Information for International Students

Attention: There are long waiting times! Book your online appointment as soon as you know when you will be signing your rental contract. However, it is sufficient if you book the appointment online within 14 days, even if the actual date is much later.

Please note: Without prior registration at your place of residence, you cannot apply for a student residence permit at the Foreigners' Registration Office.

After your city registration:
Please also inform the FH Aachen about your current address.

 

Students from EU countries: Ask your health insurance provider whether your journey to Germany and your stay from the first day in Germany are insured. If you are not insured, please read the next section.

Students from non-EU countries: Take out health insurance for the journey and for the first few weeks in Germany before you leave. After your arrival, you can take out German health insurance. Most German diplomatic missions abroad require proof of health insurance when you apply for a visa.

In Germany, all students must have health insurance. Your health insurance provider at home can tell you whether you are also insured during your stay in Germany. This may be the case in European countries in particular. Students from EU member states can use the blue European health insurance card to prove that they have health insurance in their home country and that the insurance is also valid in Germany. Please ask your insurance company BEFORE(!) you come to Germany, as this will make things a lot easier.

If your own health insurance is not valid in Germany, you should take out insurance as soon as you arrive in Aachen. You can either go to a statutory health insurance company or to a private insurance company. However, the insurance is only effective from the day of your registration.

With statutory insurance, you pay the same insurance premium everywhere. The benefits provided by the insurance companies also differ only slightly from one another.

With private insurance, you can choose between different tariffs. The benefits are also different.

You can find an overview and further information, for example, on the website of the German Studierendenwerk https://www.internationale-studierende.de/gerade-angekommen/krankenversicherung or the German Academic Exchange Service https://www.daad.de/de/in-deutschland-studieren/leben-in-deutschland/krankenversicherung/

Please note:

This information is a service provided by the Department of International Affairs and is intended as an initial guide. Although it has been compiled with the greatest care, no liability can be accepted for the quality of the information.

Luggage insurance

If you are bringing valuable items with you from home (e.g. a laptop), you should take out special luggage insurance.

Personal liability insurance

If you cause damage to someone, you are liable for the damage, i.e. you have to pay for it. In many accidents, the damage can be so high that you can no longer pay for it yourself without getting into financial difficulties. It is therefore strongly recommended that you take out insurance for such cases. Almost every insurance company offers personal liability insurance. It costs around EUR 60 per year.

Household contents insurance

Household contents insurance helps if the items you have in your home are damaged or stolen. This includes, for example, damage caused by water or fire and burglary. Almost every insurance company offers household contents insurance. The costs depend on the size of your home.

A study progress certificate is a certificate of your study progress and your current examination status and also contains a forecast of when you are likely to successfully complete your studies.

You only need to submit this letter to the immigration office if you have been asked to do so - usually if you

• exceed the prescribed period of study
• would like to change university or degree programme and are in your fourth semester or a higher semester.

Contact the Department of International Affairs at FH Aachen by email as soon as you know that you need a study progress certificate. The processing time is 2-3 weeks.

Please attach the following to your email:

1. the questionnaire filled out in part A with your personal data questionnaire (In case of problems with the download, see "Notes on saving and opening documents" below)
2. Your declaration of consent to the forwarding of information to the city administration (page 2 of the questionnaire)
3. Your QIS grade sheet (QIS performance overview) with all listed examination attempts, which you can download from QIS as a pdf file.
4. If necessary, please also ask for an appointment for a confidential personal consultation regarding your residence permit.

Your study progress certificate will be created based on the information from your Examination Office and your own details and can be sent directly to the Foreigners' Registration Office.

Contact at the Department of International Affairs:

For students living in the district of Aachen or in the city of Aachen:

• Ms Sabine Brinker for faculties 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8
  
• Ms Linda Weller for faculties 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10

For students who live in the district of Düren, the city of Düren or in Jülich:

• Mr Christopher Bürger

Students living in other cities/districts should contact the Department of International Affairs at their place of study.

No appointments available online?

If you still have not been able to book an appointment shortly before your residence permit expires, be sure to write an email to the relevant immigration authority so that there is written proof that you have tried to book an appointment in good time.

