Before you leave Germany

• Cancel your tenancy agreement
• Cancel your contracts with local utilities providers (electricity, gas, water)
• Discuss with your landlord whether you have to do any repairs before leaving your accommodation
• It may be worthwhile to enlist the help of a tax accountant to complete a tax declaration
• If you have been drawing a salary from the university and have paid social security contributions, arrange an appointment with an adviser at the Pension Insurance Institution (Rentenversicherungsanstalt) to discuss your pension entitlements
• Check with your personnel department/your fellowship provider well in advance whether you will receive your last salary/fellowship payment before you leave the country; the move and the last payment often intersect
• Cancel your public transport ticket
• Cancel any subscriptions to newspapers or journals
• Cancel your membership in any societies, associations, clubs etc.
• If you are moving to another European country, we recommend you contact one of the EURAXESS Service Centres located there – they will be able to help you organise your research stay at your new destination

• Make an appointment to cancel your registration at the Registration Office and de-register one week before leaving
• If you have children, inform the school or kindergarten that you are leaving
• Inform your insurance companies that you are leaving
• Close your bank account, if applicable
• If you have a blocked account, you may need a confirmation from the Foreigners' Office (please ask the institution where you have your blocked account whether you need such a confirmation). This can be requested after deregistration at the Registration Office.
• If you want to sell your car in Germany or take it to your own country, you must inform the vehicle licensing authority (Kraftfahrzeugzulassungsstelle) and the company providing your third-party liability insurance. Please take note of the formalities necessary to export a vehicle purchased in Germany (export declaration, etc.)
• Inform your telephone provider (landline, mobile, broadband)
• Arrange for the rent deposit to be reimbursed including interest and any compounded interest accrued during the rental period
• If required, complete a request for postal forwarding (Nachsendeantrag) at the post office
• If you have paid for a television/radio licence for ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio, inform the fee collecting agency that you are leaving
• Take borrowed books and journals back to the university library or departmental libraries
• If you want to send luggage home by freight service arrange an appointment with the freight carrier to pick up the parcels
• Join RUB's alumni network so that you stay connected

• Note down the metre readings for electricity, gas and water in the handover report and get your landlord to sign it
• Check your accommodation and the staircase for damage caused by the move
• Depending on what you have arranged with your landlord, clean your accommodation after you have moved out
• Hand over the accommodation empty and return the keys to the landlord/property manager

In case of later enrolment or exmatriculation before the end of the semester, the semester fee may be refunded proportionally. For this purpose, the application for refund must be submitted.

• Re-registration and social contribution
• Refund application form