International Students

• Within 14 days after your entry, you have to register at the local residents’ registration office (“Einwohnermeldeamt”) for your place of residence.

• For registering or changing your address, you will need a “Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung” (i.e. housing provider confirmation), which must be filled out by your landlord.
• If you do not have an accommodation so far, the residents’ registration and the immigration office also accept a “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung” from hotels or hostels, for a short period of time.

Please be aware:  Without accommodation, no registration at the residents' registration office; without registration, no appointment at the immigration office; without an appointment at the immigration office, no residence permit; without a residence permit, no work permit.

You can find more information about each topic below or on the on the  website of the Darmstadt Immigration Office.

• You have to pay the semester fee before enrolling. (Therefore, please consider the semester dates and re-registration deadlines of your university).
• You can either deposit the amount at a bank (subject to a fee) or transfer it from a bank account.
• Do not transfer money from your home country, as it can be expensive and often takes a long time.

• You need to open a German bank account (“Girokonto”) to transfer the semester fee and set up a blocked account.
• Many banks offer free accounts for students.
• Attention:
  • Overdrawing your current account often results in high fees.
  • Withdrawing money at ATMs, which do not belong to your bank, often costs a fee of several Euros.
  • If banks offer overdraft credit, they often have very high interest rates.
• ATMs (withdrawing  cash): Make sure to check beforehand where you can withdraw cash from your bank.
• To open a bank account, you need the following documents: passport, enrolment certificate, registration confirmation (you will get this at the residents’ registration).
• For regular payments (e.g., rent, health insurance contributions, phone bills, etc.), it is recommended to set up a standing order or to authorize a direct debit.

• A valid health insurance is a prerequisite for enrolment!
• There are statutory and private health insurances.
• A statutory health insurance is recommended. Usually this costs about 140 € per month (for students under 30 years old).
• Attention: Private health insurances do not always cover all medical services and may not be accepted by the immigration office. Additionally, medical services and medications often need to be paid in advance. The German National Association for Student Affairs (Deutsches Studierendenwerk) has made a framework agreement with UNION Insurance Services for students who cannot be insured with statutory health insurances. More information can be found here.

Register at the residents’ registration office (“Einwohnermeldeamt”) as soon as possible. Only then will the immigration office (“Ausländerbehörde”) be informed that you have arrived in Germany.

• Before your entry visa expires, you must apply for a residence permit for study purpose at the immigration office. If you entered without a visa, you must apply for a residence permit within 90 days of your arrival.

• The following groups offer to send a person with you, who can translate for you:
  • TUtor International's Accompanying Service
  • ITT - Intercultural Tutors Team
  • TU Welcome and Housing Services

The Immigration Office/Foreigners Office/Foreigners' Registration Office (German: “Ausländerbehörde”) is currently experiencing delays in processing applications to extend residence permits.

Therefore, we would like to inform you about the temporary solution and its legal requirements. It is important that you have applied for an extension in time before your residence title expires and that you can prove this.

What is necessary for this?

In order to maintain the validity of the residence permit (fiction effect), it is important to apply for the extension of the residence permit informally: by e-mail or by mail. In this e-mail/letter please indicate your passport number and date of birth and ask to send the application and the list of documents for the extension to your current address.

If you have applied for an extension of your residence permit in time, it will automaticlly be given a fictitious status (§81 Paragraph 4 of the Residence Act) until a decision on the extension has taken place. This is also confirmed by the Immigration Office on its website: https://digitales-rathaus.darmstadt.de/kategorien/dienstleistungen/informationen-fuer-arbeitgebende, point "Erwerbstätigkeit abgelaufenen Fiktionsbescheinigungen nach § 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG").

You should receive a certificate of fiction by mail (can take a few weeks). After that you will have to wait until you receive the form and the list of documents from the Immigration Office (you are welcome to prepare everything in advance, e.g. proof of financing, enrolment certificate, proof of insurance, etc.). You will get an appointment only after you have submitted the documents and they have been checked. Then the fee can be paid and you will receive the appointment to order your residence card.

If you have any further questions, please contact our Social Counselling service.

The following formulations are unfortunately very bureaucratic, as they must be legally valid. If you have any questions, please contact our Social Counselling Service or the International Office at your university.

With the on-time submission of a request for renewal of the residence permit (e.g. in the form of an e-mail in which students apply for the extension of their residence title) and the automatic response (E-Mail reply) received to it, the fiction effect according to § 81 Para. 3 p. 1 (permission fiction) or para. 4 (continuation fiction) AufenthG comes into effect by operation of law in the case of a previous legal residence as well as the timely application (before the expiry of the residence title or within 90 days after legal entry into the Federal territory) for the granting/extension of a residence permit.

In the case of continued validity of the previous residence permit, the residence permit that has then mostly expired with its period of validity continues to apply with all its legal effects and permissions until the decision of the foreigners authority. Students can be hired or employment contracts extended on this basis, provided that the previous residence title indicates that the student is permitted to work. To this end, it is necessary to check the ancillary provisions of the submitted fictitious certificate or residence title as well as the timely submission of the application.

The legal basis for this is the §81 Residence Act, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/aufenthg_2004/__81.html.

Before coming to Germany: You should make sure that your living expenses are financed. You must provide proof of this for the residence permit (§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 of the Residence Act).

Possibilities of proving:

• Blocked Account: Set up a special account where an amount is deposited that corresponds to at least 12 times the maximum monthly “BAföG” funding rate. From this account, you are allowed to withdraw a fixed amount each month.
• “Bürgschaft” (i.e. surety): Irrevocable guarantee at a German bank.
• “Verpflichtungserklärung” (i.e. declaration of commitment):
  • From a person residing in Germany (§ 68 of the Residence Act).
  • From a person residing abroad through a German diplomatic mission (e.g. embassy).
• Scholarship: Proof of monthly financial support in the amount of the maximum “BAföG” rate.

Be aware:

If you don't have a German bank account yet, you should bring enough cash for the first few months, as card payments are not accepted everywhere. Bank transfers from abroad often take a long time and are usually associated with high fees. Be sure to ask for a receipt for all important cash payments.

For non-EU students:

• You have a limited work permit in Germany, which is not intended to finance your studies. You are only allowed to work once your visa allows it.
• The basic financing for your studies must be secured before you enter the country, as this proof is regularly required when renewing your residence permit.
• You generally do not have the right to state funding.
• Information regarding financing can be found at  comeTOgether or  Link collection study financing.
• Additionally, you can get advice from our  Social Counselling or the  Service Point of Student Financing department.

For German and European students:
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