Formalities and First Steps
Normally, enrollment should already be complete upon arrival. Here you will find a step-by-step guide to online enrollment after receiving your letter of admission.
If you have any problems with enrollment, please contact the Student Service Center on site or online.
You must be insured in order to enrol at a German university.
You must choose between private and statutory health insurance in Germany.
<30 years = statutory health insurance
>30 years = private health insurance
Further information can be found at: "Formalities"
Package offers
There are several companies that offer a combination of a blocked account (required for the residence permit) and health insurance cover for a service charge.
These solutions are generally accepted and frequently used.
Fintiba:
https://www.fintiba.com/
Expatrio:
https://www.expatrio.com/
Coracle:
https://www.coracle.de/
Mawista:
https://www.mawista.com/
After arriving in Germany, all students must register at the responsible registration office in the city in which they will live in the future no later than 14 days after their arrival in Germany. (If you do not receive an appointment in time, there are no consequences if you do not meet the 14-day deadline. However, you must "make a credible effort to obtain a prompt appointment").
Appointments can be booked online in Köthen and Dessau. You will find the respective link below.
Once you have successfully registered at your place of residence, you will receive your tax ID, which you will need, for example, to open a bank account.
Prerequisites are usually
- Certificate of residence according to § 19 of the Federal Registration Act (BMG) - from the landlord/student residence
- Alternatively, you can print out a form yourself and present it to the landlord for completion(please click here)
- Passport
Bernburg Residents' Registration Office
You can only register with a fixed address, a youth hostel or guesthouse/hotel do not count.
Schlossgartenstraße 16, 06406 Bernburg
Phone: 03471 659-0
Email: stadt@bernburg.de
Opening hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday: 09:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00
Wednesday and Friday: 09:00-12:00
Thursday: 09:00-12:00, 14:00-16:00
Friday: 09:00-12:00
Saturday: 09:00-12:00 (every first Saturday of the month)
PLEASE NOTE: There are no appointments at the Bernburg Residents' Registration Office. You take a number and wait.
Dessau Citizens' Office >>click here to make an appointment<<
Zerbster Straße 4, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Phone: 0340 204-1031
Email: buergeramt@dessau-rosslau.de
Opening hours:
Monday: 08.00 - 12.00 and 13.30 - 16.00
Tuesday and Thursday: 08.00 - 12.00 and 13.30 - 18.00
Wednesday and Friday: 08.00 - 12.00
Saturday*: 08.00 - 12.00 *Open only every 1st Saturday of the month for an appointment-free consultation day.
Residents' Registration Department Köthen >>Click here to make an appointment<<
Wallstraße 1-5, 06366 Köthen
Phone: 03496 425-205
Email: stadtverwaltung_koethen@koethen-stadt.de
Opening hours:
Monday: 9:00-12:00
Tuesday: 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00
Wednesday: 9:00-12:00
Thursday 9:00-10:00 and 14:00-17:00
Friday: 09:00-12:00
For urgent matters, auditions without prior appointment are possible on Tuesdays from 16:00 - 18:00 and Fridays from 10:00 to 12:00.
We recommend that you open a German bank account. You will need this account to transfer your tuition fees (re-registration for future semesters), your rent and your health insurance premiums etc. You can open a bank account at any German commercial bank. Your current account will then normally be linked to your blocked account. Through this link, you will receive your monthly installments from your blocked account and can pay your costs (rent, food, etc.).
As a rule, you will need to bring
- Passport
- Confirmation of registration from the residents' registration office
- Tax ID (you will receive this approximately one week after registering at the Residents' Registration Office. Make sure that your name is correctly affixed to the letterbox!)
- Fee for opening an account
Typical banks with branches and on-site service in almost all cities are
- Sparkasse
- Volksbank
- Commerzbank
Alternatively, you can also use an online bank. Among the most popular are:
If you have received a visa for Germany from your home country, you are entitled to stay in Germany until the expiration date. You must then submit an application for a residence permit to the Foreigners Registration Office in good time.
The application for your residence permit can take between 6 and 8 weeks. You should therefore submit the application as soon as possible after you have registered with the Residents' Registration Office, but no later than 8 weeks before the expiry date!
You can apply for your residence permit at the relevant Aliens' Registration Office here:
The following documents are required for the application:
- An application for your residence permit (complete and filled out!)
- Your current and valid passport (incl. visa sticker)
- 1 current, biometric photo (not older than 6 months!)
- Your certificate of enrollment from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
- Proof of existing health insurance cover (membership certificate from health insurance company)
- Proof that you have sufficient funds to live in Germany. Suitable documents are:
- Proof of a blocked account. For a residence permit for 12 months, you need proof of a blocked account of €11,904.00 (of which €992.00 is freely available as a monthly installment) or
- proof of a declaration of commitment according to
§ 68 Residence Act from the foreigners authority of the supporter (Please note: The supporter must either be a German citizen or have a settlement permit - in addition to proof of financial stability)
- Proof of a scholarship (pay attention to the duration)
The blocked account can or should be opened before the start of the trip, but may involve additional costs. It is best to use the package offers, see point 2.
