Moving from child- to adult-centred services (transition) is a challenge for patients and health care professionals. Every second adolescent with a rheumatic disease will still have active disease that requires treatment when they are adults. A third of these patients do not arrive in adult-centered care, a consequence that is accompanied by negative consequences on the individual course of disease and contributes to socioeconomical costs. The present article describes the current situation: barriers for successful transfer and transition models are discussed. Transitional care and research must be improved in Germany.