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Registration and Residence Permit

 

General Information

All international, non-EU /EAA, students are required to have a valid residence permit at all times during their studies. If you fail to show a valid residence permit, we will take steps to restrict your student status. Under related content you can find how to apply or extend your residence permit.

German and EU/EAA students do not require residence or work permit, just address registration (Anmeldung).

 

Online Form

This form will help you with answering questions related to registration and residence permit in Germany. If the question is not answered after navigating through the form, you will have the option to formulate a question and we will see that it‘s answered in a timely manner.German and EU / EEA citizens do not need a residence or work permit in the EU or Schengen. Special conditions apply for Switzerland. All international, non-EU /EAA, students are required to have a valid residence permit at all times during their studies. If you fail to show a valid residence permit, we will take steps to restrict your student status. Under related content, you can find how to apply or extend your residence permit.The residence permit gives you many rights, among others: to work 120 full or 240 half days in Germany, but also to travel and stay within the Schengen Area (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania are not part of the Schengen Area) for up to 3 months. Special travel conditions apply for non-Schengen countries. Please check whether you can travel with your German residence permit to these.If you remain outside of Germany for longer than 6 months, your permit will become invalid with immediate effect, irrespective of its day of validity. If you intend to stay outside of Germany for longer than 6 months and wish to keep your residence permit valid, please inform us.The German residence permit does not give you the right to work in other Schengen countries.Please select one of the following topics.
 
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Register your address

All students are required to register their address within 14 days after moving in. If you fail to do so, you might be fined (1000 €) by the authorities.

To do the registration, visit the closest Ortsamt/Stadtamt around your new residence. Bring with you:

  • filled out Anmeldungform
  • filled out Wohnungsgeberbestätigung form (by your landlord (in case this is Jacobs University – by the housing department )
  • copy of your ID (German and EU / EAA students) or passport
  • your ID (German and EU /EAA students) or passport

Every time you move to a new place, you need to repeat the procedure above within 14 days of the move-in date.

To do task with Student Records

Please send a scan of the Anmeldung to the Student Records Office or inform the office of the address change (registrar [at] jacobs-university.de). Please note that without the correct address your semester ticket may not be delivered. Please note that Student Records and Human Resources are not connected!

De-Registration of the address (Abmeldung)

If you move away from Germany, you need to inform the local authorities that you no longer live in Germany.

To do the de-registration, visit the closest Ortsamt/Stadtamt around your current residence. Bring with you:

  • filled out “Abmeldung”form
  • copy of your ID (German and EU / EAA students) or passport
  • your ID (German and EU /EAA students) or passport

You can de-register your address up to 2 weeks before your intended day of leaving. You will be issued a paper stating that you have formally unregistered. You may need this paper to end contracts in Germany such as the health insurance contract, as well as any other contracts you may have running (f.e. mobile phone contract, internet contract, etc.)

Please note that if you have university housing, we will inform the authorities that you no longer live with us, effective the end of the semester in which you will be removed from the register of students (August 31 for Spring, January 31 for Fall).

If you fail to do the “Abmeldung” or to register your new German address within 2 weeks, the German authorities may fine you.

Application for Residence Permit
International, non-EU / EAA, students must apply for a residence permit within 90 days of entry into Schengen area, but before their visa expires. This information is related to freshman who have not applied for residency. In order to apply you need the following list of documents:

  • Application form
  • Your registration and a copy of your registration (i.e. Meldebestätigung/Anmeldung). A registration at the Foreigner’s office is not possible.
  • One passport-size, biometric photo (please click for the regulations here)
  • Enrollment confirmation
  • Proof of financial support
  • Proof of health insurance (public or private)
  • Passport, copy of the front page and the visa page (if applicable) of your passport
  • 100 € (cash or payment through EC card, NO CREDIT CARD)

As proof of sufficient funding, you should provide the same documents, which were submitted to the German embassy for your visa application.

If you entered Germany visa-free, you may provide the following documents as proof of sufficient funding:
• Financial Aid Letter and proof of paid first semester/year contribution
• Bank statements (blocked or normal account) with sufficient amount to afford the study or 3 month’s bank statement showing regular money inflow into your account
• Stipend letters
• Working contracts

We have assembled a step-by-step Application Guide with instructions about each document and field.

Please e-mail an explanation of your intent of stay in a formless declaration, signed by you, along with supporting documents (proof of application, internship, etc.) in a single pdf file to visa [at] jacobs-university.de.

Very important: The residence permit cannot be issued beyond the validity of your passport, so make sure your passport is valid for at least 2 years.

Very important: Any residence permit will become invalid if you stay outside of Germany for longer than 6 months. If you intend to stay outside for longer than 6 months, please contact us in advance.

