Guide for Foreign Students

After arriving in Germany, you must register your residential address (street, apartment, landlord) at the residence registration office (Bürgerbüro) within one week. To register at the residence registration office, you will need your valid passport. You must also complete the form Registration (PDF, 174 KB). You can register either in person or in writing.

During your stay in Germany, you will normally need a current account (to handle rental payments, telephone bills etc.). You are also required to have a savings account during your period of study in Germany. Your residence permit will be granted/ renewed only if you can provide proof that you possess a savings account with a current balance of at least 10,332 euros. The Foreigners Office can normally demand a blocking notice to limit the monthly amount that can be withdrawn.

You need proof of health insurance coverage or a corresponding exemption notice before you can enroll to study at university. Proof of adequate health insurance must be provided if a residence permit is to be granted/renewed for the purpose of academic study. If an exemption has been granted [by the university], you must therefore take out an insurance policy with a private health insurer.

You must go to the Munich Foreigners Office before your entry visa expires. If you already have a residence permit, you do not normally need to attend in person, unless your residence permit has been terminated due to a condition subsequent (e.g. a change to another course of study/ university). A residence permit will be granted/ renewed only if a corresponding application is submitted. You must therefore submit an application (PDF, 347 KB) to have your residence permit granted/ renewed.

Processing of your application for the granting/renewal of a residence permit can be finalized only if you:

• Register your address in Munich
• Submit a valid passport
• Provide proof of adequate funding
• Provide proof of adequate health insurance
• Provide proof of the purpose of your stay in Germany: a valid university registration, certification of admission to a German language course etc.
• Submit an application (PDF, 244 KB) (completed in full) for the granting/ renewal of a residence permit
• Submit a biometric passport photograph

Tax card
Students who are registered at universities can normally engage in gainful employment to a limited extent, insofar as this is expressly allowed in the residence permit. If you need an identification number/tax ID number (formerly: income tax card), you can obtain one from the Munich Revenue Office Service Center (Servicezentrum der Finanzämter München), Deroystr. 6, 80335 München.

Driver's license
If you are in possession of a foreign driver's license, you may need to have this license transferred in order to be able to drive a motor vehicle in Germany. You can apply to have your driver's license transferred at the Department of Public Order's driver vehicle licensing office (Kreisverwaltungsreferat, Führerscheinstelle) in Eichstätter Str. 2. Driving a motor vehicle without a valid license can lead to prosecution under criminal law.