PhD Handbook

24 5.4 GETTING SETTLED IN GERMANY Checklist – what to bring from home? • Passport pictures • Certified birth certificates • Copies of high school certificates (including for unemployment money) • … Registration at the resident registration hall When you arrive in Germany, you have one week to register yourself, usually at the city hall. This depends on the city where you are living: In Munich you have to go to the “Kreis- verwaltung”, in Berlin to the local “Bürgeramt”. To do so, you need to bring your ID or passport, and an official paper stating your address (e.g., the rental agreement), which is obviously hard to get within one week. Additionally, these papers are required for opening a German bank account, or initialization of a mobile phone contract. Yes, to buy a phone in Germany, you have to provide your address. At the registration office, you will be asked about your religi- on. This is because in Germany some religious communities require church tax, which will be directly deducted from your pay roll in case you register e. g. as a Protestant or a Catholic. Registration at the foreigners‘ registration office (“Ausländerbehörde”) If you are not an EU citizen, then you must register at the foreigner’s registration office (“Ausländerbehörde”). The registration process depends on your country of origin and your visa requirements. Dealing with the details, paperwork and bureaucracy can be challenging and confusing and not all offices have staff who can speak English! Ask the DokTeam, human resources department or secretary if you can talk to a foreign PhD student in your institute or working group who has experience with this. Additionally, think about taking a German-speaking colleague along to your appointment if language is a problem. Finding accommodation Before you arrive, we recommend contacting your institute to ask for possible accommodation possibilities. Most institutes will be able to help organize transient accommodation or something a little bit more permanent before arrival. As in any city, local knowledge is best as to which suburbs or areas are the quietest, most vibrant, or those areas that are a little unsafe and you would like to avoid. When you first arrive, ask at your institute if there are any guesthouses or rooms available for your first weeks or months to give you some time to find somewhere more permanent to live. Science is a mobile community. Often people go on a research trip or sabbatical for a number of months leaving their room/house available to rent while they are away. It is very common to rent an apartment or room in a shared apartment in Germany. Some universities also offer student dormitories at rates often cheaper than private apartments but the demand is high for limited places so you should ask early for a room. You have two choices when searching for an apartment (1-person or shared apartment): either (1) enquire (and pay!) at a leasing agency or (2) search privately through newspa- pers and the internet. Finding fees for leasing agencies are usually 10-20% of the costs or a lump sum which varies. Be warned: unfurnished means unfurnished! Renting a new flat in Germany might mean the flat has no sinks in the kit- chen, no stove, or even no light fittings. HELMHOLTZ JUNIORS l 5 FURTHER INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL PHD STUDENTS - SETTLING INTO YOUR LIFE IN GERMANY

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