For this reason, I thought I would provide a rough (yet perhaps somewhat helpful) guide for Americans trying to set up shop in Germany. (And by "set up shop" I really just mean "live." Actually setting up a shop would likely mean a gazillion more Behörden, Formulare, and Bestätigungen about which I have not the slightest clue.)
1. Before You Go:
Find out the order in which you need to go to particular offices.
Before you leave America, it is a good idea to investigate which offices you need to visit and in which order you need to visit them. The order may vary depending on the Bundesland you will be living in. You can usually find this information buried somewhere in the depths of the city's or province's homepage. If you are planning to attend university in Germany, get in touch with their Auslandsamt via email, and ask the zuständige person for advice. (German universities usually have an international office or at least one person who advises international students. However, these people are often very busy, so contact them far enough in advance to give them time to respond.)
Make sure you have everything you need.
This, too, will vary depending on what you intend to do in Germany and where you intend to live. However, there are some basic things you will likely need at some point:
a) Your Passport - Duh. You can't get into the country without it. But you will also need to show your passport to practically every office you go to around here. And nearly everyone who asks for it will first look down at your picture, then skeptically back up at you, then back down at the picture. They will then thumb through your passport, checking out all your stamps to see where you've been (even if this is completely unnecessary). Finally, they will go make a photocopy of it. I think there has to be at least 50 copies of my current passport hanging out in various files in Germany. Oh - and speaking of copies, it's not a bad idea to keep a few of your own on file, just in case.
b) Biometrische Fotos - You'll need some very serious-looking passport photos to give various offices. And as you can see in the photos below, the Germans do not want you looking smug, coy, shifty, or even happy. So put your serious face on, and get some pictures taken before you go.
c) Proof of Health Insurance - The Germans require you to be insured. If you do not have health insurance, you will need to get it while in Germany.
d) Any and all letters of invitation, official documents, or other correspondence you have regarding your stay in Germany - Some offices won't believe that someone in Germany has actually asked you to be here. If a university, business, or other institution has officially invited you, bring a copy of that letter along. If it has signatures and an official-looking stamp on it, all the better. (Note: If you're planning on doing graduate studies at a German university, you should get a German professor to invite you. You often need a letter from him to get registered.)
e) Your current student ID (if you have one) - It's not what the Germans want to see when you're opening a student bank account, but they will often hesitatingly accept it as proof that you are, in fact, a student. Student IDs also get you mad discounts at the movies, museums, and other places.
f) Other necessary documents (see below) - If you're registering for university, you will need other documents to prove you're not a high-school dropout. If you're planning to work, you will probably need something showing how you are more competent than a German to perform the duties required by the job.
2. Get a German bank account.Although it may seem to be a hassle, opening a German bank account is practically necessary if you plan on living in Germany for more than a few months. First, many German stores do not accept credit cards, and since most U.S. banks only allow you to withdraw a certain amount of money per-day, you may find yourself in a pickle when trying to buy something expensive. (There are also generally fees associated with withdrawing cash from a foreign ATM, which can pile up over time.) Second, although they do not accept credit cards, many stores will accept "ec-Karten", which works like a debit card and also serves as your ATM card. (Plus, if you are a smoker, the Zigarettenautomaten require you to insert your ec-Card as proof of your age before you can get your cigarettes. Pain in the ass if you don't have one!) Finally, Germans don't usually use checks. Rather, they pay their rent, bills, and other debts via bank transfer, or Überweisung. It is very difficult (and expensive) to transfer money from an American bank account, but if you have a German account, it is easy as pie (especially these days with online banking). You can even set up Daueraufträge to automatically pay your bills each month.
For all these reasons, I would try to open a bank account as soon as possible. In some areas, you must have your Mietvertrag (rental lease) to open a bank account. In others (like where I am living now), the Hausverwaltung needs your bank information before they will sign a lease with you. (You can see why this gets confusing!) It is also the case that many German banks offer students a free checking account (Girokonto) and free online banking. In fact, Germans prefer that you do all your transactions at the ATM or online. For this reason, they often charge a fee for doing any of your banking in person (i.e., at the bank). However, to open a Studentenkonto, you will need your student ID, your passport, and sometimes a piece of mail addressed to you at your German address (to show that you are a resident there). Currently, I am with the Sparkasse, but I have also banked with the Volksbank. Both are quite good, and the Sparkasse gives you a tin of bon-bons and a pen when you open an account with them! (The pen is good for signing the millions of forms you have to fill out to open the account.) I have also heard good things about the Postbank and Comdirect.
