Important formalities and next steps after admission

We recommend that you inform yourself about the student visa application process, the required documents and appointment waiting times at the responsible visa office as early as possible, as visa processing and issuance can take several months. Our university does not have any influence in the visa process and also cannot speed up the process in any way.

Once you have received your acceptance letter from the university, you can start organising a visa.

No visa is required for students with citizenship of an EU/EEA country. All you need is a valid identity card or passport. This also applies to some other countries. Contact the Federal Foreign Office to find out whether you are able to enter Germany without a visa.

All other students need to apply for a visa at the German Embassy or Consulate General in their country of residence. The addresses are listed on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.

The admission letter and in some cases an enrolment certificate are the most crucial documents to obtain a student visa.

After you obtained the letter of admission you first need to formally accept your study seat and start the enrolment process in the ►HISinOne-portal.

Please note: only enrolled after you completed the enrolment process in the portal and paid the semester fee you are enrolled and can receive an enrolment certificate.

You should start looking for a room or an apartment in Nordhausen even before you leave for Germany. For tips and links, go to the section on “Accommodation” on the webpage Living and studying in Nordhausen.

You can find futher information and instructions how to get to Nordhausen and the university here.

Please also note and consider the following:

1. the latest arrival time at German airports, so that your onward journey and arrival in Nordhausen on the same day is still possible.Otherwise you may have to look for temporary accommodation. 
2. buses or trains may be delayed or canceled. If possible, take an earlier connection and plan with a buffer of 1-2 hours.
3. if you have already found accommodation, please arrange a specific time and meeting point with the landlord to hand over the keys to the accommodation.
   In general, it is not possible to hand over the keys/ move in on public holidays/ weekends and after 3 pm on working days. 

Kindly note that the International Office can't individually support or help students on short notice. We recommend that you register for our buddy programme and ask your buddy for advice or support.

Please personally meet with your landlord and sign the tenancy agreement after you carefully checked it.. If you got a room in the student hall of residence, you will need to contact the housing manager of Studierendenwerk Thüringen (student services) for this. In both cases you will receive the signed tenancy agreement along with a confirmation of your residency address. This document is needed for submission at the residence registration office (check 6. on this page).

You can pick up your student card (thoska) approx. two weeks before the start of each semester during the service hours of our Student-Service-Centre (SSZ) in building 18, 1st floor (check Campus Map).

At the same time, the Student-Service-Centre will ask you about your German address and any other documents or details we need from you. 

Please regularly check the information for first-semester students for any updates and make sure that you attend the introduction week of the university, which takes place in the first week of each semester.
There will be further explanations and instructions about how to enrol in the courses, how to use the student learning platform Moodle, exam registration etc.

Anyone studying in Germany has to provide proof of health insurance when they enrol. The first thing you need to do here is check whether the health insurance from your home country will also cover you in Germany. If not, you will have to take out German health insurance. Students over the age of 30 cannot be insured by German statuory health insurance and must take one from private providers. For further information, check this page or this page.

Whatever the case, you are obliged to provide a proof of health insurance  to the Student-Service-Centre (SSZ).
Students with statuory health insurance can request their provider to send the insurance certificate electronically to the university (so-called "M10-report")

IMPORTANT: If you fail to provide proof of your health insurance status, the Student Service Center (SSZ) has to exmatriculate you (=cancel your enrolment).

The following health insurance companies have branches in Nordhausen:

AOK
Rautenstr. 8/8a
99734 Nordhausen

Barmer
Bahnhofstr. 18
99734 Nordhausen

BKK VBU
Bahnhofstr. 19c
99734 Nordhausen

DAK
Rautenstr. 36
99734 Nordhausen

IKK
Bahnhofstr. 22
99734 Nordhausen

TK
Vor dem Hagentor 5
99734 Nordhausen

The next thing we recommend you do is go to a bank and open a German current account. This is normally free of charge for students. This account can then be used to make all your regular payments such as your rent or health insurance. You will also be able to withdraw cash from your account free of charge in many places across Germany.

The first thing you need to do after that is transfer the semester payment, ensuring you get proof of payment as this is required for enrolment.

Residence registration:

Once you have a fixed address, you are obliged to register at the residents’ registration office
(German: Einwohnermeldeamt Nordhausen - Bürgerservices) within two weeks after moving into your accommodation in Nordhausen.

The following documents are required:

• Filled and signed registration form
• Copy of your passport and visa page
• Tenancy Agreement including confirmation from your landlord ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung")

You can either send the documents via mail to the following address:
Neues Rathaus
Markt 15
99734 Nordhausen
OR send the documents scanned via E-mail.

Application for residence permit:

Entry visas for Germany are initially only valid for three to six months. Students must apply for a longer-term residence permit from the relevant immigration authority before the visa expires.

The relevant immigration authority for Nordhausen is part of the district administration office
(German: Landratsamt Nordhausen - Fachgebiet Ausländerwesen):

Address: Behringstraße 3, 99734 Nordhausen
Telephone: +49 3631 911-3100
Web: Landratsamt Nordhausen
Office hours

The following documents are required and can be submitted personally during the office hours or electronically via E-mail (recommended):

• filled application form
• Passport
• Visa page
• Confirmation of residence registration from the relevant authorities (see 6. Registering with the authorities)
• Two passport photos
• Certificate of student status with expected duration of studies (can be downloaded from QISPOS system)
• Proof of health insurance (see 3. Health insurance)
• Proof of sufficient financial resources

Students with EEA/EU citizenship do not normally need a work permit since they have the same rights as German citizens. 

The following applies to students from other countries whose residence permit was issued for the purpose of studying in Germany: parallel to their studies, students are entitled to work 120 full or 240 half days per (calendar) year. Anything beyond this requires the approval of the immigration authorities and the Federal Employment Agency (Section 16, para. 3 of the German Residence Act). In such cases, students will have to apply for a work permit from the immigration authorities.

This legislation does not apply to compulsory internships and part-time student jobs (work as a tutor, student assistant, etc.).

Internships and jobs can be found through the Federal Employment Agency and/or are advertised at the internship office's portal.

In case your residence permit/ student visa expires before the end of your studies, you are obliged to apply for an extension at the Foreigners' Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) responsible for your place of residence in due time (approx. 2 months before expiry).

In addition, you will need a statement from the International Office regarding the prospects of success of your studies. For issuing this document we need the following documents from you:

• most recent study confirmation from the QISPOS system
• most recent Transcript of Records from QISPOS system
• (if courses not appear in the transcript yet) list of registered course exams in the previous semester
• Students writing Thesis: Thesis contract or Bachlor's or Master's thesis registration confirmation

Please submit your application for visa extension using the Application form in Moodle. We need a processing time of 1-2 weeks.

We also reserve the right to request further documents/proofs.

Please note: The International Office can only positively confirm a positive prospect if

• the standard period of study for the degree programme has not been exceeded by more than three semesters
• your academic performance shows that you are able to complete your studies in the near future (next 1-3 semesters)

The decision to accept or reject a residence permit/visa extension request, as well as the duration, lies soley upon the responsible immigration office - NOT the International Office of Hochschule Nordhausen.