After your Arrival

Formalities and first Steps

• 1. Step - Enrolment at the University

  Normally, enrolment should be complete by the time you enter Germany. Here you will find step-by-step instructions on how to enrol online after receiving your letter of admission. If you have any problems with enrollment, please contact the Student Service Center on site or online. 

• 1 b. Health Insurance & Package Deals

   

  It is compulsory to be insured in order to enroll at a German university.

  You have to decide between private and public health insurance in Germany.

  <30 years = public health insurance

  >30 years = private health insurance

   

  For more information check out: "During your Studies"

   

  Package Deals
   

  There are several companies out there that offer a combination of blocked account (needed for residence permit) and health insurance cover in return for a service markup.

  These solutions are commonly accepted and widely used.

   

  Fintiba:

  https://www.fintiba.com/
   

  Expatrio:

  https://www.expatrio.com/
   

  Coracle:

  https://www.coracle.de/
   

  Mawista:

  https://www.mawista.com/

• 2. Step - Registration with the city

  Within 14 days after their arrival in Germany and before enrollment, all students must register with the registration office of the city they will live in in the future. (Should you not be able to obtain an appointment within those 14 days, you won't have to fear consequences. You should however, belieably demonstrate that you tried to obtain it.)

  In Köthen and Dessau, appointments can be booked online. You will find the corresponding link below.

  After successful registration at your place of residence, you will receive your tax ID, which you will need, for example, to open a bank account. 

  Usually the following papers will be required:

  • Landlord certificate according to § 19 of the Federal Registration Act (BMG) from the landlord/dormitory
     
  • alternatively, a form can be printed out yourself and submitted to the landlord to be filled out (click here)
     
  • Passport

  
  You only can register with a fixed address, a youth hostel or pension does not count.
  You will find contact details and opening hours of the registration authorities here.

   

  Registration Office Bernburg

  Schlossgartenstraße 16, 06406 Bernburg

  Telephone: 03471 6590
  Email: stadt@bernburg.de

  Opening Hours:

  Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 09:00-12:00
  Tuesday: 09:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00
  Thursday: 09:00-12:00, 14:00-16:00

   

  City Registration Dessau >>Click here to make an appointment<<

   

  Zerbster Straße 4, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau

  Telephone: 0340 204-1031

  Email: buergeramt@dessau-rosslau.de
  
  Opening Hours:
  Monday: 08.00 - 12.00 und 13.30 - 16.00
  Tuesday and Thursday: 08.00 - 12.00 und 13.30 - 18.00
  Wednesday and Friday: 08.00 - 12.00
  Saturday*: 08.00 - 12.00 *Every 1st Saturday in a month (without appointment)

   

  City Registration Köthen >>Click here to make an appointment<<

   

  Wallstraße 1-5, 06366 Köthen

  Telephone: 03496 425205

  Email: stadtverwaltung_koethen@koethen-stadt.de

  Opening Hours:

  Monday 9:00-12:00
  Tuesday 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-18:00
  Wednesday -closed
  Thursday 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00
  Friday -closed and by appointment only

   

• 3. Step- German bank account

  It is recommendable to open a German bank account. It will be needed quite often: to transfer the tuition ("reporting back" - in future semesters), the rent, the health insurance contribution, etc. You can open a bank account at any German commercial bank. Please ask if the bank charges fees for opening or maintaining the account or issuing a debit card.

   

  Usually the following papers will be required:

  • Passport
     
  • Certificate of registration issued by the city registration
     
  • Tax-ID (which you will receive approx. 1 week after the city registration. Make sure the mailbox at your residency is properly labelled.)
     
  • Charge for account opening
• 4. Step- Residence permit (from non-EU countries)

  If you have received your visa for Germany from your home country, you are entitled to stay in Germany for 90 days (3 months). You must then submit an application for a residence permit to the immigration office within this 90 days.
  
  The application for the residence permit can take up to 4 weeks, sometimes 6 weeks. Therefore submit your documents as soon as possible after you have registered yourself in the city.
  
