Welcome to AWI

Please check early on what type of visa/residence permit you need in relation to your guest stay or employment contract. Even if you have an EU residence permit already, please check if it fits the new job.

Information on visa regulations and on Germany in general can be found at the Federal Foreign Office. The regulations can also be seen here. Or you may want to take a look at "Make it in Germany".

You may check with your AWI staff officer which type of visa/residence permit would match the contract planned for you. They may then provide you with certain documents that you need for the visa application. Also the International Office/Andrea Bleyer will be happy to discuss your options with you.

With your supervisor in AWI you should clarify if you will also need to enrol with a German university.

Furthermore, inquire on time how long it may take you to obtain your visa/work permit and if you need an appointment to apply. In some cases the visa application may be processed mostly online and relatively fast, but in other cases the earliest possible appointment is many weeks ahead, and then the process itself may take several weeks, too, depending on the circumstances. 

In case you need to apply for a new visa/residence permit, please check the validity of your passport. Usually a visa/permit is issued for no longer than the validity of the passport. 

Please be aware that your qualifications may need to be assessed for comparability https://www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de/html/en/pro/assessment-higher-education-qualifications.php. In that case, you may want to verify if your degree is already included in the anabin database. Otherwise it may be necessary to apply for a statement of comparability, which may take a few weeks. It is likely that the embassy/foreigners’ registration office asks for a statement of comparability and that also the AWI’s HR dept. runs an anabin check in order to be able to hire you as planned.

If you plan to bring a spouse and/or children, it may be useful to apply for their visas at the same time as you apply for yours. 

As soon as you obtain your visa, make sure to send a copy to your contact person in AWI's personnel department. They cannot issue the contract without a corresponding visa.

Health insurance is mandatory from the first day of your employment. To obtain your visa/residence permit, you have to prove that you will have a suitable one. If you plan to arrive in Germany before your contract starts, taking out travel health insurance for those days may also be advisable.

There are many different health insurance companies in Germany, and you are free to choose one. Some general info can be found, e. g. here:

Tariffs differ slightly, and many health insurance companies offer bonus programmes where you may get benefits for joining a sports club or going to the dentist or to checkups regularly. Ask your health insurance for more details. 

Your health insurance will provide you with your German security number, which the AWI’s HR dept. will ask you for. 

Private liability insurance and private accident insurance are recommended. Information can be found e. g. here.

For any questions, pls. contact our personnel dept and/or Andrea Bleyer.

Depending on your contract with AWI, the topic of pension insurance may come up. The state pension insurance is part of the social security system in Germany. Additional coverage might be provided through VBL, the occupational pension system for civil service institutions. To get some basic knowledge of the German system, you may watch the introductory video on www.findyourpension.eu.

More information on the statutory pension insurance scheme can be found here.

More information on the VBL pension scheme can be found here.

For any questions, pls. feel free to contact your HR staff officer and/or Andrea Bleyer.

• In Bremerhaven, you might want to stay at AWI's guesthouse. Please contact Ms. Nadine Albert at gaestehaus-bremerhaven@awi.de for info on AWI rates and reservations.
• You can also find a variety of other guesthouses and, of course, hotels in Bremerhaven.
• Studierendenwerk Bremen
• U Bremen Research Alliance (which AWI is part of) offers info and links for Bremerhaven and Bremen.
• Jugendherberge Bremerhaven
• Studentenwohnheim Bremerhaven
• Seemannsheim Bremerhaven
• search for holiday homes
• In Potsdam, the Welcome Center may help you.
• Sylt
• Helgoland: for guesthouse reservations, pls. contact .
• Oldenburg:
• • guesthouse UOL: https://uol.de/en/division4/guest-house
  • Nordwest Zeitung online: https://immobilien.nwzonline.de/mieten/wohnung/oldenburg-oldb
  • contact HIFMB office: info@hifmb.de; https://hifmb.de/

Ads can be found in local newspapers (e. g. Nordsee-Zeitung in Bremerhaven or Weserkurier in Bremen) or on websites like, e. g.,

