International Office

Welcome Centre for Hosts

On this page you will find information about the recruitment of new employees and the supervision of PhD students.

You would like to hire a scientific employee or professor who comes to RUB from abroad?

  • As for the hiring of all academic employees, you will find the relevant documents in the "Serviceportal" (only for RUB members) under point 11: "Preparing the hiring application and other documents".
  • For professors, you will find additional information in the "Serviceportal" (only for RUB members), as well as a guide.
  • With each document you will find either an English form (e.g. personnel form) or an English completion guide in the box "Related documents". RUB internal forms can sometimes be signed and submitted directly in the English version. The forms for the LBV must currently still be filled out and signed in the German version.

Frequently asked questions

There are frequent queries about the following points in the documents:

  1. Tax identification number: By registering for the first time in Germany (after entering the country), a notification is generated to the Federal Central Tax Office, which then sends a tax identification number by mail to the registered address. To ensure delivery, the name must be clearly recognizable on the mailbox. The tax ID can usually only be sent to the LBV after entering Germany and often only after the start of the employment contract. After the tax ID has been transmitted to the LBV, the tax class will be adjusted retroactively (from the date of notification) and the excess tax withheld will be automatically refunded the next month.
  2. Residence permit: Scientific employees who enter Germany with a visa are usually not yet able to present a residence permit for the entire period of employment. They first need the employment contract in order to be able to apply for the residence permit at the Foreigners' Office. They can get support from the Welcome Centre with this matter.
  3. Bank account: A German bank account can only be opened after entering Germany. The bank details should then be submitted to the Human Resources Department as soon as possible so that the LBV can arrange for salary payments.
  4. Health Insurance: Employees have the right to enroll in a health insurance plan of their choice. If they do not exercise their right to choose, they will be compulsorily insured by the LBV (usually with the AOK). However, a problem often arises because the LBV registers them with the AOK Rheinland/ Hamburg. However, the AOK Rheinland/Hamburg cannot accept members who live in the Ruhr area, because the AOK Nordwest is responsible here. Therefore, we recommend that you make use of your right of choice and register yourself with a health insurance company after entering Germany.

Visa and entry

If a visa is required for entry, you may need to plan several months in advance. The speed with which appointments are made and visas issued at embassies and consulates varies greatly. The researcher should contact the responsible embassy or consulate as soon as possible. Usually a visa can be applied for the purpose of research, for which a "hosting agreement" must be signed.

You can find more information here.

After entry, the Welcome Centre offers support in completing the relevant formalities. Please feel free to ask employees to register in the Welcome Centre data base even before their arrival in Germany.

Accommodation

Scientific employees coming to RUB from abroad can request accommodation in the guest houses for international researchers. The request should be made as early as possible, the allocation takes place 2 months before the planned move-in date. For organizational reasons, move-in can only take place on the 3rd day of the first month of rent after 12 noon. The request must be made through the chair/supervising institution.

You would like to supervise a (visiting) PhD student who comes to RUB from abroad?

Enrollment

Enrollment takes place via the online portal of the Student Secretariat. The Welcome Centre has compiled a step-by-step guide to enrollment.

Doctoral students can enroll at any time regardless of the deadlines. In principle, the full social contribution applies regardless of the time of enrollment. However, pro-rated ticking costs may be reimbursed by ASTA if applicable.

After sending the online enrollment, prospective doctoral students will receive an enrollment number and a link to a portal where all necessary documents must then be uploaded. It should be noted:

  • Those who have private health insurance (e.g. mawista) must request a certificate from a statutory health insurance company stating that there is no statutory social security obligation. This usually applies to scholarship holders.
  • Doctoral students of the RUB need the confirmation of admission to doctoral studies by the faculty.

Visa and entry

If a visa is required for entry, you may need to plan several months in advance. The speed with which appointments are made and visas issued at embassies and consulates varies greatly. The doctoral student should obtain information as soon as possible from the relevant mission abroad. As a rule, visas can be issued for the purpose of study or for the purpose of research.

For a visa for the purpose of study, the submission of an admission is usually required. For visiting doctoral students (with a degree from abroad) this can be requested from the Welcome Centre, for doctoral students at RUB the admission must be made by the faculty.

For a visa for the purpose of research, a "hosting agreement" must be signed.

You can find more information here.

After entry, the Welcome Centre offers support in completing the relevant formalities. Please feel free to ask employees to register in the Welcome Centre data base even before their arrival in Germany.

Accommodation

PhD students can request accommodation in the guest houses for international researchers. The request should be made as early as possible, the allocation takes place 2 months before the planned move-in date. For organizational reasons, move-in cannot take place before 12 noon on the 3rd day of the first month of rent. The request must be made through the chair/supervising institution.

Upon arrival at the guest house, an information package including a login ID for the first few days will be provided. The permanent Login ID will be given to the PhD students after enrollment.

Are you planning to hire a scientific employee who will not (yet) be resident in Germany?

  • Before hiring, you should clarify with the human resources department whether it is legally possible to work in the respective country.

Frequently asked questions and further links

There are frequent queries regarding the following points in the documents:

  1. Tax identification number: If the prospective employee has never had a residence in Germany, an application for the issuance of a certificate for the deduction of income tax for employees with limited income tax liability for the respective year must usually be submitted to the Düsseldorf-Süd tax office (Betriebsstätten Finanzamt). Address: Kruppstraße 110-112, 40227 Düsseldorf, Germany
  2. Health insurance: If the place of employment is not in Germany according to the employment contract, an A1 certificate should be applied for from the social insurance institution in the respective other country. This officially determines which social security law applies. If German law applies, then the employee is insured with the German statutory health insurance and all social security contributions are paid by both the employer and the employee in Germany. If the law of the other country applies: In this case, the LBV would pay the salary without deductions for social security. The employee would have to pay the contributions independently into the social security system of the respective country. In many countries it is mandatory to use a tax advisor for this purpose.
  3. Employment permit in Germany: If the place of employment is partly in both countries, it is essential to ensure that an employment permit is also available for Germany.

Further links:

RUB Research School is the campus-wide graduate school for all doctoral students.

RUB provides optimal research conditions for scientists with various offers.

Networking Gruppe

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

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