Extension of Residence Permit

General
Please make sure to extend your residence permit before your current one expires.
List of Required Documents

  • Extension application form
  • Signature Form (You need a sample of your signature, please include your also your height and color of the eyes)
  • Your registration and a copy of your registration (i.e. Meldebestätigung/Anmeldung)
  • Copy of your passport’s first page
  • Enrollment confirmation from current semester or admission letter (for continuing students)
  • Proof of sufficient funding:
    • Financial Aid Letter and proof of paid semester/year contribution
    • Bank statements (blocked or normal account) with sufficient amount to afford the study or 3 month’s bank statement showing regular money inflow into your account
    • Stipend letters (full scholarship holders)
    • Working contracts
  • Proof of health insurance (public: copy of the card – or private: copy of the policy)

Procedure
Please print out the forms, hand sign them and scan them! Assemble all documents in one single pdf file in the same order as above listed and send it together with one passport-sized, biometric photo (please see the regulations here) in .jpg format to visa [at] jacobs-university.de!

Payment
The extension costs 93 €. No need to pay now for the extension, you will receive an invoice to pay for it.

Very important: The residence permit cannot be issued beyond the validity of your passport, so make sure it is valid for the extension period.
Very important: Any residence permit will become invalid if you stay outside of Germany longer than 6 months. If you plan to stay outside of Germany longer than that, please let us know.

 

Residence Permit after Graduation

General
After graduation, all international students are entitled to receive a residence permit to either work or look for a job. We recommend to apply for the residence permit to look for a job because it is not limited to just one job, hence it gives you more flexibility (f.e. to change or switch jobs).

List of Required Documents

  • Extension application form
  • Signature Form (You need a sample of your signature, please include your also your height and color of the eyes)
  • Your registration and a copy of your registration (i.e. Meldebestätigung/Anmeldung)
  • Copy of your passport’s first page
  • Proof of sufficient funding:
    • Bank statements (blocked or normal account) with sufficient amount to afford the study or 3 month’s bank statement showing regular money inflow into your account
    • Confirmation of support from parents along with proof that they can afford it
    • Working contracts
  • Proof of health insurance (public: copy of the card – or private: copy of the policy)

In addition:

  • Copy of Diploma (for the 18 month job search permit) OR
  • Employment contract and Job description form (filled out and signed by your employer) (for a residence permit with a job offer, please see above our recommendation in the general section)

Procedure
Please print out the forms, hand sign them and scan them! Assemble all documents in one single pdf file and send it together with one passport-sized, biometric photo (please see the regulations here) in .jpg format to visa [at] jacobs-university.de!

Payment
The extension costs 98 €. No need to pay now for the extension, you will receive an invoice to pay for it.

Very important: The residence permit cannot be issued beyond the validity of your passport, so make sure it is valid for the extension period.
Very important: Any residence permit will become invalid if you stay outside of Germany longer than 6 months. If you plan to stay outside of Germany longer than that, please let us know.

Questions?
Check out our FAQ

Termination of Studies
If you terminate your studies or leave the university before graduation, your student residence permit will become invalid. It is possible to stay in Germany for up to 9 months afterward if you are looking for a new place of study. In order to get the permission to remain in Germany, please e-mail an explanation of your intent of stay in a formless declaration, signed by you, along with supporting documents (proof of application, internship, etc.) in a single pdf file to visa [at] jacobs-university.de

If you already have admission to another university, you can extend your residence permit (see Extension)!

Residence permit during long internship or study abroad
Please consider the following:

  • If you stay outside of Germany for longer than 6 months, any residence permit you have will become invalid!
  • You need to have a valid address registration in order to extend or apply for a residence permit in Germany
  • If you do your internship in Germany, please don’t forget that you need a valid residence permit at all times, so make sure you extend it in due time.

If you do your study abroad or internship in the Schengen area, it will be best to have your German residence permit valid at all times. However, this is not necessary if you hold a residence permit for the host country in the Schengen area.

If you do your study abroad or internship outside of the Schengen area, you will have three options:

  • To extend your residence permit before you leave in the summer. This is the best option!
  • To return to Germany before it expires to extend it. Please note that you will need a valid address registration in order to do that.
  • To apply for a re-entry visa when you are about to return.

If you will be doing your internship outside of the Schengen area, we strongly advise you to extend your residence permit (if it expires before the study abroad / internship ends) before you leave in the summer! The best time would be at the beginning of May!

If you who have a valid residence permit (or will extend it before you leave for the summer) and will stay longer than 6 months outside of Germany/Schengen, we can arrange for a paper that keeps your residence permit valid.  In order to arrange for this paper, we will require the following:

  • Contract or Letter for internship in German or English / Enrollment confirmation from host University

Loss of the Residence Permit
If your residence permit is lost or stolen, you need to get a new one. To do so, you will require the following documents:

  • your passport
  • 60 €
  • a picture

Please e-mail the reason for the loss (stolen, lost), the date of loss, along with a copy of your passport’s data page to visa [at] jacobs-university.de.

