Setu

After you land

Living in Germany

The first weeks decide a lot. Do things in this order and keep every letter you receive.

Explain a German letter

Photo or paste — deadlines, amounts and words explained, privately.

City guides

Indian groceries, temples, pharmacies and more around your city.

Connect with seniors

Official buddy programmes and safe ways to meet students.

Is this flat a scam?

Check a listing against the most common red flags before you pay.

Work-days tracker

Count your days against the 140-day limit of your permit.

Find a part-time job

Working-student jobs and minijobs from the official job board.

Your first weeks

Arrival line

S2

Next stop: Get a SIM card

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  1. Week 1

    Get a SIM card

    You need a German number for appointments and banking.

  2. Anmeldung (address registration)

    Within 2 weeks of moving in, at the Bürgeramt. Bring passport + landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).

  3. Weeks 1–2

    Complete enrolment at your university

    Pay the semester contribution; you get your student ID and semester ticket.

  4. Activate health insurance

    Your university needs proof of insurance for enrolment.

  5. Open a German bank account

    Needed for rent, salary and blocked-account payouts.

  6. Weeks 2–4

    Activate blocked-account payouts

    Send your provider the documents they ask for (often address registration).

  7. Receive your tax ID (Steuer-ID)

    Arrives by post a few weeks after Anmeldung. Employers need it.

  8. Before your visa ends

    Residence permit appointment

    Book with your local foreigners' office (Ausländerbehörde) well before your visa expires.

  9. Broadcasting fee letter (Rundfunkbeitrag)

    Every flat pays it once — if you share a flat, agree who pays. Don't ignore these letters.

Rules you must know

How much you may work as a student

Your student residence permit allows work of up to 140 full working days per year. Jobs as a student assistant at your university (studentische Nebentätigkeit) don't count towards this limit.

  • Part-time work is counted in whichever of two ways is better for you, decided separately for each calendar week:
  • Method 1 (by day): a day with up to 4 hours of work counts as half a working day, a longer day as a full working day.
  • Method 2 (by week): a calendar week counts as 2.5 working days — during the lecture period only if you work up to 20 hours that week; outside the lecture period regardless of how the hours are spread.
  • Breaking the limit can put your residence permit at risk. Use our work-days tracker.
Source:§ 16b Residence Act (AufenthG) – studies· checked 9 Oct 2026

Register your address within 2 weeks

Anyone who moves into a flat in Germany must register (Anmeldung) at the local registration office within two weeks of moving in. You need a landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).

  • Ask any landlord before paying: "Ist Anmeldung möglich?" (Can I register at this address?). If the answer is no, you can't get your tax ID, bank account and residence permit easily.
  • Appointments in big cities are scarce — book as soon as you have your address.
Source:§ 17 Federal Registration Act (BMG)· checked 9 Oct 2026

Student public health insurance: age limit 30

Compulsory statutory health insurance at the student rate applies at most until you complete your 30th year of life. If you start your Master's close to or after 30, ask a public insurer about your options before you choose.

Source:§ 5 Social Code Book V (SGB V)· checked 9 Oct 2026

"Endgültig nicht bestanden" — failing an exam for good

Failed exams can be repeated, but only a limited number of times or within a deadline set by your exam regulations (Prüfungsordnung). If you fail for good, you are exmatriculated and — at least under Bremen's rules — cannot enrol in the same or an equivalent programme at any university in Germany.

  • Example: at the University of Bremen, failed module exams can be repeated within four semesters.
  • Rules differ by state and by programme. Read your own Prüfungsordnung in your first semester and ask the exam office (Prüfungsamt) if anything is unclear.
  • Losing your study place also affects your residence permit — get advice early if you are struggling.
Source:University of Bremen – definitively failed (endgültig nicht bestanden)· checked 9 Oct 2026· re-checked automatically 19 Oct 2026

Emergency and help

Source:TelefonSeelsorge· checked 9 Oct 2026