  If you can not submit everything in time, contact the immigration office immediately and inform them. Submit the application for residence permit to the respective immigration office:

  
  Bernburg, Dessau, Köthen

  
  When you have registered with the Foreigners Registration Office, you will receive a certificate of residence (certificate of freedom of movement / residence card).
  Within 3 months of entry you must prove that your entry and residence are legal and that you can take advantage of the right of free movement.
  For the application you must submit:

  •     The completed application for a residence permit
     
  •     Your current and valid passport
     
  •     1 current biometric photo (this must not be older than 6 months)
     
  •     The certificate of enrollment from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
     
  •      Proof of existing health insurance coverage (for example European Health Insurance Card)
     
  •      A statement proving that you possess the necessary financial means to financially support  yourself during your stay in Germany
     

  Possible options for that are:

  1. Proof of a blocked account. For a 12-month visa you need to provide 11208€ in the account (! starting from Winter Semester 2022/23 !), of which 934€ are at your free disposal every month.)
     
     or
      
  2. Proof of a declaration of obligation in accordance with §68 Auftenthaltsgesetz, issued by a foreigners office
      

  The opening of the blocked account should be processed before entering the country and may include additional cost. allyWays -for example offers an affordable 3-in-1-package consisting of blocked account, health insurance and travel insurance.

  
  Your entry visa is valid for a maximum of three months. For the duration of your study stay in Germany, you must apply for a residence permit at the Foreigners Immigration Office.
  
  If all the information and documents are available, the processing and issuing of the electronic residence permit take at least 3-4 weeks. Please keep that in mind when you receive your entry visa.
  
  If your visa expires and your residence permit has not yet been issued, you are staying in Germany illegally. Therefore please apply for a residence permit not later than 14 days after your arrival in Germany.

   

  
  Foreigners Office Bernburg

  Friedensallee 25, 06406 Bernburg

  Tel: +49 3471 6841316

  Opening Hours:

  Tuesday: 09:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00

  Thursday: 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00

  Friday: 09:00-12:00

  Website

   

  Foreigners Office Dessau

  Zerbster Straße 4, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau

  Tel: +49 340 204 2033

  Opening Hours:

  Tuesday: 08:00-12:00 and 13:30-17:30

  Thursday: 08:00-12:00 and 13:30-15:30

  Website

   

  Foreigners Office Köthen

  Am Flugplatz 1, 06366 Köthen

  Tel: Reception: 03496 601521; +49 3496 601513, -1514, -1509

  Opening Hours:

  PLEASE NOTE: Students on an Appointment-Basis only

  Tuesday: 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-18:00

  Thursday: 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00

  Friday: 09:00-12:00

  Website

  
   
  Fees

  Costs of applying for a residence permit:
  
  Application for residence permit: 100 €
  
  Extension of the residence permit: 96 €
  
  Cash only.
  
  
  Exceptions
  
  If you are a recipient of a scholarship from public funds then these fees are eliminated. You must show the scholarship certificate. Please contact the immigration office to make sure that this exemption applies to you.

• 4 a. Residence permit- form (!Köthen!)

  The provided form is explicitly only intended for the application/extension of your residence permit within the jurisdiction of the District of Anhalt-Bitterfeld/City of Köthen. It therefore only applies to students living in that area or the city of Köthen!!

  • Application Form (PDF)
     

  • Supporting Documents (Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung (landlord confirmation, checklist, English translation of relevant laws)
     

  Please fill in the form digitally, print and sign it, then send it via post to the mentioned address.

  (Important! Use a registered letter with a return receipt ("Einschreiben mit Rückschein"), so that you have proof that you actually submitted your documents and they arrived at the foreigner's office.)

  IMPORTANT! The photo you submit with the application MUST be a biometric photo! It must not be older than 6 months and, above all, it must NOT have been altered (e.g. by computer processing).

  Attention! Factor in the processing time of your application. Therefore submit it as soon as possible! (For a first time application as soon as possible after you have registered yourself in the city.)

   

• 4 b. Residence permit-form (!Bernburg!)

   

  The provided form is explicitly only intended for the application/extension of your residence permit within the jurisdiction of the District of Bernburg/Salzlandkreis. It therefore only applies to students living in that area or the city of Bernburg!!

  • Application Form (PDF)
     

   

  Please fill in the form digitally, print and sign it, then send it via post to the mentioned address.

  (Important! Use a registered letter with a return receipt ("Einschreiben mit Rückschein"), so that you have proof that you actually submitted your documents and they arrived at the foreigner's office.) Alternatively, submit it during a personal appointment at the foreigners office.

  IMPORTANT! The photo you submit with the application MUST be a biometric photo! It must not be older than 6 months and, above all, it must NOT have been altered (e.g. by computer processing).

  Attention! Factor in the processing time of your application. Therefore submitit as soon as possible! (For a first time application as soon as possible after you have registered yourself in the city.)

   

   

• 4 c. Residence APPLICATION ONLINE (!Dessau!)