Major Change
If you change your major, you will be required to also change the green paper that is issued with your residence permit card. Please inform us (visa [at] jacobs-university.de) about the major change. We will arrange that the new green paper is delivered to your mailbox.

Invitation for Visitor’s Visa
Verpflichtungserklärung is the official document, with which you can invite and secure visitor’s visa to the Federal Republic of Germany for a relative or a family member.

The procedure:
You must visit the Bürger Service Center-Nord in Bremen-Vegesack, or any other Bürger Service Center near you. Please check the address and the opening hours of the Bürger Service Center -Nord here.

To make an appointment in advance please call the Bürger Service Center on +49 (0) 421 361-88672.

Proof of Funding:
Foreign students without a permanent residence permit in Germany need to open a blocked account for their guests. The funds on this account are frozen until the guest leaves the country. For every started month of the guest’s stay, the amount of €300 (or €200 for children) is required for each guest. Students must, therefore, prove that they have €300 monthly for themselves, as well as €300 for each guest.

In addition, the amount of 1000€ needs to be deposited into the blocked account. This money will be unblocked once the guest leaves the country.

Please note that the proof of funding regulation is handled very strictly.

People with permanent residence permits and employment in Germany can also have their solvency evaluated. To this end, income documentation for the last three months is required (salary slips, bank account statistics, …). Costs for rent and additional costs are also evaluated. The necessary solvency is different in each case.

Cost of the service:

  • 25€ for each Verpflichtungserklärung
  • 5€ for the blocked account

After the Verpflichtungserklärung is issued, it has to be sent to the guest so they can apply for their visa.

Required documents:

From the Student:

  • Passport
  • Proof of funding (for the last 3 months)
  • Student ID
  • Anmeldung (registration with local authorities)

From the Guest:

  • Full Name
  • Birthday and Birth place
  • Nationality
  • Passport Number
  • Permanent address
  • What is the relation to the inviting party
  • Any accompanying people (wife/husband/children)
  • Duration of the stay in Germany
  • Where will the guest stay in Germany

Welcome Money
The City of Bremen is quite generous with its new residents, paying out 150 € of welcome money to incoming students. Please find the information on how to apply for the money below.

As a new resident of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen you are entitled to receive Welcome Money (150 €) from the city of Bremen. To qualify, you need:

  • to be a new resident (registered with the authorities in Bremen) of the city as of/after 01.01.08 and
  • to have not had a permanent residence in Bremen during the last 12 months and
  • to have residence permit for at least one year in your passport

Please note that incoming students from Bremenhaven are not considered new residents, since Bremenhaven is a part of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. There is even more to that: you must retain your residence in Bremen for at least 12 months. Unfortunately, this automatically excludes visiting and exchange students.

You can apply for the “Begrüßungsgeld” only online.

The instructions are as follows:

After clicking on “Absenden”, the following content will appear:

The form could be filled out only once!!! Please check very carefully the information before clicking “Absenden” (Send).

After you fill it out, you will receive an attachment to the provided email address. Please print it out, sign it and drop it together with a copy of your ID / Passport and one enrollment confirmation (only the small blue paper that comes together with your semester ticket is allowed) in the mailbox of the Student Records Office in the lobby of RLH.

APPLY NOW

 

Register your address

All students are required to register their address within 14 days after moving in. If you fail to do so, you might be fined (1000 €) by the authorities.

To do the registration, visit the closest Ortsamt/Stadtamt around your new residence. Bring with you:

  • filled out Anmeldung form
  • filled out Wohnungsgeberbestätigung form (by your landlord (in case this is Jacobs University – by the housing department )
  • copy of your ID (German and EU / EAA students) or passport
  • your ID (German and EU /EAA students) or passport

Please send a scan of the Anmeldung to the Student Records Office.

Every time you move to a new place, you need to repeat the procedure above within 14 days of the move-in date.

 

Abmeldung

If you move away from Germany, you have to do the formal “Abmeldung”.

If you move within Germany and register a different address, or if you currently have non-university housing that you wish to retain, you won’t need to do an “Abmeldung”.

Please note that if you have university housing, we will inform the authorities that you no longer live with us, effective the end of the semester in which you will be removed from the register of students (August 31 for Spring, January 31 for Fall).

If you fail to do the “Abmeldung” or to register your new German address within 2 weeks, the German authorities may fine you.

 

Report a Change of Address

Whenever you change your address, do not forget to inform us as well. The address will be then updated with all student-related departments.

Please use the form below.