Before Entering Germany

You are not only going to study in Germany, but you are also going to live there. Therefore, these pages deal with life in Germany, including aspects peculiar to the country, and those which might prove difficult.

When still at home you should prepare and obtain:

• the notification of admission or confirmation of application
• a passport valid until 6 month after the planned stay in Germany
• proof of financial resources
• visa (not a tourist visa), if applicable
• possibly confirmation of health insurance cover
• book of vaccination certificates, if you have one. Check at the German missions whether you need any vaccinations
• possibly an international driving license
• recent passport photographs (at least 6)

Entry and Residence Regulations

Foreign students wishing to enter the Federal Republic of Germany require a residence permit visa for educational purposes (= Aufenthaltserlaubnis in der Form des Sichtvermerks) issued by a diplomatic representation of the Federal Republic of Germany in the student’s country of origin and entered into the passport. This regulation does not apply to study applicants and students from EU countries and from countries with whom Germany has agreed different regulations, which currently applies to New Zealand.

When Arriving in Germany

When planning your journey you should try to ensure that you do not arrive at the weekend because banks and public administrative offices are closed from Friday afternoon until Monday morning. You should also make sure that you do not only have Euro banknotes in large denominations (100 and above) in your pocket as they might be difficult to change. The Exchange at the airport or main station is open in the evenings and at the weekend, too. Here you can change foreign currency and travellers’ cheques. Banks and savings banks open Monday to Friday from 8 to 4 and on Thursdays to 5.30 or 6.30. You are allowed to import as much German and foreign currency in which ever form you like, but you should enquire about currency regulations in your own country.

If you arrive by airplane or train it is advisable to take your luggage to the left luggage office or put it in a locker and make your way to the Foreign Student Office. Here you will get all the information you need for getting through the next few days.

The First Few Nights

If you arrive when the Foreign Student Office is closed (opening hours: usually Monday to Friday, from 9 to 12) and do not have anywhere to stay you should take a room in a hotel, guest-house or youth hostel for the first few days. Go to the Tourist Information Office which is usually in or near the station, airport or in the city centre. For a small fee, or even free of charge, they will provide you with a map of the town and a leaflet containing the main tourist attractions.

Prices in hotels and guest-houses vary from place to place. In exhibition centres like Frankfurt, Düsseldorf or Munich they are very high, and when exhibitions are running they are always fully-booked. As a rule you have to expect to pay 30 to 60 Euros for an overnight stay. A warning about telephoning: it might be vastly more expensive from a hotel phone! In Germany there are about 750 youth hostels which are well-run and clean. A night in a youth hostel will cost students up to the age of 27 from 8 to 20 Euros. With the exception of Bavaria, people over the age of 27 can stay in youth hostels, too, for a slightly higher price. You will need an International Youth Hostel Card which you can even get in Germany at the youth hostel itself. You can only stay at the same youth hostel for a limited period. Should it transpire that you do not have anywhere to stay on the first night you can turn to Student Services at your institution of higher education who might be able to organise emergency accommodation.

In order to help foreign students come to terms as they commence with their everyday student life, the Studentenwerk organisations have developed a Service Package.

Registering in Germany

The first few days in Germany probably will not be the ones you will look back on fondly later, as you will have to spend a great deal of time on formalities. If it is any consolation, it is the same for everybody. Unlike in New Zealand, it is compulsory to register with the local authorities. During the first ten days you have to register at the relevant Residents Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt or Buergeramt) and you will need your passport and visa (if applicable) to do so. If you do not have a permanent abode you will possibly have to give the address of the hotel. As soon as you do have somewhere permanent to live you have to inform the Residents Registration Office of your new address within a week. You should observe this deadline or you may incur a fine. In larger towns, where residential areas are sub-divided, the respective District Office (Bezirksamt) is responsible for registration. If you move within the same town during your stay you have to re-register with the local District Office or Residents Registration Office within a week. If you move somewhere else you have to give notice of your departure in your previous area and produce the notification of end of residence (Abmeldebescheinigung) at the Residents Registration Office in your new place of residence.

Anyone who does not have a German passport and intends to spend more than 3 months in Germany has to apply for a residence permit at the Foreign Residents Registration Authority responsible for his or her place of residence. A visa is merely a “temporary residence permit” (vorläufige Aufenthaltsgenehmigung). If you enter Germany without a visa you will also need a “temporary residence permit”. Your application will only be considered when you can produce the residents’s registration document (Anmeldebestätigung) from the Residents Registration Office. You will need your passport, 2 passport photographs, and either the certificate of registration, or the notification of admission, or the confirmation of application from the institution of higher education. On top of this, you must present proof of adequate financial resources showing that you will be able to support yourself financially during your stay in Germany; this might be the letter awarding you a scholarship, for example. At the present time you need about € 550 to € 750 per month. Regional disparities exist especially for rent prices between the western and the eastern part of Germany, the East being generally a little cheaper.

Last, but not least, you need health insurance cover, if you are not exempt from compulsory insurance. If you do not come from a country in the European Union and have only received the type of residence permit called an Aufenthaltsbewilligung you will have to be prepared for the Foreign Residents Registration Authority to make enquiries at your institution whether you are pursuing your studies seriously when you apply for an extension. Under certain circumstances residence permits may be withdrawn. You can get the address and opening hours of the Foreign Residents Registration Authority at the local municipal and communal authority (Stadt- und Gemeindeverwaltung). In larger towns it can usually be found together with the Residents Registration Office in the responsible District Office. If you move during your stay in Germany you will have to register with the new Foreign Residents Registration Authority, too.