We would recommend opening a bank account in Germany so that transactions between Germany and your home country, as well as within Germany (for example, payment of rent, health insurance contributions etc.), are completed more easily, quickly and, in particular, as cheaply as possible. You can open an account in Germany as soon as you have a permanent address in Saarbrücken and successfully registered yourself at the local registration office.

Account

Ensure that you open a current account for students - "Girokonto für Studierende" - and enquire about the fees for the account, how much transfers and direct debits will cost you, and which overdraft facilities are available and at what cost, in case you ever need to overdraw your account. Current accounts for students are usually free and any other standard services should also be cheap or exempt from charges!

Electronic Cash Card

You will receive an "EC-Karte" (Electronic Cash Card) from your bank. This is a direct debit card which allows you to withdraw money at cash machines almost everywhere in Germany. Take care: Withdrawing money from banks in the same "Cash group" as your own bank is usually free, or at least cheaper, than withdrawing money from other banks. Another option is to transfer money to Germany from home using any of the normal methods; however this is often expensive and slow.

You should ensure that you have sufficient money with you to cover the first few weeks of your stay, whether in traveler’s checks or through your credit card and/or funds in your account at home. We suggest that you check with your bank at home, prior to traveling, whether your debit or credit card allows you to withdraw money in Germany and how much doing so will cost you.

Credit Cards

Credit cards are generally accepted almost everywhere, even for small amounts. However, it is important to remember that smaller shops and restaurants may only accept cash or debit cards.

Here you will find an overview of documents that may be important for your stay in Germany.

Students from the EU who are insured at home through their statutory insurance system will require a European Health Insurance Card - EHIC. The card is issued by your insurer in your home country and identifies you as being insured by them. You must present the EHIC to a local German health insurance company and will receive written confirmation stating that you will be exempt from costs. This confirmation document is required for the matriculation procedure. 

Possession of the EHIC means that you are practically on an equal footing with German students. You must take the card with you each time you see a doctor. The costs of your treatment will then be forwarded to your health insurance company. Taking out private additional insurance may also be advantageous, for example for services that go beyond the basics, such as transport to your home country in case of illness or guaranteed coverage of all medical costs. If you are privately insured in your home country, confirmation of this, issued by your health insurance company, will suffice as proof.

Students from countries outside of the EU are required to take out insurance, at the student rate, with a German health insurance company. In Germany, there is statutory and private health insurance. Private insurers now often also offer special rates for foreign students. We would generally recommend that students aged below 30 opt for statutory health insurance. The rates of all statutory health insurances are the same. Further information can be found under https://www.daad.de/deutschland/in-deutschland/regeln/en/8839-organising-health-insurance/ 

Here you can find all information on how to get to Saarbrücken and the university, provided by Saarland University.

Public Transport

The student ID card, which you receive upon Matriculation, allows you to use several types of public transport. The fee for the ID card includes your social security contribution and the semester ticket, which allows you to use public transport within the Saarland, free of charge. The ID card is only valid for use on public transport and the rights conveyed are personal to you.

The semester ticket is valid for only one semester, i.e. from 1 October of the academic year in question to the following 30 March and then from 1 April to 30 September. The fee comprises the social security contribution and the semester ticket and is payable again before commencement of the second semester. The ID card is then renewed as result. 

The semester ticket is valid on all buses and local trains ("Regional-Bahn", "Regional-Express" and "Saarbahn") in Saarland. It is not valid on main-line, long-distance trains ("Inter-City", "Euro-City" and "Inter-City Express"). It is possible to travel to Zweibrücken on the regional trains and to Saargemünd on the Saarbahn. The validity of the semester ticket extends to Zweibrücken and Waldmohr on the circuit of the regional buses of the RSW ("Saar-Westpfalz GmbH"). For timetable, route information and further details, please see www.saarbahn.de.

Rail

The semester ticket is valid, to a certain extent, on routes of the Deutsche Bahn. You can travel by train from Saarbrücken to anywhere in Germany and Europe (for example to Paris, on the Inter-City Express, in under two hours!). More information is available under www.bahn.de.

Airports

There are several airports in the vicinity of Saarbrücken. The airport Saarbrücken-Ensheim offers several destinations inside and outside of Germany such as Berlin-Tegel, Hamburg, Luxembourg, Mallorca, Seville and Stockholm. Further information can be found under www.flughafen-saarbruecken.de.

