If there is no claim to unemployment benefit I (ALG I) after the release from prison, an application for basic security benefit for jobseekers can be filed (ALG II or "Hartz 4").

Many important information about ALG II can be found on the following website: For people coming from other countries Bundesagentur für Arbeit (arbeitsagentur.de). Here you can find a short overview.

ALG II is applicable for every person who:

  • has completed the age of 15
  • has not yet reached the official retirement age
  • has their usual residence in the Federal Republic of Germany
    • is officially employable (i.e. able to work at least 3 hours a day under the conditions of the general labor market)
  • is needy
    • i.e., if livelihood requirements cannot be paid from own financial resources:
      • for yourself
      • if necessary, other persons also living in the benefit community
      • or people living in the benefit community cannot pay for the livelihood requirements of everyone

 

Before ALG II is paid, all reasonable employments must be accepted and the income of the partner must be used.

 

People with low income, which is not sufficient for their own livelihood and that of the family, can apply for ALG II as well. ALG II is then paid as an increased income.

Charging of Tide-Over Money to ALG II

Tide-over money builds up during the prison term and is intended to provide financial cover immediately after release.

As of 01.07.2021, the tide-over money will no longer count as income to the ALG II, but will now be taken up as assets for the next month.

 

This means that the tide-over money can be spent on security payments, clothes, groceries and other important purchases in the first month.

Application for ALG II 

A written application for ALG II must be submitted to the local competent job centre (Jobcenter) at the place of residence.

All necessary forms can be downloaded via the following link.

https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/arbeitslosengeld-2/arbeitslosengeld-2-beantragen

 

The forms can also be collected in person from the job centre.

 

We recommend that you have the receipt of the application confirmed in writing.

 

The ALG II benefits are paid retroactively to the first day of the application month.  

Benefit Community 

A benefit community means living together with children and/or partners.

The needs of all members of the benefit community are added together. The income of all is deducted from this (salary, child benefit, maintenance). The balance is then paid out.

Claim on additional Benefits

Persons eligible to ALG II are entitled to the following benefits:

  • normal requirements (Regelbedarf) for securing livelihood (sum of money that will be paid out)
  • reasonable costs for accommodation (for example apartment) and heating
  • additional requirements for pregnant women, single parents, people with disabilities and for costly medical expenses (for example, in the case of incompatibilities). These additional requirements will be added to the normal requirements.
  • there is an additional requirement surcharge in cases of hardship (for example a serious illness)

 

One-time special payments must always be requested separately. This could be, for example, the initial equipment for a home or the repair or rental of therapeutic equipment.

 

Children should be enabled to participate in normal life and be educated. Therefore, benefits for special payments, e.g. class trips, club fees, etc., can be applied for.

 

In order to receive ALG II, the person has to comply with all measures for vocational rehabilitation. Hence, a rehabilitation agreement is defined. If measures are neglected, benefits can be reduced.

Papers

Schufa information

Every person has the right to receive a free Schufa report once a year. The Schufa report can be downloaded online. People in prison can ask their relatives to do this, as well as the prison, a debt counselling service or the colleagues of the Zebra project.

Pension insurance number/social security number

These numbers can be obtained from the health insurance fund or the pension insurance number if they are no longer available.

Tax ID

If the tax ID is not known, it can be applied for.

 

The application for notification of the tax ID is made via the Federal Central Tax Office. This can be done by telephone (0228 406-1240), by post (An der Küppe 1, 53225 Bonn), by e-mail () or online form (www.bzst.de).

 

Some residents' registration offices also provide this information.