FAQ

If you come to Germany to study, you have to register your new term-time address with the local Residents’ Registration Office. You will have to register within two weeks after your arrival in Aachen. Depending on the location of your new home, you have to contact one of the following offices:

• For residents of the City of Aachen and residents of the Aachen districts Haaren, Richterich, Brand, Eilendorf, Kornelimünster/Wahlheim, and Laurensberg: the Citizens’ Services Office (“Bürgerservice”) of the City of Aachen located near the Main Railway Station (Hackländerstr. 1) or near Katschof (Johannes-Paul-II.-Straße 1).
• Residents of the Aachen districts (see above) can also go to the relevant District Office.
• Residents of the cities and communities belonging to the so-called StädteRegion Aachen please refer to the relevant Citizen’s Service Office or Residents’ Registration Office.

In order to open an account you need to take your passport or identity card and the certificate of address registration (from the city address registration office) to the bank. As a student you can ask to be exempted from bank charges or make use of special student conditions. This does not happen automatically, so you have to apply for it. In order to do this, you need to present the proof of your student status to the bank every semester. Always ask about charges for opening a bank account or running the account before making your decision. Banks sometimes include an overdraft facility with your accounts without asking beforehand. Monthly payments of a grant or money transfers from home are enough to qualify you for an overdraft. You should consider carefully if you really need an overdraft facility as it involves a high rate of interest and can lead to debt.

Typically scholarship instalments are paid into the bank account of the scholarship holder. Therefore make sure to provide your funding institution with your bank details as soon as possible. Please get informed about the regulations of your funding institution concerning the disbursement of scholarships.

Aachen is definitely a student city and offers a wide range of possibilities for your free time. The Humboldt House as a meeting place for the international and local university members offers rooms for events, seminars, and exhibitions on different topics.
The university sport center offers a wide range of sport courses. You will find more information by clicking here.