• Name: Mr.

Karthik Prabu Elangovan

• Subject: M907 Cultural Studies
• Semester: Winter 2020/21
• Lecturer: Mrs. Katrin Josephine Wagner
• Course: M.Eng. Renewable Energy
Systems

Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 11/01/2021

 HEALTH ENROL FOR WORK
ACCOMMODATION SIM
INSURANCE LANGUAGE COURSE PERMIT

REGISTRATION UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE

BANK
OFFICE PERMIT
1. ACCOMMODATION
• Students either live in a student hall
of residence or in a private
accommodation.
• In contrast to other countries,
Universities in Germany, do not
automatically allocate rooms to
admitted students.
• Students are the one responsible for
finding their own accommodation.

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 2

 ACCOMMODATION
PRIVATE STUDENT HALL OF
ACCOMMODATION RESIDENCE
(€290 - €560) (€180 - €250)
• Offers available for wide variety • A room in Student Hall of Residence (Studentenwerk)
of empty rooms or furnished is probably the cheapest.
rooms.
• Rooms in shared apartment (WG) • Obtaining a room is not easy.
are often available. • RECOMMENDATION: Apply as soon as you receive
• Flat- mates share the cost of rent, your notification of admission from the German
telephone and internet. university.
• WEBSITES: • WEBSITES:
• https://www.wg-gesucht.de • https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-
• https://www.immobilienscout24.de germany/plan-your-studies/renting-a-room/
• https://www.ebay- • https://www.stw-thueringen.de/english/stw-
kleinanzeigen.de startseite.html
• https://www.swg-nordhausen.de

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 3

 2. REGISTRATION
• Register your address at the local authority
called Anmeldung within 2 weeks.
• When you do your Anmeldung in your local
Bürgeramt, you receive a registration
certificate (Anmeldebestätigung or
Meldebescheinigung) and a tax ID (Steuer-ID).

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:
• Valid passport or national ID
• Rental agreement from your
landlord (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung),
usually a signed rental contract
• Registration form, either called Meldeschein or
Anmeldung. These are only available in
German, so fill this out beforehand.
• Residency permit (for non-EU citizens)

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 4

3. GET A SIM

https://www.vodafone.de
https://www.o2online.de

https://www.telekom.com/en

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 5

4. BANK ACCOUNT

• For the payment of semester fee, rent,

utilities and to receive your salary if you
get hired for a part-time job.
BANKS:
• Savings and Cooperative Banks:
Sparkassen and Volksbanken.
• Other Banks: Deutsche Bank,
Commerzbank, Postbank and
HypoVereinsBank.
• Online and Mobile Banks: N26, DKB Cash,
1822direkt, O2 Banking, and Santander

Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival

11/01/2021 6
 • Duly completed application form.
• Your valid passport and current
German residence permit.
• Proof of registration/address.
• Initial deposit (the minimum
depends on the bank of your
choice)
• Proof of income/employment.
• Proof that you are a student (if
you’re opening a student account).

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 7

 5. HEALTH
INSURANCE
• In Germany, there are two types of health
insurances in Germany: (€100 - €190)
A. The compulsory health insurance (public
health insurance)
B. Private health insurance.
• Popular health insurance companies are
1. AOK: https://en.zuwanderer.aok.de/en
2. TK: https://www.tk.de/en
3. BARMER: https://www.barmer.de/en
4. BKK VBU: https://www.meine-
krankenkasse.de/en
5. DAK: https://www.dak.de/
6. IKK: https://www.ikk-classic.de/

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 8

 6. UNIVERSITY ENROLMENT
• To start your studies, enrol at the University Student Service Centre.
• Semester contribution: €200 - €500
• DOCUMENTS:
1. Proof of Identity - ID or Passport.
2. Previous Qualification
3. Letter of Admission.
4. Completed application for the thoska chip card.
5. Passport photo.
6. Proof of health insurance.
7. Proof of payment of the semester fee
• Semester Ticket

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 9

7. ENROL FOR GERMAN
LANGUAGE COURSE
• German language levels: A1, A2(A2.1,A2.2),
B1(B1.1,B1.2), B2, C1, C2. 4-8 weeks per level
• B1 is a minimum requirement.
• There are choices to decide: University’s Language
Centre or a Private language school.
• At language courses offered at University, modules are
normally free, but fixed and time consuming
• Private language school are not cheap. The fees
applied depends on the level and type of course.
(per Level: €200 - €2000)
• Learning German is a good opportunity to make new
friends and many unforgettable experiences.

