Pre-Arrival

In order to use free services provided by the Welcome Center, you should contact us 3-6- months in advance. We will then send you the link to our registration form. By registering, you will receive information on the requested topics and we will support you in preparing to move to Regensburg.

Please make sure your and your accompanying family members' passport are valid and to bring them with you.

You should ask the German Consulate nearest you if you need a visa to enter Germany and about visa requirements specific for your home country sufficiently in advance of your planned research stay. Please consult the German Federal Foreign Office website to see if you should apply for a visa in order to travel to Germany, and contact the Consulate nearest you for further information about the application process and the required documents.

Normally, the German Consulate will require you to submit the following documents:

• Visa application form
• Letter of invitation from your German host (the supervising professor) with a brief description of the purpose of your research
• If necessary: Hosting agreement from your German host (the supervising professor)
• Proof of how you are financing your research period
• Proof of health insurance
• Birth certificate
• Passport
• Biometric photographs
• Marriage certificate with Apostille and birth certificates for children (if applicable)

⇒ Link to the Federal Foreign Office

Family Reunification

In case your family is accompanying you and if you are required to apply for a visa for Germany, you also need to ask the German Consulate in your home country about applying for a visa for your family members. Your family members can apply for a resident permit with the purpose of family reunification after your arrival in Germany.

Applying for Residence Permit

After successfully entering Germany with your visa, but before expiration of your visa, it is important to apply for a residence permit at the Immigration Office (Amt für Ausländerangelegenheiten) in Regensburg. Several documents are needed for this process.

A residence permit is issued in normal circumstances for a limited period of time. If your research project will take longer, you can apply to extend your residence permit at the Immigration Office.

Address Registration with the City of Regensburg

You must register as a resident of Regensburg at the Immigration Office (Amt für Ausländerangelegenheiten) within 14 days of your arrival. To do this, you will need to fill out the registration form (Anmeldungsformular) and to ask your landlord/lady to fill out the confirmation of housing from the renter (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).

The documents for city registration and applying for a residence permit vary. Please contact the Welcome Center for the correct forms and if you would like consultation on the different application processes.

Please be aware that you must have sufficient health insurance for the entirety of your stay. As your health insurance is tightly bound to the financing of your stay, please see the page “Financing and Insuracnes” for further, detailed information.

⇒ Additional information about these two topics via Euraxess

Please remember to bring all important documents for yourself and, if applicable, the family members accompanying you, such as:

• Valid passport
• Valid visa, if applicable
• Letter of Invitation from your University of Regensburg host
• Marriage certificate or child(ren)’s birth certificate(s) with Hague Apostille, if applicable
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of further, private insurances valid in Germany (i.e. liability, private accident, homeowner’s insurance, etc.), if applicable
• Proof of financing (Proof of scholarship, etc.)
• Multiple biometric photographs per person (can also be taken in Regensburg)
• International vaccination document (mandatory for school children)
• International driver’s license, if applicable
• (Certified) Copies of your educational certificates, i.e. high school diploma, GCE, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD certificates, etc.*
• Certified Translations in English or German of your school certificates (High School Diploma, GCF, etc.), your university degrees and, if applicable, your doctoral degree

There are multiple ways to travel to Regensburg, depending on where you are coming from. Please inform yourself about transportation options for your arrival in Regensburg in advance.

Further information and transport options can be found on the page Living in Regensburg – Mobility:

⇒ Living in Regensburg – Information regarding Mobility 

• Remember to bring clothing for all types of weather with you. In Germany, you will experience all four seasons.
• You should begin searching for preschool/Kindergarten spots 3-6 months before arrival.
• Electrical connections in Germany are 220 – 240 Volt, 50 – Hertz a/c mains with European standard plugs. Therefore, check whether you need adapters for any electrical devices you bring with you.

Further helpful websites for preparing for your stay are:

⇒ Facts about Germany

⇒ Make it in Germany

⇒ Euraxess

⇒ Research in Bavaria

⇒ Research in Germany