Steps Upon Arrival

We expect you to send us a certificate of your medical insurance for the time of your stay in Germany prior to your arrival in Berlin. EU students only need to send a copy of their European Health Insurance Card and bring along the original.

For the Welcome Meeting we will also invite representatives of German health insurance companies, that will issue you a health insurance certificate after you present your European Health Insurance Card. This certificate will allow for medical care in Germany if needed.

Non-EU students have to obtain compulsory health insurance in Germany. We ask for your understanding that we cannot accept medical insurance from your home country. You will have approximately 30 compulsory health insurance funds to chose from. However, the monthly contribution for students is the same with each company. You will be given further information on how to obtain German insurance prior to your arrival. Questions can be posed to the representatives after the Welcome Meeting.

Everyone living in Germany, even if temporarily, has the obligation to register at the "Bürgeramt" (administrative office for citizens). When coming to Berlin you need to register within 7 days at one of the "Bürgerämter".

You will need to show your passport when you register at the "Bürgeramt". You will get a proof of registration, please keep this important document.

Address:
Bürgeramt 2
Möllendorffstr. 5
10367 Berlin

Transport connection
S-Bahn S4 / S8 Frankfurter Allee
Tram 16, M13 Rathaus Lichtenberg
U-Bahn U 5 Frankfurter Allee

Address:
Bürgeramt 3
Otto-Schmirgal-Str. 1-7 (Center am Tierpark)
10319 Berlin

Transport connection
Bus 296, 396
Tram M17, 27 Am Tierpark
U-Bahn U5 Tierpark

Every student that is registering in Berlin for the first time receives a one-time welcome fund of € 50 from the city of Berlin. To apply for this fund, we will give you an application form together with the other information material on the day of the welcome meeting. You will need to have it stamped and signed by the Bürgeramt when you register. You will also need to fill in your bank details of a German bank account. For this reason you will need to open a German bank account.

Every Non-EU student who stays in Germany for more than 3 months needs to get a prolongation for their visa. This process will be fully arranged for you by the International Office. Approximately 6 weeks after your arrival you will get an Email from the International Office which explains exactly what documents you have to provide for that. Please note that for a certain amount of time we will have to keep your passport in order to prolong your visa.

Of course you still can do the prolongation on your own. Though we recommend to let the International Office do it for you, due to long waiting hours.

You need the following documents in order to prolong your visa on your own:

• Application form for residence permit (form available at the International Office)
• Proof of "Bürgeramt" registration
• Passport or Identity Card
• Student ID/ Certificate of Enrolment
• Medical Insurance Certificate
• Proof of financial funds for living in Germany
• 2 Passport photos (no automat photos or colour copies)

Office „Ausländerbehörde“
Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24
13353 Berlin, Germany

Subway(U-Bahn) U9 to Amrumer Straße, footpath through Torfstraße, turn left after a little bridge across the canal

You will need a bank account for the time of your stay in Berlin. The first reason is, that we can transfer your dorm room deposit only to a German bank account. The second reason is that to receive the one-time welcome fund you will need to give the bank details of a German bank account. Moreover, a German bank giro account facilitates any kind of money transfer within Germany (any payments, remittance etc.). Therefore we advise all exchange students to open a German bank account. Ideally you find a branch of any bank near to where live. When opening an account please have the proof of police registration with you as well as your passport or ID and your certificate of enrolment from HTW Berlin. Students usually reap specific benefits of the conditions of a bank account.

Please give us the following information on your bank account details after opening your bank account so that we can arrange for the deposit to be transferred to your account:

• Name of account owner
• Bank institute (name of the bank)
• Bank code ("BLZ")
• Account number

• Welcome Meeting at HTW Berlin
• Have health insurance status in Germany checked by a representative of a German health insurance company, get a receipt about medical insurance
• Sign lease at the dorm administration, payment of the first monthly rent and deposit in cash
• Police registration at the „Bürgeramt“, signature and stamp of Bürgeramt on the form for applying for the welcome fund
• Opening a bank account
• Notification to the International Office with bank connection details (name of the bank, bank code ("Bankleitzahl"), account number)
• Orderly enrolment for courses (online)
• Extension of Visa for the whole study period (only applicable for Non-EU-Students)