Germany guide · verified 2026-07-04
After You Land in Germany: First-Weeks Checklist
After you land
Germany front-loads bureaucracy into your first weeks, in a strict order: register your address, then open a bank account and activate insurance, then convert your visa into a residence permit, then enrol. Miss the sequence and everything else stalls.
Register your address (Anmeldung) within 14 days
MandatoryBook an appointment at the local Bürgeramt / Einwohnermeldeamt and register your residence within 14 days of moving in. Bring your passport, visa, the completed registration form, and the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). You receive a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) and, shortly after, your tax ID by post.
When: Within 14 days of moving inYou get: Meldebescheinigung, needed for the bank account, residence permit, and almost everything else.Late registration can be fined (up to €1,000 under Bundesmeldegesetz §54). If appointments are scarce, book the earliest slot and keep proof you booked within 14 days.Open a German bank account and unlock the blocked funds
RecommendedWith the Meldebescheinigung and passport, open a German current account (Girokonto). Link it to your blocked account so the €992/month releases to you. Many banks offer free student accounts.
You get: A local account receiving your monthly blocked-account release.Activate statutory health insurance
MandatorySwitch from travel/incoming insurance to German statutory student health insurance (e.g. TK, AOK, Barmer), enrolment at the university requires proof of insurance, and it is legally mandatory. Budget roughly €141 to 151/month (2026). Statutory student cover is generally only open to students under 30; older students usually need private insurance.
You get: Insurance confirmation for university enrolment.Enrol at the university (Immatrikulation)
MandatoryComplete in-person enrolment: present admission letter, passport/visa, Anmeldung, health insurance proof, and pay the semester contribution if outstanding. You receive your student ID / matriculation certificate, which is itself required for the residence permit.
You get: Matriculation certificate + student ID (often includes a transport ticket).Apply for your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) at the Ausländerbehörde
MandatoryBefore the entry visa expires, apply at the local foreigners' authority (Ausländerbehörde) for the student residence permit (§16b AufenthG). Bring: passport, Anmeldung, matriculation certificate, blocked-account proof, health insurance, biometric photos, and the fee. You give biometrics and receive an electronic residence permit card (eAT).
When: Before the entry visa expiresCost: €100 for first issuance (AufenthV §45); extensions slightly lessYou get: Electronic residence permit (eAT) authorising your full study stay.Settle the essentials: transport ticket, SIM, broadcasting fee
Transport is the big student win: most universities offer the Deutschland-Semesterticket, a heavily discounted version of the nationwide Deutschlandticket that gives UNLIMITED regional and local public transport across all of Germany. It costs around €34.80/month (≈ €208.80/semester in winter 2025/26, rising to ~€37.80/month for 2026/27) and is usually paid through, or added on top of, the semester contribution. Buying the standalone Deutschlandticket instead costs €63/month (2026), so the student version is the one to get. Also: grab a German SIM (prepaid is easiest at first), and note the household broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag, €18.36/month) is per dwelling, students in shared flats should coordinate so it is not paid twice.
Confirm whether your university auto-includes the Deutschland-Semesterticket or requires an opt-in, it's the cheapest way to travel Germany-wide.
Nearly every later step, bank account, residence permit, tax ID, sometimes a phone contract, asks for your Meldebescheinigung first. Do the Anmeldung before anything else.
Unlike many countries, Germany legally requires you to physically register your home address with the city (Anmeldung) within 14 days, telling the authorities exactly where you live. It is not optional and not the same as university enrolment.
Where this fits
This is one step of the full Germany journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on Germany
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.