Before Your Arrival

It is important that you prepare the following aspects before your departure to Passau. We have put together an overview of the key points to consider. We would also be happy to offer further help.

Visa/entry requirements: The visa application can be time consuming. Thus, we suggest you to look into this matter as early as possible. You must apply for a visa from a German diplomatic representation in your home country or from a country you are currently living in before you plan to enter Germany.

Health insurance: In Germany, you are required to have valid health insurance. You must have it from the day you arrive. Please check in time which insurance cover will be necessary for you.

Finding accommodation: Finding suitable accommodation in Passau can be a difficult process and requires patience. You should start looking for accommodation ahead of time.

Driving licence: If you want to drive a car in Germany, you will need a driving licence that is valid in Germany. The driving licence from your home country will be valid for six months. Afterwards, you will need to convert it into a German licence.

Important documents: We recommend you to bring certified copies of important documents or the original itself along with you (including certified translation if applicable).

Travelling to Passau: Make sure to inform your contact person at the faculty level and the Welcome Centre about your flight schedule and time of arrival. The nearest international airport is Munich Airport, 2.5 hours from Passau.

At a Glance: Documents You Should Bring With You

If you and your family are moving to Germany temporarily, we recommend you to bring certified copies and originals of the following documents (including certified translations if applicable) with you in order to facilitate the completion of the bureaucratic steps necessary upon your arrival.

Passport/ID: Issued within the last ten years and with at least three months validity left after the planned date of departure from Passau.

Biometric passport pictures: Required for visa or residence permit applications. It is advisable to bring along four to six passport pictures of you and the family members travelling with you. Of course, you can have pictures taken in Passau, too.

Visa: Submit your visa application as early as possible, since the process takes at least four to six weeks, and sometimes even longer than a year.

Credit/debit card: For your first days in Germany, you may need an international credit/debit card to withdraw money— make sure it will work in Germany. Otherwise, make sure you have enough cash to cover your expenses during your first few days in Passau (i.e. until you are able to open a local bank account).

Birth certificate: Sometimes required to register with the Immigrations Office in Passau, also required for the family members accompanying you.

Marriage certificate: Required to register with the Immigrations Office, also required for your spouse’s residence permit (If applicable).

Proof of funding for your stay: Required for visa or residence permit applications (e.g. employment contract, salary slip, scholarship certificate). Written confirmation from a professor that he/she is willing to supervise your thesis project. This is required for visa or residence permit applications and when you enrol as a doctoral student.

University entrance qualification (original copy and certified English/German translation if applicable): This is required for enrolling as a doctoral student or when signing an employment contract.

Degree certificates (original copies and certified English/German translations if applicable): This is required for enrolling as a doctoral student or when signing an employment contract.

Proof of admission to doctoral study: Required when applying for a visa or residence permit

(Travel) health insurance certificate: Required when applying for a visa or residence permit.

Copy of your medical records: Sometimes required by health insurance companies.

International certificate of vaccination or prophylaxis: You can find a list of vaccines that are required to enter Germany on the World Health Organization website. Talk to your doctor in your home country and get vaccinated at least four to six weeks before departure, if required. Some vaccines require more than one dose, make sure there is enough time for you to get them before you travel to Germany. Once in Passau, we recommend you to get a vaccination against TBE (in German: FSME), a disease transmitted by ticks.

International driving permit: The driving licence from your home country will be valid for six months. Afterwards you will need to convert it into a German licence.

In order to finance your stay at the University of Passau, you can apply for any regular vacant position. Please check our job vacancies.

There are also various funding sources for short- or medium-term stays:
EURAXESS database for for national and international funding opportunities
Visiting scholars programmes of our faculties.

Visa and Entry Regulations

Immigration regulations in Germany are complex and you may need to jump a few bureaucratic hoops to live and work in Passau. The website of the Federal For­eign Office offers answers to all questions you may have about entering Germany. All impor­tant information and forms can be found in the Entry & Residence section.

We are here to help you and support you in all processes.

What is a Visa?

A visa permits one to legally enter a coun­try. The European Community has abol­ished the visa requirement for certain countries for visits up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

You will either need a Schengen visa (short-term – up to 90 days), a nation­al visa (long-term stay – longer than 90 days) or a research visa (simultaneously is­sued with a residence permit for research purposes) to enter the Federal Republic of Germany.

Who needs a Visa?

A visa is required depending on one’s coun­try of origin, the duration and the pur­pose of planned visit. Are you interested in knowing whether you need a visa to enter Germany or not? The website of the Federal Foreign Office provides an over­view of visa requirements and exemptions for entry into the Federal Republic of Germa­ny. Which visa is needed depends on the individual case.

Visa-free entry

As a rule, citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) are entitled to freedom of move­ment and thus do not require a visa to enter Germany. You must, however, have a valid passport or national ID card for entry, residency and work. Are you staying longer than 90 days in Germany? Then you have to register your residence at the Immigration Office in Passau (Ausländeramt).

Address:
Stadt Passau, Rathaus Altes Zollamt
Rathausplatz 1
94032 Passau

After registration, citizens of the EU and EEA enjoy employee’s freedom of movement. Thus, they do not require a permit to take up employment. Please notice that there is a restriction for citizens of Romania and Bulgaria.

Feel free to contact us should you have any further questions.