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 10

 8. RESIDENCE PERMIT
• Entry visas for Germany are normally valid
for 3 months. For a longer-term, you must
reach the local immigration office and make
an appointment to apply for a Residence
permit before within this 3 months validity.
• Fees: up to €110, Extension: €100
• DOCUMENTS:
1. Passport or identity card
2. Confirmation of registration from the
relevant authorities.
3. Proof of health insurance
4. Two passport photos.
5. Certificate of student status with
expected duration of studies.
6. Proof of sufficient financial resources
11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 11
9. WORK PERMIT
For EU/EEA citizens - 20 hours/ week, treated in the same way as
German citizens during and after studies.
For Non-EU/EEA citizens - 120 full days or 240 half days
• Job as a student assistant or research assistant at the University is
not counted in the limit.
• One must notify the Alien Registration Office
• Tax- free: up to 450 Euro/month
• Good knowledge of the German language is recommended.
• After studies, one can extend their residence permit with required
documents for up to 18 months to find job related to their field.

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 12

REFERNCES
• Studying in Germany: https://www.studying-in-germany.org/first-things-
to-do-after-arriving-in-germany/ [Accessed 2nd December 2020]
• Hochschule Nordhausen: https://www.hs-
nordhausen.de/en/international/come-in/formalities/ [Accessed 2nd
December 2020]
• Hamburg.com: https://www.hamburg.com/welcome/entry-
residence/11709508/first-steps/ [Accessed 5th December 2020]
• Uni-Passau: https://www.uni-passau.de/en/welcome-centre/upon-
arrival/ [Accessed 5th December 2020]
• DAAD: https://www.daad-eastjerusalem.org/files/2018/03/Stuyding-in-
Germany-A-Practical-Guide-for-International-Students.pdf [Accessed
5th December 2020]

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 13

IMAGE SOURCE
• PP 0 & 1 Background: https://www.study.eu/country/germany [Accessed 2nd December 2020]
• Accommodation: https://www.hs-nordhausen.de/en/university/student-accomodation/ [Accessed 2nd December 2020]
• Rauthaus, Nordhausen : https://depositphotos.com/196690152/stock-photo-stadt-nordhausen-rathaus-city-hall.html
[Accessed 2nd December 2020]
• Deutsche Telekom: https://en.logodownload.org/deutsche-telekom-logo/ [Accessed 3rd December 2020]
• Vodafone logo: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/vodafone [Accessed 3rd December 2020]
• O2 logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:O2-Logo.svg [Accessed 3rd December 2020]
• N26 logo: https://p2pinvesting.eu/n26-review-my-experience-with-the-mobile-bank/ [Accessed 3rd December 2020]
• Sparkasse logo: https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-imser [Accessed 4th December 2020]
• Commerz bank logo: https://1000logos.net/commerzbank-logo/ [Accessed 4th December 2020]
• Deutsche bank logo: http://logok.org/deutsche-bank-logo/ [Accessed 5th December 2020]
• Health Insurance: https://plangermany.wordpress.com/health-insurance/ [Accessed 5th December 2020]
• University: https://free-apply.com/en/university/1027600127 [Accessed 5th December 2020]
• Work Permit: https://www.justlanded.com/english/Germany/Germany-Guide/Jobs/Work-permits [Accessed 5th
December 2020]

11/01/2021 Welcome to Germany: First steps after arrival 14