International Office

Arrival and residence

After your arrival, there are some organizational matters to address. If you have any questions or problems regarding the following, please feel free to contact us.

We have compiled the first steps for you below:

  • Register (yourself and your family) at the Registration Office (Bürgerbüro); here you can also apply (if you have an employment contract) for a police clearance certificate (Führungszeugnis)
  • Open a bank account
  • Register with a suitable health insurance company
  • For PhD students: enrolment at RUB
  • Apply for a residence title if necessary

You can also find more information about your stay in our Guide for International Researchers (PDF).

In Germany, there is a registration obligation for all persons moving to a new city. Registrations are issued by the City Administration Office.

Depending on how you spend your stay in Germany, you may be eligible for different residence titles.

Before your visa or residence title expires, you must apply for an extension at the Foreigners' Office.

health insurance

Health insurance is mandatory in Germany and is required in obtaining a residence permit as well as employment.

Besprechung Dokument

In Germany it is obligatory to have a health insurance. The health insurance certificate is required by the responsible foreigners' office.

Networking Gruppe

An overview of central resources and contact persons for international researchers at RUB.

Forumsplatz Familie Kind

You would like your family to join you in Germany or invite family members for a visit?

German Courses

Ruhr University offers special German courses for refugees who are ready to study. Courses are either volunteer-led with a total of 12 h/week or are study-preparatory intensive courses of the German as a Foreign Language department with a total of 24 h/week. The target group are refugees who are planning to study at the RUB. The courses take place on campus or in the rooms of the Department of German as a Foreign Language at Universitätsstraße 90.

The Volkshochschule (VHS) Bochum offers both language and integration courses. With these courses you can prepare for integration tests as well as certificate exams. There is also a course specifically designed to teach "German for the workplace". The courses of the VHS Bochum take place in the Education and Administration Center (BVZ) near the U35 stop Rathaus.

The Studienkolleg of the Ökumenisches Studienwerk in Bochum offers pre-study courses to prepare students for technical and mathematical/scientific courses of study and language courses for applicants who can start studying in Germany directly if they have acquired and demonstrated the necessary language skills. The course objective and final examination is the DSH. The Studienkolleg Bochum is located on a small "campus", near the U35 stop Markstraße and has its own dormitory as well as student and staff apartments.

For 30 years, Projekt Deutsch Lernen (pdl) has made it its goal to teach foreign students the German language skills they need to study in Germany. In the pdl courses, motivated teachers prepare you, in a pleasant atmosphere, excellently for the DSH. There are also courses to prepare for the TestDaF or other exams.

The Auslandsgesellschaft Intercultural Academy offers German and integration courses for foreigners and late repatriates. You can choose between daily intensive language courses and weekly evening courses and improve your language skills in both individual and group lessons. Preparatory courses are available for the following exams: TestDaF, DSH and the German exams of the Goethe Institute. There is also a special "German for doctors" course. The headquarters of the Auslandsgesellschaft Intercultural Academy is located in Dortmund near the main train station.

The association interculturas e.V. cooperates with the AStA of the Ruhr University and the Bildungswerk politisch-kultureller Zentren. The courses are aimed at students of German from all countries and are designed to provide the language skills necessary to begin or continue studies in Germany. The intermediate level courses prepare you for the "Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang" (DSH).

The language department German as a Foreign Language (DaF) is part of the Ruhr University Bochum. DaF courses are aimed at different target groups, for example students or scientists. In addition to preparatory courses at the beginning of your stay, you can also attend those for consolidation and practice later on. The courses of the language department German as a Foreign Language prepare you for the TestDaF exams.

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