Are you coming from abroad and planning to study in Hamburg? We have summarised all the important information about your stay in Hamburg for you at a glance. Basic information about studying in Germany can be found at the Deutsches Studierendenwerk , the Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdienst and especially for Hamburg at the Studierendenwerk Hamburg. Hamburg's universities, the Studierendenwerk Hamburg, student representatives, municipal offices and local counseling centers offer prospective and current students a variety of attractive services and a wide range of counseling centre.
You can find providers of German language courses before your studies, for example, at language schools that prepare students for the TestDaF exam. See here for further information on language schools and classes in Hamburg.
Within two weeks, the registration of residence in Hamburg must be made either at the Hamburg Welcome Center or at the Residents' Registration Office in the district. International students from the European Union and countries with which social security agreements exist can remain insured in their home country if the requirements are met and use the European Health Insurance Card EHIC issued there in Germany.
If there is no insurance in the country of origin, the statutory health insurances in Germany will clarify your situation and possibilities of an insurance in Germany, more about this at the Deutsches Studierendenwerk and at the European Commission. International students up to their 30th birthday who do not have a European Health Insurance Card EHIC can either take out statutory student health insurance or private health insurance when they start their studies.
This decision needs to be considered carefully, because once you have been exempted from statutory insurance in conjunction with the decision to take out private health insurance, it is generally no longer possible to return to statutory health insurance for the entire duration of your studies. Our information sheet "Health Insurance" provides you with an initial overview.
