Registration | Education in Germany
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First steps as a student: Registration 

This is a right article for you if you already have secured an admission in one of Germany's educational institutes and have a valid visa. This article will help to understand which all registrations you will have to do once you arrive in Germany. The article tries to cover all the major registrations and will guide you through  

  1. Where to register 

  2. required documents  

  3. what to expect after each registration. 

 

Read the article carefully and gather all documents from the following list which you can bring from your home country. All other information and necessary documents can be then collected in Germany upon your arrival. 

Accommodation 

Where to search ?

Documents you need from your house owner

  1. Friends, Senior students 

  2. WG-GESUCHT Website (Link) 

  3. Immobilien Scout Website (Link) 

  4. Facebook Groups 

  5. University Course coordinator 

  1. Wohnunggebersbescheinigung

  2. Rental Agreement 

City Registration (City registration office) Stadtamt Adresse anmeldung 

Where to do registration? 

  1. Search for city office in Google 

  2. Example for Aachen city 

Which Documents you will need ?

  1. Passport  

  2. Wohnunggebersbescheinigung signed by your owner 

  3. Rental agreement 

What you will receive ?

  1. Registration copy  

Health Insurance Registration Mandatory

Where to do registration ?

  1. Select which insurance you want to take (link for information) 

  2. Do it directly in insurance office (search on internet) 

  3. Public, TK, Private, AOK 

Which Documents you will need ?

  1. Passport 

  2. City registration document/ current address 

  3. If student, enrolment certificate 

  4. Photo 

  5. Bank account details, for automatic money deduction 

What you will receive ?

  1. Letter confirming your registration 

  2. After some time, a health insurance card 

University Registration

Which documents will you need ?

  1. Admission letter 

  2. Original application documents submitted while applying for the university 

  3. Passport 

  4. Photos 

What you will receive ?

  1. University Enrolment certificate 

  2. University ID card (may be after payment) 

Bank account opening 

Where to do registration ?

  1. Select a bank, where you want to have an account, Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse Bank etc. 

  2. If you already have a blocked account, then go to the same bank to unblock that account 

  3. Select your account carefully as account maintenance charges will vary accordingly  

Which documents will you need to open an account ?

  1. Passport with valid visa 

  2. Address proof 

  3. Unblocking your account 

  • City registration document / address 

  • Passport with valid visa 

  • Enrolment certificate 

  • Block account confirmation letter with account details 

  • Additional documents varies according to each bank 

What you will receive ?

  1. Account details with IBAN 

  2. Debit card 

  3. Online banking details 

  4. TAN Generator machine (if required), Photo tan device registration document 

  5. Monthly account statements (may have an additional charges) 

First Semester Fees 

There is a difference between semester fees and tuition fees. All universities and applied science universities have semester fees to take care of daily expenses and semester tickets. Only some universities and for courses, there is also an additional fees called tuition fees. This is becoming quite common to have  tuition fees for courses which are taught in English language. 

What will you receive after paying your fees ?

  1. University ID card 

  2. Semester ticket to travel with regional transport services (doesn't include ICE and IC trains) 

  3. Official E-Mail address and IT services  

  • Generally Microsoft Office license is given with student account 

  • Official student E-mail address also comes with cloud storage capacity. 

  •  

   4. Wi-Fi access to Eduroam 

  •  This gives you access to Wi-Fi of all universities in   Germany / Europe 

   5. And obivously right to study and give exams for that     semester 

Visa Extension 

Generally when students come first time to Germany, they are given a visa with short period (3-6 months). 

Once the registrations with city office, university, bank, health insurance are completed within first month, it is advised to do this step in the second month to have all the important documents. 

 

This visa application is mandatory as it allows students to get a student visa which is given for a longer duration of time (1 year to 2.5 years). 

Where to do registration ?

  1. Search on the internet with office name: Ausländerbehörde, Ausländeramt 

  2. This office deals with all visa related activities for foreign nationals 

  3. Take an appointment before 3-4 weeks 

Which documents will you need ?

  1. Passport with valid initial visa 

  2. Extension of a visa and conversion to student visa 

  3. Visa application form and following documents are required: 

    • Enrolment certificate 

    • Health insurance registration certificate 

    • Proof of funding - blocked account amount €853/ month, €10236/ year 

    • Biometric Passport Photograph 

    • Passport with existing visa 

    • Application fees €100 

  4. For more details, please refer the official website and check the latest information (website link) 

What you will receive ?

  1. Student visa for a longer duration  

  2. Resident permit card showing your visa status 

  3. Sometimes an additional green coloured document (Zusatzblatt) which has some additional information regarding your visa. 

  4. After you receive residence permit card, it is no longer necessary to carry your passport within Germany provided that you have resident permit card with you. 

Important Documents/ Numbers 

In Germany, you will receive more number of letters compared to your home country. Even though you have to open every letter and read it carefully as some important information may slip if you don't read. 

 

There are some important identification numbers that you will always need in your stay. So, please record these numbers once you receive through a letter. 

  1. Sozialversicherungsnummer: Official letter from Deutscherentenversicherung 

  • Or Get it from health insurance provider: TK 

  • This number will used for every job application and official work purpose. It translates to social security number in English.

    2. Steurnummer:  

  • This is your tax number 

  • You will receive this number from Finanzamt: Financial department

    3. Resident Permit 

  • Please keep a scan copy of this document 

  • Sometimes you will receive an additional document with your resident permit which states additional information related to your visa. 

So, in this article, we tried to summarize all the initial registration processes that you will have to do once you come to Germany mainly for your education. German bureaucratic work can take sometimes more time than it takes in your home country, Try to keep record of all your letters and keep scan copies of your original document in the cloud safe. 

 

We hope this helps you in your initial days and makes this long process somewhat easier. 

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