| Universität Bielefeld > International > Information for internationally mobile scientists and their families > Preparations |
Contact the Welcome Service! As soon as you know that you will be staying at Bielefeld University please contact the Welcome Service.
Check your passport! To enter Germany you will need a valid passport or an equivalent identity document (identity card or driver's licence is not sufficient). Please note that this passport must be valid at least until the end of your stay in Germany and, if you want to extend your stay, correspondingly longer. Please make sure that you always use the same spelling of your names.
Check entry regulations and apply for visa! If you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country, you and possibly accompanying family members need a valid residence title in order to enter and stay in Germany. You can apply for a visa at the German Embassy in your home country or a German consulate representing the area in which you are registered or usually live. To know more about visa regulations, please click here.
Arrange for health insurance and other insurances! You should get into contact with a health insurance company before entering Germany to be sure that any problems can be clarified in good time and that the insurance cover is valid from your very first day in Germany. You can also contact the Welcome Service for this issue. To know more about health insurance, please click here.
Plan ahead for housing! Bielefeld University offers its international visitors three attractive accommodation options: Apartments at the International Meeting Centre IBZ, the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and the University Apartments, all of them located in direct neighbourhood to the University. However, the capacity of these university guesthouses is limited. So please, get in touch with the Welcome Service as early as possible. To know more about housing in Bielefeld, please click here.
Bring the right clothes! Please consider the climate in Bielefeld when deciding what kind of clothes to bring with you. Bielefeld has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. However, you also have to be prepared for cold and rain even in summer. Thus it is certainly recommendable to bring some warm clothing with you from home.
Learning German is easy and fun! If at all possible, it would be a good idea to start acquiring some basic knowledge of German even before coming to Germany. You will see that your everyday life will be so much easier and so much more fun, when you are able to communicate with locals. Also, we recommend that you bring a dictionary or phrasebook in your own language with you as well as a travel or cultural guide produced in your own country. Of course there are also German courses at Bielefeld University. To learn more about these courses and the PunktUm Language Programm click here.
Please note that all electrical connections in Germany are 220-240 Volt, 50-Hertz a/c mains with European standard plugs. Therefore, check whether you need adapters and transformers for any electrical instruments you bring with you. These will probably be easier to find in your home country than in Germany.
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