FAQ

Depending on how long you are staying in Augsburg, you can either book a hotel room or rent an apartment.

Hotels

If you will only be in Augsburg for a short time, there is no need to rent an apartment. A hotel room will be perfectly adequate.

Please refer to the "Augsburg Tourismus" website for information.

Longer stays

The housing market in Augsburg is tight and shortages can occur. Therefore, please make sure to arrange accommodation in good time! You can start searching for an apartment on the private property market from your home country.

When you rent accommodation, you usually need to pay a deposit. This deposit is refunded when you move out (as long as you have not caused any damage).

Rent is composed of the basic rent and ancillary costs (e.g. electricity, gas, heating, internet, television license, waste collection, costs for a caretaker).

You will find advertisements for apartments on the following websites, for example:

Imobilienscout24

Immowelt

Wohnungsbörse

meinestadt.de

Null-Provision

Ebay Kleinanzeigen

If you have any questions, please contact the International Office.

Living costs

Costs that are incurred for accommodation, groceries, travel, clothing, leisure activities etc. are referred to as living costs.

The prices for groceries, accommodation, bills, clothing and entertainment are generally in line with the EU average. However, as compared to some European countries (e.g. Scandinavia), living costs in Germany are very reasonable. We cannot predict exactly how high your monthly outgoings will be, as the costs always depend on an individual's lifestyle.

You can find information about estimated living costs in Augsburg here: Research in Germany

Television license

As soon as you have moved into your apartment and registered in the town, you will receive a letter asking you to pay the television license (Rundfunkbeitrag).

The television license is a sort of tax that everyone must pay, regardless of whether you live in halls of residence, a private apartment or a house. This fee is €18.36 per month and is levied for every residence - regardless of how many people live there. The payment is collected by the "ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice". The regulation does not take into account the number of technical devices that a household has or whether these devices are used for receiving public programs.

Please find more information here: (Only in German available) https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/

In Germany, there is an obligation to register if you wish to stay for longer than three months. This means that you need to register with the registration office in your new place of residence. Re-registration is necessary also if you move within Germany. This obligation to register applies to everyone, regardless of whether you are living in Germany long-term or temporarily (e.g. for a short stay).

Registration must be done in person, no later than 14 days after moving into the new accommodation. Your address is registered and you receive a certificate of registration from the city of Augsburg. You will need the certificate to open a bank account, for example. No fee is charged for registration.

To register, you need the following documents:

• Passport or ID, visa if applicable
• Work contract
• Health insurance certificate
• Confirmation from housing provider 

If you come from a member country of the European Union or the European Economic Area, register at one of the Citizens' Offices of the city of Augsburg (Stadtmitte, Haunstetten, Kriegshaber or Hochzoll).

If you come from a country outside of Europe, you register at the Immigration Office Service Center.

Visa

Before travelling to Germany, refer to the web pages of the German Federal Foreign Office to determine whether you require a visa for your activity at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. To apply for a visa, contact the German embassy or German consulate (foreign representation) in your home country. The documents needed to apply for a visa can differ from country to country.

As a rule, you need the following documents to apply for a visa:

• Two completed application forms
• Two biometric passport photos
• Proof of residence: Your driving license and/or utility bill with your name as proof of residence in the area of the consulate where you wish to apply.
• Valid passport: Ideally, apply for a passport that will be valid over the entire duration of your stay in Germany.
• Work contract of the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences.
• Up-to-date resumé and proof of qualifications
• Health insurance certificate: For entering Germany and your first few weeks after arrival, obtain travel health insurance in your home country that is valid for Germany. Once you have arrived in Augsburg, you should obtain German health insurance that is valid for the duration of your stay.
• Proof of a clean criminal record
• Proof of payment of visa fee

Caution: Processing of your visa application can take several weeks or even months. Submit your application in good time!

Do not enter Germany on a tourist visa. A tourist visa cannot always be converted to a work visa!

Residence permit

If you come from a country outside of Europe, you apply for a residence permit at the Immigration Office Service Center. In Augsburg, the Immigration Office Service Center is responsible for all legal matters relating to foreign nationals.

Make sure to apply for the residence permit before your visa expires. If you do not do this, you will have to leave Germany. Ideally, you should apply for your residence permit four weeks before your visa expires.

To apply for a residence permit, you require the following documents:

• Valid passport
• Application form for residence permit
• Health insurance certificate
• Proof of proficiency in German language
• 2 recent biometric passport photos
• Report of a clean criminal record

If you come from an EU country: You do not need a residence permit (EU freedom of movement). In Germany, there is an obligation to register. You can find out more about this on the page Registering with the town.

All employees in Germany need to have health insurance. You need valid health insurance when applying for a residence permit, for example.

As a rule, you need German health insurance. Contact one of the statutory health insurance companies. You have free choice of insurance company. We recommend that you choose a health insurance company in Augsburg to receive optimum service on location.

The health insurance company will issue a certificate of insurance that you can present to the immigration authority.

An exception applies to citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland. These persons require either a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or corresponding evidence of insurance cover in their home country.

If you already have health insurance (private or from your home country), please have it checked by the statutory health insurance company. If your health insurance is accepted, the health insurance company will provide you with a certificate of exemption from compulsory health insurance. Present this certificate to the immigration authority when applying for your residence permit.

Caution: Travel health insurance is not sufficient for your stay!

For longer stays, it is also advisable to take out other insurance, such as liability insurance or accident insurance. You can find information on this on the "Make-it-in-Germany" website

If you already opened a blocked account when applying for your visa, you can also set up a current account at a bank. From a current account, you can pay your bills and have your rent and health insurance contributions debited each month. It is important to have a German bank account, as foreign bank accounts are not accepted everywhere.

Many banks offer free current accounts if you have a monthly salary credited into the account.

To open a current account, you need the following documents:

• Passport or ID
• Work contract of the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences
• Certificate of registration from the city of Augsburg

After opening an account, you usually receive a debit card or EC card.

The PIN for your EC card is sent to you by post a few days after you open the account. You enter this PIN when you withdraw money from an ATM or pay with your EC card in most stores. In some stores, you need to sign the receipt when paying by EC card.

Caution: Make sure to keep the PIN of your EC card secret to avoid unauthorized access to your account.

Family

Please let us know if you wish to take your family with you to Germany as many additional aspects will need to be considered, e.g. visa requirements, childcare, schooling.

There is a dedicated University service for questions relating to family aspects.

German courses

Would you like to learn German? There are many ways to improve your knowledge of the German language and culture. Please contact the Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication to find a suitable course.

Car

If you have a car and travel to Germany with it, you can register it here. You can also apply for a resident parking permit.

If you have questions, please contact the International Office.