Welcome Guide

Your entry to Germany

You can apply for an entry visa at the German embassy or consulate in your home country. Information on visa requirements and an overview of German missions abroad can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office. The Visa Navigator of the Federal Foreign Office also provides a good overview. People with citizenship from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the USA do not require a visa to enter Germany. For longer stays of more than 90 days, however, you will need a residence permit. You can apply for this after entering Germany.
If you are travelling from other non-European countries, you will need a Schengen visa (research stay up to 90 days) or a national visa (research stay over 90 days), depending on the duration and purpose of your stay.

Residence permit

Regardless of whether you have entered Germany with or without a visa, you must apply for a residence permit. This is done at the immigration office responsible for you (e.g. BSU on the campus of the University of Bremen) or the immigration office in Bremerhaven. You can find an overview of the documents required for the application on the websites. The Welcome Centre will support you at any time if you have questions or problems.

Living in Bremen and Bremerhaven

Most accommodation in Germany is rented or sold unfurnished. Furnished flats and rooms are also available. Demand is generally high and we therefore recommend that you look for accommodation in good time. A key question that immediately arises when searching for flats is which district is best suited to your personal preferences. We have summarised various offers for Bremen and Bremerhaven for you here.

City Registration

In the service portal of the City of Bremen, you can book an appointment online at one of the citizens' registration offices. Please book an appointment here if you live in Bremerhaven. Alternatively, you can also make an appointment by telephone on the service number 0421/115.
You will need the following documents to register with the city:

•     the completed registration form as a single person or with partner and family
•     the landlord's confirmation of residence completed by the landlord (only for rental properties; you can obtain the document from your landlord on request)
•     a proof of identity card/passport (of all family members)
•     Marriage certificate (if available)

Please note that all family members must be present in person at the city registration appointment.

City Registration

Irrespective of the type of accommodation, every person moving into a flat in Germany is required to register directly with the City of Bremen. In cooperation with the Citizens' Registration Office of the City of Bremen, you can register at the Welcome Center. Please come to our office (SFG 0330) during our office hours (Monday and Thursday from 10am-12pm).
The following documents are required

•     the completed registration form as a single person or with partner and family
•     the landlord's confirmation of residence completed by the landlord (only for rental properties; you can obtain the document from your landlord on request)
•     a proof of identity card/passport (for all family members)
•     a marriage certificate and birth certificate of the children (if available, notarised translation)

Please keep the registration certificate in a safe place.

Learning German

Learning German makes arriving in Bremen much easier. The Welcome Centre therefore offers exclusive German courses for researchers from the University of Bremen and the U Bremen Research Alliance. The courses are run in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and the Language Centre of the State of Bremen as well as the institutes of the U Bremen Research Alliance and are suitable for both advanced and beginners. Each semester, weekly courses (extensive) are offered at different course levels for a small participation fee. Registration at the Welcome Center is required to participate in a German course.
Family members cannot participate in the courses. We recommend courses at language schools such as the Volkshochschule (VHS), Casa, Aristoteles-Institut or the Paritätisches Bildungswerk.

Our Dual Career Network

The U Bremen Research Alliance supports researchers in achieving the best possible work-life balance. Our Dual Career Welcome Service can support you in finding a suitable job for your partner in Bremen or outside the Alliance. The Dual Career Network is a network of recruitment agencies in the Bremen area that are active in the business world. Please contact your future employer. To take advantage of this service, you must register with the Welcome Center.

Relocate with children under 6

In order to give your whole family a good start and a pleasant stay in Bremen and Bremerhaven, we offer our support in finding kindergarten places. Attending a kindergarten is voluntary.
There are crèches for children under the age of three and kindergartens for children over the age of three. Full-day care with lunch is often possible in both types of facility. However, the number of places available in Bremen and Bremerhaven is very limited. Therefore, the same applies here: Take care of a place as early as possible.

The city of Bremen offers the digital daycare centre portal for registering for a childcare place in Bremen. You can use this online portal to get an overview of all the daycare centres in Bremen and obtain lots of important information about the individual facilities. The Kita-Portal is used exclusively for registering for child daycare and offers the opportunity to register your child in up to three centres of your choice. You can also check the status of your enrolment online. Please only register once!
There is a charge for attending a crèche until the child turns 3 years old. The costs for childcare vary depending on the service (duration, with or without lunch). In the case of public facilities, they also depend on the parents' income. From the age of 3, childcare is free of charge (only lunch is charged).
A so-called 'Kita Pass' is required for enrolment at a daycare centre. The kindergarten where your child is enrolled for the first time will take care of this.

Compulsory schooling

In order to give your entire family a good start and a pleasant stay in Bremen and Bremerhaven, we offer our support in the search for school places.
School attendance is compulsory for all children living in Germany from the age of 6 to 18. Most schools in Bremen are publicly funded and attendance is free of charge (the only costs incurred are for lunch). There are some privately-run schools that charge school fees.
In Bremen and Bremerhaven, children from the age of 6 attend a 4-year primary school. These are district-based, which means that children are assigned to a primary school depending on where they live. After that, parents are free to choose a secondary school for their children. Here you are no longer bound to the neighbourhood. If your child does not speak sufficient German, a preliminary course will be organised by the receiving school. You do not have to organise this separately.
If you have any problems or questions regarding the choice of school, please do not hesitate to contact us. If your children will be attending school in Bremen for longer than 12 months, please register them directly here.
If your child will be attending school for less than 12 months, please contact the Welcome Centre for individual advice.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is compulsory for everyone in Germany. You will need proof of health insurance to obtain a residence permit and to conclude an employment contract, among other things. The insurance must at least cover medical treatment in the event of acute illness and accidents.

In Germany, you are insured by either a statutory or a private health insurance company. If you sign an employment contract, you are required to have statutory insurance up to a certain income limit. The contributions are paid equally by the employer and employee. Spouses and children under 25 who are not working can be insured free of charge under the statutory insurance scheme. If you come to Germany on a scholarship, you can usually choose between statutory and private health insurance. We will be happy to advise you personally at the Welcome Centre.

Further Insurances

There is also non-mandatory insurance, such as liability insurance, which comes into force in the event of damage to third parties. Taking out liability insurance is highly recommended.

All persons working in Germany, regardless of their nationality, are obliged to pay contributions to the German pension insurance scheme. People who are employed in the public sector are also insured under the VBL company pension scheme.

The Welcome Centre regularly offers workshops on the German social security and pension system.