Post-entry formalities

Students need a visa to enter Germany for study purposes. The visa must be applied for at the German embassy in the home country.

Students from all EU countries, Switzerland and the following EEA countries do not need a visa:

• Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway

Also exempted from the visa requirement:

• Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, USA

Please enquire in good time at the German embassy in your home country about the regulations for issuing a visa and about the documents to be submitted.
 
 If you only want to attend a language course in Germany and apply for a study programme, special regulations apply. For more information, please also contact the German embassy in your home country.

After entering Germany, all students and study applicants are obliged to register at the responsible residents' registration office of the cities of Greifswald, Stralsund or Neubrandenburg so that you are registered as a resident in the city. Even if you later move within the city, a re-registration is necessary. There are different regulations depending on your country of origin and the type of study. You can get individual advice at the International Offices of the Universities Greifswald, Stralsund and Neubrandenburg as well as at the foreigners' registration offices of the cities of Greifswald, Stralsund and Neubrandenburg. This is also where you apply for your residence permit, for which you must present certain documents (visa / valid passport, notification of admission from the university / confirmation of enrolment, health insurance cover, tenancy agreement etc.).

Before you receive a residence permit in Germany, you must prove that you are covered by health insurance. The insurance certificate from your health insurance company must also be submitted with the application for enrolment at your university.
 
Students from countries that have intergovernmental agreements with Germany, such as EU countries, Turkey or Norway, can keep the health insurance policy taken out in their home country.
 
All other students have the possibility to take out public or private health insurance.

In principle, students can take out compulsory insurance at a favourable rate with the statutory health insurance fund. The statutory health insurance companies are divided into

• Compulsory student insurance
• Family insurance
• Voluntary health insurance

Which form of insurance is right for you depends on your current life situation. You can get advice on this and on the amount of contributions from your local health insurance company or from the social counselling service of the Studierendenwerk.

The rather inexpensive compulsory insurance can only be taken out until students reach the age of 30. After that there is the possibility of voluntary insurance with a statutory health insurance company. An extension of the compulsory student insurance is only possible in exceptional cases.

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Foreign students older than 30 years, visitors to the Studienkolleg and participants in language courses preparing for studies cannot join the statutory health insurance.
 
There are relatively inexpensive health insurances for foreign students, some of which are combined with liability and accident insurance. In any case, if you have private health insurance (in contrast to the statutory health insurance), all treatment costs must be paid in advance by the student. The costs are then reimbursed by the insurance company.

For information on health insurance, please contact the social counseling service of the Studierendenwerk.

We strongly advice that you take out liability insurance for the case that for example, you cause an accident as a pedestrian or cyclist or if you accidentally damage other people's property. If you already have liability insurance in your home country, it is possible that this may also apply in Germany. Please ask your insurance company.

For your matriculation you usually need the confirmation of the successful completion of the DSH exam (German language exam for university admission), if you are not exempt from it.

The following documents are necessary for the matriculation:

• Letter of admission from the university
• Proof of health insurance
• Passport/identity card
• 1 passport photo
• Valid residence permit

For all questions concerning matriculation, the student advisory offices of the universities of Greifswald, Stralsund and Neubrandenburg as well as the student secretariats of the universities of Greifswald, Stralsund and Neubrandenburg are your contacts.

The opening of an account is usually straightforward. Students do not have to pay any fees for their own current account at many banks. If you receive money regularly (from your parents, from your employer, from a foundation, etc.) and want to withdraw or transfer money (e.g. for rent), you should open a current account at your place of study. When choosing a bank, you should definitely compare the conditions, since there can be big differences in some cases. Pay particular attention to the following points:

• Do I have to pay fees for the account? If so, how much?
• Is a debit card included or does it cost fees?
• How much interest is paid for the current account?
• How much may I withdraw per month, what is the credit limit?

As a rule, the following documents must be presented when opening a bank account:

• Passport
• Tenancy agreement
• Certificate of study or certificate of participation in the Studienkolleg/language course