Once all information and documents have been submitted, it will take at least three to four weeks to process and issue the electronic residence permit.
Important (!) If your visa expires and you have not yet received your residence permit (or a provisional certificate/fictitious certificate), you are staying in Germany illegally! You should therefore submit your application in good time.
The application form provided here is expressly intended only for the issuance or renewal of a residence permit within the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district and, therefore, for the university campus or the Köthen Foreigners’ Registration Office!!
- Application Form (PDF)
- Supplementary Documents (Landlord’s certificate, application guide/checklist, English translations of the relevant legal texts)
Please fill out the application form digitally! Then print it out and sign it. Send the application form to the address provided.
Important! Send it by certified mail with return receipt to provide proof to the Foreigners’ Registration Office that you have fulfilled your obligation to cooperate and that the documents have been received.
The photo you submit with the application MUST be a biometric photo! Furthermore, the photo must not be older than 6 months and, most importantly, must NOT BE ALTERED (e.g., by computer editing).
Remember to factor in the processing time for the application. So submit the application as early as possible! (For an initial application, it’s best to do so immediately after registering with the Residents’ Registration Office.)
05 b. Application form for Bernburg
The application form provided here is expressly only for issuing/extending the residence permit in the Bernburg/Salzlandkreis district and thus for the university location or the Bernburg Foreigners' Registration Office!!!
Please fill out the application form digitally! Then print it out and sign it. Then send the application form to the address given.
Important! Send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt in order to provide the immigration authority with proof that you have fulfilled your obligation to cooperate and that the documents have been received. Alternatively, you can present the proof in person at the immigration office.
The photo you submit with the application MUST be a biometric one! In addition, the photo must not be older than 6 months and above all NOT CHANGED (e.g. by processing on the computer).
Remember to factor in the processing time for the application. So submit the application as early as possible! (When applying for the first time, it is best to do so immediately after registering with the residents' registration office).
The Dessau Immigration Office has fully digitized the application process for the residence permit for study purposes (§16 b AufentG).
You only need to appear in person to give your fingerprints.
You follow the process step by step via an online system. You can upload the necessary proof/documents digitally.
Make sure that the scans of the documents are of sufficient quality. Do not use simple photographs of documents taken with your cell phone, but real scans!
IMPORTANT! The photo that you submit with the application MUST be a biometric photo! It must not be older than 6 months and above all it MUST NOT BE CHANGED (e.g. by editing on the computer).
Attention! Remember to allow for the processing time of the application. Submit your application as early as possible! (When applying for the first time, it is best to do so immediately after registering with the residents' registration office).
As a student from the EU, you can enter Germany without a visa and do not require a residence permit - a passport from your home country is sufficient.
However, you must prove within three months of entering the country that you entered and stayed here legally so that you can make use of your right to freedom of movement. This is done by registering with the relevant residents' registration office.
Germany has 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. Public service broadcasting ensures diversity of opinion (as it is politically and financially independent). The television programs (+ online media libraries) of Das Erste, ZDF, 3sat, MDR and the radio stations of Deutschlandradio, MDR aktuell, MDR Sachsen-Anhalt etc. offer you information and entertainment. They are financed by the broadcasting fee, which must be paid for every home.
After registering with the residents' registration office, you will receive a letter from the Beitragsservice after a while. You will be asked to register for the broadcasting fee. Enter your personal details. If required, you can also use a SEPA direct debit mandate to debit the fee.
Important! The contribution is compulsory for every home and not optional or dependent on whether you consume the media at all.
The monthly fee is currently €18.36. The payment date is the 15th of each three-month period.
Please note! The amount is charged per apartment! 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 costs must then be clarified individually and privately.
If you leave Germany permanently (e.g. return to your home country after successfully completing your studies), please not only deregister with the Residents' Registration Office, but also actively register with the Contribution Service with confirmation from the Residents' Registration Office. Otherwise you may incur debts that could be reclaimed if you return to Germany.
Further important information and answers can be found on the website of the Contribution Service.
- 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 of several hundred thousand euros are quickly incurred
You can find more information here:
The Welcome Compass is a multilingual guide for all newcomers to Dessau-Roßlau. Here you will find information on the following topics:
Basic rights, residence, money, housing, health, education, children and family, leisure, work, mobility, insurance, media, living together and religion, as well as support services.
The Welcome Compass was created as part of a cooperation with the Integration Office of the City of Dessau-Roßlau and St. Johannis GmbH and students of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.
You can obtain the Welcome Compass in the following languages:
English, German, Mandarin, Arabic and Farsi.