3. Get registered with the University.
Even if you're not planning on doing any long-term studying at the local Uni, if you're under 30, it's always a good idea to try and register with the university as an Austauschstudent(in) anyway. The registration fees for exchange students are often very low, and for around €200, you can usually get a SemesterTicket, which may or may not be identical to your Studentenausweis. The SemesterTicket allows you to travel for free within a certain radius (sometimes up to 200 km) on all the regional Verkehrsmittel - including trains! Thus, it pays itself off in no time. You can take all the buses, subways (U-Bahn), and streetcars (S-Bahn) around town without having to pay, and should you choose to do any traveling, you will always be able to go at least a certain portion of the way on regional trains (RB, RE, EC, IC) for free. (I also recommend the BahnCard 25 or 50, if you plan to travel a lot by train.) Your student ID will also allow you to eat for cheap in the university cafeteria (Mensa) and to receive discounts at various local stores and events.
However, the Einschreibung at the university can sometimes be tricky. The American and German educational systems are quite different, so I recommend getting in touch with the relevant persons at the Uni before you leave to see what they need from you. In some cases, they will want a photo + copies of your passport, your high school diploma, your college diploma (if you are applying for grad school), your master's degree (if you are applying to a PhD program), and your letter of invitation from a particular Fachbereich (if applicable). They sometimes also want proof of funding (bank account info, proof of scholarship/fellowship, etc.). Finally, it never hurts to have copies of your transcript(s), so you can show the admissions office where you are in your studies.
Some universities are trickier than others. In Münster, I was basically able to talk my way into a SemesterTicket by showing the guy the Fulbright-sponsored visa in my passport and giving him a copy of my B.A. diploma. In Marburg, however, it's taken weeks of back-and-forth emails and meetings to get registered, though this is partially due to the kind of program I am in. Nevertheless, it is totally worth it!
4. Get your Mietvertrag and go to the Einwohnermeldeamt.
Once you've settled in, you will need to register at the residency office in the Stadtbüro. In some areas, you need only your passport to do this. You can fill out the form at the Einwohnermeldeamt while you are waiting your turn to go sit at a desk with someone who will peruse your passport skeptically and make another photocopy of it. In other regions, you need a signed rental lease to get registered, so you may want to do that first. (You will need the Mietvertrag for the Ausländerbehörde anyway, so you might as well get it right away.) Note: If you have been registered anywhere in Germany before, bring the old address with you. The Germans don't only want to know where you are, but also where you've been.
5. Get registered at the Ausländerbehörde.
Although they are often found in the same building, while the Einwohnermeldeamt is usually pretty easygoing, the Ausländerbehörde is much more strict. These are the people who are going to give you your Aufenthaltsbewilligung (residency permit), which is necessary if you want to live in Germany for 3+ months. (A normal American tourist visa lasts for up to 3 months.) The Ausländerbehörde will need at least the following documents (if you are registering as a student): passport (Pass), your form from the Einwohnermeldeamt, rental lease (Mietvertrag), proof of health insurance (Bescheinigung der Krankenkasse), proof of being a student (Studentenausweis und Studienbescheinigung), proof of scholarship (Stipendienbestätigung) or other proof of funding, and a biometrisches Foto (see above).
6. Don't throw anything away!
Keep a file that contains all your documents. Everytime you get a new Bescheinigung, Bestätigung, or Zeugnis, file it away with all the others. At some point during your stay, you will probably need it!
A few tips to leave you with:
- The order in which you must complete the above tasks will vary from city to city and province to province. Make sure you know what your city requires to avoid redundant trips to various offices.
- Often the different offices will have different hours. Check online before you go to see when the offices you need to visit are open. (For example, the Einwohnermeldeamt and the Ausländerbehörde may be in the same building, but, say, on Thursdays the former may be open only in the afternoon, whereas the latter is open only in the morning.)
- Don't fret! You can always ask the person behind the desk to speak more slowly or to explain something carefully. They are used to dealing with foreigners, and although they may seem unfriendly, they are very efficient at their jobs and will convey to you what you need to know.
- Try to speak German. Although most of the people you will be dealing with can speak English, they take very well to your attempt to speak their language.
- Be friendly, but not overfriendly. Although the German administrative types appear to be "all business," they respond very well to polite gestures. Smile and greet them appropriately ("Hallo" or "Guten Tag"), ask questions politely, and say things like "einen schönen Tag noch," when you leave.
- When you're done, throw back a few German beers on the Terasse to remind yourself why it's all worth it!
Wow, that Stadtbüro looks really "inviting." I guess the architect who designed it needed to pass a special test to get an appropriate Zertifikat (or should it be Erlaubnis) to create such foreboding monstrosity.
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