Visa Application Procedure

Step 1
Collect information about which documents you will need to pres­ent early on.

Step 2
Arrange your appointment at a German Embassy as early as possible.

Step 3
Gather all documents and fill in the visa application form.

Checklist for the visa application

For further information, please visit the following websites:

• https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en    
• https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/visas/
• https://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/topics/migration/migration-node.html
• https://www.bamf.de/EN  
• https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/   

Passau is a university town and one often has to spend 40 percent of the monthly salary/fellowship on rent. Therefore, we recommend starting to look for a place to live in good time; a good rule of thumb is to start at least three months before the beginning of your stay. The University of Passau does not have guesthouses for interna­tional visiting academics. For a transi­tional phase, you could live in a hotel or a boarding house.

Since it can be difficult to find accom­modation from overseas, the Welcome Centre is more than happy to advise and support you. Please register with the Welcome Centre via our MoveOn online form and tell us the most important details of your stay, e.g. the duration of your stay, the date of arrival, what type of accom­modation you prefer and the maximum monthly budget you would like to spend on accommodation. Sadly, we cannot guarantee you that we will find a suitable accommodation.

As a rule, apartments in Germany are not necessarily furnished and may not even have a kitchen installed. Fully furnished accommodations are more expensive than unfurnished ones. Fully furnished apart­ments are available mostly for short-term rent and are usually quite small. Depend­ing on which type of accommodation you prefer, the monthly rental costs are between 350 to 650 Euro (11 to 14 Euro per square meter) and more.

Proprietors usually require a deposit of three months’ rent when you move in, which will be returned to you at the end of the rental period, assuming you leave your accommodation in good condi­tion.

You should also look for accommoda­tion by yourself. If you find accommodation on your own, we are glad to support you if you have questions regarding the rental contract. As most rental contracts will be in German and the rental conditions may differ from the ones in your country of origin, we are there to explain the important components of the rental contract. Additionally, it is good to know that many proprietors use abbreviations in their advertisements. Here you can find a list with the most common abbreviations.

Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and Vacation Apartments in Passau

On its website, the Tourism Office of the City of Passau offers various short-term accommodation options. The informa­tion is available in German, English and French. If you are interested in a particular accommodation, please let us know. We will gladly book it for you.

Service Charges Related to Accommoda­tion – 'Nebenkosten'

Electricity, Gas and Water

Electricity, gas and water can be obtained via Stadtwerke Passau, the public utility company. Please sign up and unsubscribe when moving in/out. This is conveniently done online at www.stadtwerke-passau.de. The website is only available in German but should you have any questions we are happy to help.

License Fee – 'Rundfunkbeitrag'

In Germany, every household has to pay a fee for public service broadcasting ('Rundfunkbeitrag'). The rule is simple: one fee for every unit of accommodation, which includes flats, apartments or rooms in a hall of residence. The licence fee is not linked to a broadcasting device: it is irrele­vant how many TVs, radios or computers there are at your accommodation.

The licence fee is 17.50 Euro per month and is only paid once per household. The fee only has to be paid by persons aged 18 or above. Privately used vehicles are also covered by this fee. If you live in a shared flat — i.e. a shared household — then only one person has to register to pay the licence fee (and you can split the cost among yourselves). If you have rented a room in a hall of residence, you will need to pay the full fee yourself.

You can sign up for the Rundfunkbeitrag online via https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/. Please note that the website is only available in German. Should you need any help feel free to contact us.

Worth Knowing in Advance

Accommodation inspection when mov­ing out - 'Wohnungsabnahme'

Usually the proprietor requests a depos­it the amount of up to three monthly instalments. The money should be repaid to you when you move out. The deposit can be used to repair damages in the apartment caused by you. When you move out, the proprietor will deduct the cost of any necessary repairs from the deposit and pay back the remaining amount. Please look at the exact rules in your contract. If you have left the flat in good condition, the whole amount should be transferred back in full.

Before you move in, you should make an appointment with the proprietor and take a close look at the apartment to­gether. Let them note down all de­fects on a list (transfer protocol), so that you will not be accused of damages you did not cause. The transfer protocol will be signed by the proprietor and you; one copy will remain in your possession.

Hosting friends or family members

Are friends or family visiting you during your stay in Passau? Make sure to get per­mission from your proprietor that they can stay with you. Please do not assume that your guests can stay with you without asking first.

Pets

Please get your proprietor’s written per­mission if you wish to keep a pet, since pets might not be allowed in your apartment.

Subletting – 'Untervermietung'

Subletting is often prohibited in rental agreements between the owner and the tenant. How­ever, provided it is allowed, the tenant can charge the subtenant rent.

Passau is about 2.5 hours away from Mu­nich Airport. For travelling between Mu­nich Airport and Passau, you can use the so-called Bayern-Ticket, which is valid for the bus (635) and trains (RE, S1). The Bayern-Ticket is cheaper if purchased at the ticket-machine located in the cen­tral area of the airport ('Zentralbereich') but you can also book it in advance, and check your itinerary at the German rail website (www.bahn.de). This ticket allows you any number of trips within the given timeframe. The ticket is available as a day- and as a night-version. Please remember to fill in your name on the ticket. More information can be found in our Welcome Guide or on the homepage of Deutsche Bahn.