Duisburg

There is a welcome brochure of the university.

Moving to Duisburg

Getting into Germany

To enter Germany you need the following documents for yourself and family accompanying you:

• A passport or equivalent ID that is valid for 3 months longer than the entire duration of your stay in Germany.
• A letter of invitation from the university
• A visa if you're from outside the EU and not from Switzerland, Iceland, Norway or Lichtenstein. You also do not need a visa to enter Germany if you are from Australia, Canada, Israel, South Korea or the US, but need to apply for a residence permit once you arrived in Germany. All other nationalities need to apply for a visa with a German diplomatic mission abroad (Consulate or Embassy). Do not enter Germany with a Visitors or tourist visa (Schengen visa), you will be forced to exit the country after three months. You need a D-visa. Applying requires the following documents:
  • Passport
  • Proof of intended activity (contract, invitation letter, ...)
  • Details of proposed accommodation in Germany
  • Adequate health insurance cover
  • Marriage and birth certificates of family members
  • Application form

You'll receive a visa for three months. With this you'll have to go to the local foreigners office to apply for a residence permit once arriving in Germany

For entering the country you may also need:

• Your birth certificate
• Certified copied of your degrees, preferably a German or English translation
• Vaccination certificates
• Marriage certificate, preferably a German or English translation

Finding a place to live

The search for an apartment or house in Duisburg can be hard. Most landlords do not speak English fluently and it can be helpful to get one of us to talk to them for you first.

• Immoscout24: The most popular website in Germany to find an apartment or house: https://www.immobilienscout24.de/
• WG-gesucht: For shared apartments and student rooms: https://www.wg-gesucht.de/

Registration

When moving to Duisburg you'll have to register your new address within two weeks with the local authorities if you are staying for longer than three months. When you're an EU-citizen this can be done with the citizen service. A table with an overview of the different postcodes and the responsible citizen service can be found here: https://www.duisburg.de/allgemein/fachbereiche/90/terminvereinbarung-buergerservice.php. There you can also make an appointment. For the registration you need an ID or passport and a confirmation of your landlord that you rent a place. You'll get that from him/her.

When moving to Duisburg from outside the EU you need to go to the foreigners' registration office for the registration. There is one for the north of Duisburg, one for the west and one for the centre and the south. If you are unsure which one is the correct one for you just ask someone from the group, we'll be happy to help. You need to bring your passport as well as a landlords confirmation.

You will receive a "Meldebescheinigung" that confirms your registration and your "Steuer-ID" via post in the following weeks (see below)

Residence Permit

Before your entry visa runs out or if you are from a non-EU state and plan to stay longer than three months you need to apply for a residence permit at the foreigners office. You will usually need to present the following documents:

• Complete application for residence title (available at the immigration office)
• Valid passport, copies of that passport, visa and proof of entry
• Passport photo for the residence permit
• Proof of the university that you can support yourself financially (contract or hosting agreement)
• Proof of health insurance valid in Germany

You will receive an electronic residence title after about three to eight weeks

Finances

To receive your salary you need to open a bank account with a German bank and complete registration at the foreigners or citizen service to receive your tax identification number (Steuer-ID). The Steuer-ID will be send to you via the post. This might take up to six weeks. As soon as you get this number, you'll have to forward it to the "Landesamt für Besoldung", the local authority that handles salaries. If you need help with this, ask Ingo.

For the bank account, I recommend to go to a local Sparkasse or Volksbank. Those are local, corporate banks which allow you to withdraw money everywhere in the country.