Or­gan­isa­tion and form­al­it­ies

In principle, anyone who is a citizen from a non-EU country is obliged to obtain a visa for Germany. Here (opens in a new window)is a list of the countries whose nationals will require a visa.

As soon as you have received your letter of acceptance from the HNU, you should start the application process for your visa. This process can take several weeks.

We recommend that you apply for a visa for the entire period of your stay in Germany. The actual period of time is at the embassy's discretion. Your visa should be a "national student visa, category D". (A tourist visa is not enough!).

Please note that, as a rule, you will have to prove financial means for the entire stay when applying for a visa. Therefore, please consider in advance whether you can afford studying in Germany.

If your study programme includes an exchange semester in a third country - which is especially the case for the our Master's programmes taught in English - then you should include this in your visa application. You need to contact the relevant embassy of the third country to apply for a visa for your exchange semester. Whether a visa is approved in advance is at the discretion of the respective embassy.If you receive a visa in advance, will be at the embassy's discretion.

If you don't receive a visa in advance, please contact the embassy of the destination country as soon as possible in Germany.

Visa for Argentina in Frankfurt: Frankfurt Consulate General of the Republic Argentina (opens in a new window), Eschersheimer Landstr. 19-21, 60322 Frankfurt, Tel.: 0049 69 97200310, Email: cfran@cancilleria.gob.ar. Visa application here. (opens in a new window)

Visa for Great Britain in Munich: British Consulate General Munich (opens in a new window), Möhlstraße 5, 81675 Munich, Tel. 0049 89 211090. Visa application here (opens in a new window).

Visa for Finland in Berlin: Embassy of Finland (opens in a new window), Rauchstr. 1, 10787 Berlin, Tel. 0049 30 5050 30, E-Mail: info.berlin[at]formin.fi, Office Hours: Mo-Fr 9-12 Uhr or by appointment. Visa application here (opens in a new window).

You need certification of valid health insurance for your enrolment at the HNU and for your residence permit.

• You can try to have your health insurance from you home country recognized by a German health insurance provider by sending a scan of your own insurance (in English or German) to them. You will find contact persons of several public health insurance providers below.
• As a student from EU countries, you should get the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) from your respective insurance company. With this proof you can get an exemption from the compulsory health insurance at any public health insurance in Germany.

If you apply for student health insurance cover with a German health insurance company, the monthly health insurance contribution is about 125 €.

If you are going abroad to a third country for one semester and then returning to Germany, you should deactivate your German health insurance in the meantime.

Public health insurance providers

There are various public health insurance providers in Ulm and Neu-Ulm. You can freely select any health insurance.

Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse Günzburg (AOK), Link (opens in a new window) (only in German)

contact person: Mr. Moritz Ebner, Jahnstraße 6, 89312 Günzburg
Tel. +49 (0)8221 94-369, moritz.ebner[at]by.aok[dot]de

Barmer, Link (opens in a new window)

contact person: Ms Nicola Schütz, Eserwallstr. 1, 86150 Augsburg, Tel.: +49 (0) 151/18234044, nicola.schuetz[at]barmer[dot]de

Deutsche Angestellten Krankenkasse (DAK), Link (opens in a new window) (only in German!)

contact person: Ms. Maike Müller, Bahnhofstraße 17, 89073 Ulm, Tel. +49 (0)7541/374092106, maike.mueller[at]dak[dot]de

Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), Link (opens in a new window)

contact person: Mr. Michèl Jaquet, Hirschstraße 21, 89073 Ulm, Tel. +49 (0)151 14534978, michel.jaquet[at]tk[dot]de

You can live in Neu-Ulm as well as in Ulm. As parts of a twincity, Neu-Ulm and Ulm are close to each other and are only separated by the river Danube. Please note that different authorities (e.g. for registering your seat of residence or extending your visa) are responsible depending on whether you live in Neu-Ulm or Ulm.

You have to organise your accommodation yourself. There is a big shortage of rooms in many cities in Germany. It is therefore worthwhile to start looking for accommodation as soon as possible and to prepare your application (opens in a new window)for a room properly.

You have the following options:

• Apply for the student residences of the Student Services Organization  Augsburg. (Studentenwerk Augsburg) (Here you can apply directly online for affordable rooms in the student residences Heinz-Rühmann-Straße and Wiley near the university
• Apply for a private residence, see link list
• Look for a private apartment or a shared flat (German: Wohngemeinschaft = WG), see link list
• Stay in a hotel, hostel or youth hostel (e.g. the Brick Stone Hostel Neu-Ulm or in a hotel with apartments, e.g. the Orange Hotel) for a transitional period

There are also operators of larger private dormitories at higher prices, such as iLive (opens in a new window) and Uni Apart (opens in a new window), which have more specific requirements for the conclusion of a lease. With iLive, it should be noted that a proof of private liability insurance and a tenant self-disclosure form must be provided. For Uni Apart, you also need proof of liability insurance and a third person with joint liability insurance with registered residence in Germany. Therefore, Uni Apart is often not an option for international students unless you have relatives or friends in Germany who vouch for you.

If you are going to study at the HNU, it is helpful to inform yourself about study life in Germany before arriving. The course "How to Study in Germany" (opens in a new window) introduces you to a number of vital topics, you will encounter in your everyday life in Germany, such as finding an accommodation, learning strategies, communication on campus or cooperation with German students.  As you will learn about other international students' motivations to study in Germany, this will help you reflect your own expectations.