Frankfurt-Hahn airport is also not too far away. Flights to numerous international destinations are operated from there. See www.ryan-air.com for more information. 

Frankfurt am Main airport is also easily accessible by car or by train. Further information is available under www.flughafen-frankfurt.de

As a student at the Europa-Institut, you must also enrol at Saarland University. To do this, you must first transfer a fee to Saarland University. Then you have to wait a few days until you can enrol and then print out your certificate of enrolment (which is needed, for example, to register at the residents' registration office) via Saarland University's SIM portal.

Here you can find all information on enrollment at Saarland University.

Here you can find all information on registering and using the SIM portal.

Print out certificates via the SIM portal.

Further information with regard to studying and organizing your studies can be found on the website of Saarland University.

Here you can find all informationen on registration with the citizen center (Bürgeramt) and how to get appointments.

ALL international students must see to a number of formalities following their arrival in Germany, in order to secure their residence. As such, they are required to register themselves at the local registration office ("Einwohnermeldeamt") within the first week of their stay. The Einwohnermeldeamt is in the citizen center ("Bürgeramt").

Please note that you must notify the Einwohnermeldeamt every time you move and that you must de-register prior to leaving Germany!

You will require the following documents in order to register:

• Your passport or ID card, which must be valid for the whole of your stay!
• The rent contract for your accommodation in Germany, or a confirmation of the rental relationship from your landlord;
• Two biometric passport photos; 
• Certificate of matriculation; 
• Evidence of adequate financial resources; 
• Cash, for any fees that are payable.

You will be provided with the required forms etc. on site. 

EU and EEA citizens (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) do not require a visa and do not have to register with the immigration office. However, you are obliged to register with the Residents' Registration Office at the Citizens' Registration Office! 

Foreign students who do not come from an EU country or an EEA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) must convert the visa issued by their home country into a "residence permit for study purposes" by the Foreigners' Registration Office. When making an appointment, please also clarify which documents you need to bring with you so that you avoid unnecessary trips!

Here you can find further information on residence permits and how to contact the Foreigners' Registration Office.

All students pay the social contribution, the administration fee and the student body fees before enrolling or re-registering. All information about the amount of the fee and its composition can be found on the Welcome Center's website.

Upon payment of this fee, students receive an ID card ("UdS-Card") which, among other things, allows free use of almost all public transportation in Saarland for a period of six months. Further information on the "Semesterticket" and from the Saarland University Student Union.

Whether you require a visa and a residence permit to enter Germany depends on your nationality and the reason for your stay. Please contact a German embassy or consulate in your home country, or the country you are currently staying in, regarding any current entry and resident requirements.

The addresses of all German embassies and consulates can be found online under www.auswaertiges-amt.de.

Please do this well in advance of coming to Germany as the visa process takes several weeks. Exceptions are citizens from EU countries, the EEA counties Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the USA who do not require a visa to enter Germany but who must apply for a residence permit from the foreigner registration office after arriving in Germany and register with the local authorities. It is important not to apply for a Schengen visa ("tourist visa").

Visas must be obtained before arrival in Germany and can be requested at your local German embassy or consulate. Please check which documents are required for the application process and make sure to organize your visa arrangements as early as possible: the process is not always quick. 

Generally speaking, foreign students may only work for a total of 90 days per year, or alternatively 180 half-days per year (that is, a maximum of four hours per day), without obtaining a formal work permit. For a job as an academic assistant at the University, no work permit is needed (§ 16(3) of the German Residence Law- "Aufenthaltsgesetz"). However, it is required that students are in possession of the foreign authorization ("ausländerrechtliche Genehmigung"), issued by the competent alien's authority ("Ausländerbehörde") and stated on their residence title ("Aufenthaltstitel").

A remunerated activity which exceeds the tasks of an academic assistant or the time period stated above, is not allowed. Exceptions can only be made for temporary emergency situations or if special reasons are named. However, even then, students have no entitlement to such a right. 

There is no limit on employment for EU citizens, other than compliance with the usual study regulations. (Since 1 January 2014, students from the "new" EU member states Bulgaria and Romania no longer need a permit from the German employment agency (“Agentur für Arbeit”)).