In order to meet the deadlines, you can also hand in the signed application for an extension of your residence permit in person at the Foreigners' Registration Office or send it by post. However, please do not enclose your passport, but only copies of your ID. Make sure you get a written confirmation of receipt or register your documents by post.

Responsible immigration authorities

The foreigners authority of the place where you are officially registered is always responsible for you.

Please note: If you have moved from another city, the foreigners authority in the previous city is still responsible for extending your residence permit if you are not yet registered in your new place of residence.

If you want to change degree programme or university after the end of your 3rd university semester, you always need the prior (!) approval of the Foreigners' Registration Office. You must make an appointment for this.

Do not hope for retroactive approval - this can go wrong and be rejected...

Please also seek advice from the Department of International Affairs at the UAS before making any final decisions.

As a general rule, if you have been registered for a new degree programme, you must have your purpose of residence changed immediately at the Foreigners' Registration Office.

What increases the chances of a change being approved?

• if many previous achievements can be recognised
• classification in a higher subject-specific semester
• if the change does not lead to a major delay in study progress
• if there is a detailed justification for the change
• if a degree can still be obtained within a total period of stay of 10 years

A so-called study progress certificate is usually also required for the decision (see "Study certificate and study progress certificate").

Students from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland

As a student from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you have the same status as German students and have free access to the German labour market and therefore do not require a formal work permit. During the lecture period, you may work a maximum of 20 hours per week in order to retain your student status. During the lecture-free period, the maximum working hours per week may exceed 20 hours.

Students from other countries (non-EU)

Without a work permit, international students (with a residence permit according to §16) are generally allowed to

• work 140 days per calendar year alongside their studies (< 4 hrs = half a working day, > 4 hrs = full working day). In consultation with your employer, you must keep a list (a working time account) of the days you have already worked. According to a second calculation method, a flat rate of 2.5 working days per week may now also be counted in the working time account (with a maximum of 20 hours per week during the lecture period) regardless of the actual distribution of working hours. The calculation that is more favourable for you will be applied.
• In addition, a practical semester, practical project (= compulsory internship, also with payment), research semester / research project and the final thesis (= working as part of the degree programme) prescribed by your Examination Regulations . The Examination Regulations for all FH degree programmes can be found under Examination Regulations
• additional subject-related employment as a Student Assistant or Graduate Assistant ("Hiwi" or "Wihi") at the university or a research institution such as FZ Jülich or the Fraunhofer Institute.

Please note: "Hiwi" or "Wihi" jobs: the Foreigners' Registration Office must still be involved in order to check whether the job is actually a research assistant. Inform the Foreigners' Registration Office and have your employment contract checked.

Do not work without a residence permit

You may only work in a student part-time job - even if it is without a work permit - if you have a residence permit and the ancillary provisions (see supplementary sheet) permit this.

This is not usually possible with a 90-day entry visa... For longer-term visas (6-12 months), pay attention to the ancillary provisions.

Work permit

For everything that goes beyond the above-mentioned regulations, you must apply for an official work permit from the relevant immigration authority before you start work. The foreigners authority then works internally with the employment agency.

However, international students do not usually receive a work permit before they graduate, as the main purpose of their stay in Germany is to study.

Voluntary practical trainings

For voluntary practical trainings (including unpaid ones) that are not required by your Examination Regulations, you must use your 140 days per calendar year if you have not already used them for other activities. For even longer voluntary practical trainings you need a work permit, which you can only get if there are very good reasons...

Job portals for students (also for student jobs, practical trainings and final theses)

FH Aachen job portal

RWTH job portal

Job portal of the AStA of RWTH Aachen University

Federal Employment Agency

Further information (also on social security contributions, taxes, minimum wage) can be found at

https://www.internationale-studierende.de/en/during-your-studies/jobbing

https://www.daad.de/en/studying-in-germany/work-career/side-jobs/

https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/germany/everyday-life/work/

https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/study-vocational-training/studies-in-germany/work

https://www.bmas.de/DE/Arbeit/Arbeitsrecht/Mindestlohn/Mindestlohn-und-Praktikum/mindestlohn-praktikum.html