1. Register your seat of residence with the city administration (Citizens Service) within the first 14 days after entry
2. Apply for a residence permit if necessary
3. Open a German bank account
4. Take out health insurance (if you did not have to do this in advance)
5. Sign up for a German course at the HNU

You should also find out in good time whether the HNU offers information and orientation events for your course of study before the official start of the semester.

If you intend to stay in Germany longer than 3 months, then you must register your address within the first 14 days after your arrival in Germany. Registration takes place at the town administration office either in Neu-Ulm Citizens' Information Office (German:Bürgerbüro Neu-Ulm) or in Ulm's Citizens'Information Office (opens in a new window).

For your registration, you will need

• your ID or passport,
• confirmation from the landlady or landlord renting a flat/apartment (German: Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).

If you intend to stay in Germany for less than three months, you cannot register your address at the Citizens' Information Office. If you require an official certificate of residence, please speak to your landlord or landlady, or to the housing administration of where you live or to the hotel reception, and ask for a special registration certificate (German: besonderer Meldeschein).

The certificate of residence is an important document to apply for your residence permit. After you have registered at the Citizens' Information Office, you will also receive a request to pay the licence fee. (opens in a new window)  For this, make sure that your name is visible on the mailbox.

Only if your visa does not cover the entire length of your stay in Germany, you will need to apply to extend it and apply for a residence permit.

The foreigners' authority at Landratsamt Neu-Ulm or at Bürgerdienste Ulm (opens in a new window) is your contact in this matter. You need to wait two to three weeks from your registration at the city until your extension of visa and application for a residence permit, as your data need to be transmitted in the meantime.

You need to submit the following documents

•  registration confirmation from the city
•  passport or ID
•  enrolment certificate from the HNU
•  health insurance proof or document ‘exemption from German health insurance’
• 2 biometrical passport sized picture
• proof of financial means = 934 € per month of stay as a bankstatement, parent’s bankstatement or scholarship (English versions)
• 100€ for the electronic residence permit

You will automatically receive an electronic residence permit, when you apply for extension of your visa. The process can take up to 3 months.

A German bank account is essential for some things, e.g. paying the rent for your room on a monthly basis.

• If you arrived in Germany with a blocked account for your visa, you can unblock it now.
• Otherwise you can arrange a student account at any German bank e.g. Sparkasse Neu-Ulm.

If you have not already paid this, please arrange for transfer of the obligatory semester fees of 94 € for your enrolment at the HNU.

In our welcome brochure (opens in a new window) for international students you will find various helpful information that can help you get started in Germany and in Neu-Ulm/Ulm. Chapters 7, 8 and 9 are relevant for the topics everyday life, leisure time and transport.

There is an introductory programme ("O-Phase") and a Freshman Day, which is organized by the Student Union (STUVER) (opens in a new window). You can find the information on the website of the Study Office.  Here you can have a look at the floor plans of the HNU buildings to find the offices of HNU staff or your seminar rooms more easily. You can also register for a pre-semester German course and an Intercultural Training at the International Office.

Germany's public broadcasters provide independent reporting - on radio, television and the Internet. This service is made possible by the licence fee (opens in a new window), which currently amounts to 18.36 euros per month. In principle everyone is obliged to pay this fee. In order to obtain a residence permit, international students must prove that they have sufficient financial means to support themselves and thus also to pay the licence fee.

If there are enough interested students, the Language Center at the HNU offers German courses for different levels. Please contact the Language Center two months before the semester starts. In addition, the Virtual Academy of Bavaria (opens in a new window) offers virtual German courses for different levels. You can get a certificate and participate free of charge. In addition, it is useful to regularly practice one's German language skills outside of class, for example, in a sports course (opens in a new window) or a student initiative (opens in a new window).

• Moving out and handing over your room: please make an appointment with the caretaker, your landlord or your housing administration a few weeks in advance to hand over your room. If you do not want to take remaining food or items with you, you can drop off your items at the Food Sharing Fairteiler at the HNU or at the exchange room in Neu-Ulm Vorfeld.
• Returning HNU materials: bring all borrowed HNU media back to the library and return your Campus Card at the Stuy and Exam Office.
• De-registration of your seat residence: if you have registered at city at the beginning of the semester, please de-register your seat of residence in the citizen's office of Neu-Ulm or Ulm.
• De-registration of licence fee(German: Runkfunkgebühren)
• Termination of health insurance: if you want to terminate your German health insurance, your flight ticket or the city's certificate of de-registration is usually sufficient. Please contact your health insurance directly.
• Closing your German bank account: do not close your German bank account until you have completed all bank transfers and you have received the deposit for your room back. However, some landlords also transfer the deposit to a foreign bank account.

You should build up your professional network as early as possible, e.g. through internships or student jobs. Good German language skills (B2 level or higher) are beneficial. If you need help correcting your application documents in German, you can contact the Career Service. The Welcome Center Ulm (opens in a new window) can help you to network with local companies.

If you have successfully completed your studies in Germany and come from a Non-European country, you have the possibility to obtain a residence permit valid for up to 18 months to look for a job. If you have a job offer that matches your qualifications, you can apply for a residence permit to take up qualified employment or an EU Blue Card. Detailed information can be found on the Make it in Germany (opens in a new window) website.