• Immobilienscout24
• GWF Bremerhaven
• Staewog Bremerhaven
• WG gesucht, Bremerhaven
• https://www.wohngemeinschaft.de/wg/bremerhaven
• www.wohnungsboerse.net
• http://immobilien.trovit.de/
• http://www.immo-suche.net/wohnungen-immobilien-bremen.html
• http://www.immonet.de/bremen/bremerhaven-wohnung-mieten.html
• www.immowelt.de

Helpful general information

Useful vocabulary when searching for an apartment
...-Zi-Whg = ...-Zimmerwohnung = ...-room apartment
ab sof. frei = immediately free
Abstellraum/Abstellkammer = store room
Aufzug = elevator
Badewanne = bathtub
Badezimmer = bathroom
Balk./Blk. = Balkon = balcony
Betriebskosten = utility costs
DG = Dachgeschoss = attic
DU = Dusche = shower
EBK = Einbauküche = built-in kitchen
EFH = Einfamilienhaus = single family house
EG = Erdgeschoss = ground floor
Etg. = Etage = floor
Fahrstuhl = elevator
G-WC = Gäste-WC = separate toilet for guests
Garten = garden
Haustiere = pets (keine Haustiere = no pets)
HH = Hochhaus = skyscraper
HK = Heizkosten = costs for heating
Kaution = deposit
KM = Kaltmiete = rent excl. utilities like heating, waste removal, etc.
Keller = cellar
Küche = kitchen
Lam. = Laminat = laminate
Mansarde = flat in the attic
MM = Monatsmiete = monthly rent
möbliert = furnished
MS = Mietsicherheit = rental security deposit
neu = new
NB = Neubau = new building
NK/NBK = Nebenkosten = utilities (costs for heating, water, electricity etc.)
NR = Nichtraucher = non-smoker
OG = Obergeschoss = upper floor
Provision = commission
provisionsfrei = no commission has to be paid
RH = Reihenhaus = terraced house
ren. = renoviert = renovated
Stellpl. = Stellplatz = car-parking space
Wannenbad = bathtub
Wfl. = Wohnfläche = living area
WG = Wohngemeinschaft = shared accomodation
WK = Wohnküche = open-plan kitchen
ZKB = Zimmer-Küche-Bad = rooms + kitchen + bathroom
ZH = Zentralheizung = central heating

If you are not only in AWI for a brief visit but plan to live in Germany, please go to the registration office within the first two weeks after your arrival (this term applies to Bremerhaven; other cities may require you to register within one week). Further information on the procedure can be found on AWI's internal webpages.

Please note that everyone who is not only a visitor but lives in a German city for more than a few weeks has to register at Bürgerbüro/registration office. Whether you also have to register at Ausländerbehörde/foreigners' registration office depends on your country of origin, visa, etc.

Also, most banks will require your registration document before they open an account for you.

If AWI’s personnel department requires a German tax number and/or a police clearance certificate from you, this can be obtained from the registration office, too. 

Further details can be found on our intranet.

To learn German or improve your knowledge of the German language, you are welcome to join one of the German courses with different levels that are offered in AWI. The International Office can also advise you on evening classes or intensive courses in language schools near the AWI sites.

Andrea Bleyer will gladly help you with any questions on the topics above or on other issues that might be of interest to you and your family - from rules and regulations to leisure activities, etc.

PhD students are recommended to also get in contact with DokTeam and POLMAR, even if they have no specific question at the moment.

Contact our Family Office for child care/work-life balance.

In Bremen or Potsdam, you might also want to contact:

• Welcome Centre Bremen University
• Welcome Center Potsdam

for assistance and activities.

Useful links

• Research in Germany (including funding programmes)
• Make it in Germany (including hotline for questions)
• Euraxess - Germany for researchers (general info, jobs, service centres, etc.)
• Welcome to Germany (published by the Federal Ministry of the Interior)
• Handbook for PhD candidates (contains useful info also for others!)
• Welcome Center Bremen Univ. (cooperates with AWI in the frame of the Research Alliance)
• Federal Ministry of Education and Research: info for students and researchers