  The Dessau Immigration Office has fully digitalised the application process for a residence permit for study purposes (§16 b AufentG).
  You only need to appear in person to submit your fingerprints.

  You follow the process step by step via an online system. You can upload the necessary proof/documents digitally during the process.

  Make sure that the scans of the documents are of sufficient quality. Do not use simple photographs of documents taken with your mobile phone, but real scans!

  
  >> CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE APPLICATION <<

  
  Attention!

  IMPORTANT! The photo you submit with the application MUST be a biometric photo! It must not be older than 6 months and, above all, it must NOT have been altered (e.g. by computer processing).

  Factor in the processing time of your application. Therefore submit it as soon as possible! (For a first time application as soon as possible after you have registered yourself in the city.)

   

• 4 d. Freedom of movement (EU-citizens)

  As a student from the EU, you can enter Germany without a visa and you don't need a residence permit - an ID-card from your home country is sufficient.

  Nonetheless, within 3 months of entry you must prove that your entry and residence are legal and that you can take advantage of the right of free movement.
  For the application you must submit:

  •         The completed application for a residence permit
  •         Your current and valid passport
  •         1 current biometric photo (this must not be older than 6 months)
  •         The certificate of enrollment from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
  •         A bank statement proving that you have enough money to live in Germany
  •         Proof of existing health insurance coverage (for example European Health Insurance Card)

  Submit the application to the respective immigration office.

• 5. Step- The Broadcasting Fee- Mandatory!

  In Germany there is a very large media offering in the form of newspapers, radio and television stations as well as online offerings.
  
  Radio and television stations are divided into public and private broadcasters. According to the Basic Law, public broadcasting ensures diversity of opinion. The television programmes (+online media libraries) of Das Erste, ZDF, 3sat, MDR and the radio stations of Deutschlandradio, mdr aktuell, mdr Sachsen-Anhalt etc. provide information and entertainment.
  
  They are financed by the broadcasting fee, which must be paid for every home.
  
  A) After registering at the Residents' Registration Office, you will receive a letter from the Contribution Service after some time. There you will be asked to register for the broadcasting contribution. Enter your personal details. If necessary, you can also arrange a SEPA direct debit mandate to debit the contribution.
   

  B) Important! The contribution is compulsory for every home/aparment and not optional or dependent on whether you consume the media at all.

  
  C) The monthly amount is currently 18,36€. The payment date is the 15th of each three-month period.
  
  
  D) Attention! The amount is charged per flat! This means, that if you live in a shared flat, only one resident has to register for the broadcasting fee. The other flatmates can also register under the main contribution number. The sharing of the costs must then be agreed upon individually/privately.
  
  
  E) If you leave Germany permanently (e.g. return to your home country after successfully completing your studies), please do not only deregister with the Residents' Registration Office, but also actively register with the Contribution Service with the confirmation of the Residents' Registration Office. Otherwise, debts could accumulate which could be claimed back when you re-enter Germany.
  
  
  All important information and answers can be found on the Public Broadcasting Services' website:

  >>> To The Contribution Serivces <<<

   

• 6. Personal Liability Insurance-Highly Recommended
  • Most common type of private insurance in Germany - not compulsory, but highly recommended
     
  • Covers situations in which the insured person has caused personal injury, property damage or financial loss to a third party
     
  • You accidentally hit a pedestrian while cycling?
     
  • Your home burns down due to a short circuit and the building is damaged by the fire and extinguishing water?
     
  • You lose control of your suitcase in front of a moving bus and cause an accident in which several people are injured and the bus is damaged.'

  
  -> Costs amounting to several hundred thousand euros can quickly arise
  
  >>Here you will find everything you need to know about liability insurance & a comparison of providers<<
  
   

• Welcome Guide (for Dessau)

  'Welcome Guides' demonstrate intercultural openess

  More than half of the students on the Dessau campus have an international background. It is therefore not surprising that this is also where international students are engaged in supporting other people from abroad who are coming to stay and study in Dessau. 

  In cooperation with the Integration Bureau of the city of Dessau-Roßlau as well as the St. Johannis GmbH, the students of the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences subsequently researched and designed the so-called 'Willkommenskompass' (Welcome Guide), which is essentially a multi-lingual guide for people who are new to Dessau-Roßlau. 

  The guide features guidance and advice for everyday life in the city as well as establishes an overview of the various support services and institutions the city has to offer.

  The Willkommenskompass is already available in four languages and is scheduled to get translated into even more languages.

  To download the guide please click here.