Preparing the Relocation

In order to be fully prepared for your stay in Germany, you should take care of a number of documents that you might need during your time at the University of Mannheim while still in your home country. The team of the Welcome Center will let you know about the most important documents and, if necessary, ask you to send some documents in advance (for example degree certificate and personnel form). Which documents are required always depends on your individual status at the University of Mannheim and the duration of your stay. In the following, we have compiled a list of the most common documents. This list is not exhaustive.

• Valid passport (also for spouses and children) – if your passport is due to expire soon, please renew it before coming to Germany.
• Visa (also for spouses and children)
• Birth certificate (also of spouses and children, if applicable)*
• Marriage certificate*
• Degree certificates starting from the university entrance qualification (secondary school, diploma/master's degree, doctorate), in German or English*
• Vaccination records (also of spouses and children)
• International driver’s license
• If applicable, an ID card for the severely disabled recognized by German authorities*
• Certificate of enrollment as a doctoral student at your home institution
• Certificate of good conduct (in some cases, you will have to apply for this certificate in your home country. Please read the information provided here.)

*For these documents, the original or a notarized copy has to be submitted. If the documents were issued in a language other than German or English, a notarized translation is required.

Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland do not need a visa. They are permitted to enter Germany with a valid passport and take up employment right away.

Citizens of so-called third countries (not EU, EEA or Switzerland) generally require a visa for their entry. For stays of more than 90 days they also require a residence permit. A visa can be obtained from German representations abroad.

Please note: It may take four to six weeks for a visa application to be processed and approved and in case of visa for family reunification, even twelve weeks. Therefore, please apply for a visa early on, three months before your arrival at the latest.

There are only a few countries for which exemptions apply. A list of countries and the respective visa regulations can be found on the website “Overview of visa requirements/exemptions for entry into the Federal Republic of Germany” of the Federal Foreign Office.

If you are going to stay in Germany for more than 90 days and enter on a visa, you can take up employment right away, but have to apply for a residence permit at the local foreigners’ office before your visa expires. If you are going to stay in Germany for more than 90 days but do not require visa for entry (for example USA, Canada, Japan), you will have “tourist” status and are not permitted to take up employment right away. In order to start working, you first have to apply for a residence permit including a work permit.

An overview of visa requirements/exemptions for entry into the Federal Republic of Germany can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.

An overview of visa regulations can be found on the websites of the Federal Foreign Office and EURAXESS Germany. If you are planning on working in Germany, you can find information on the correct visa you need in the work permit section of the EURAXESS Germany website.

The Welcome Center Team will be happy to advise you on the visa regulations applying to you. We will assist you in applying for the correct visa (tourism/business travel/working/studying/research) and will provide the documents required by the embassy in collaboration with your host and/or the Human Resources division.

Information on the Schengen visa (Type C): Please note that a Schengen visa only covers short-term stays for touristic purposes. Holders of a Schengen visa are not permitted to take up employment. You are not permitted to change the purpose of your stay after entry or extend the Schengen visa to more than 90 days. Please be aware that the Schengen area is not equivalent to the EU!

A list of the Schengen countries can be found in the Schengen Agreement section on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.  For example, a Schengen visa is not valid for Great Britain.

For the first weeks and months of your stay, we recommend booking a room in the Guesthouse. More information can be found on the Guesthouse and International Meeting Center (IBZ) page.

If there are no rooms available in the Guesthouse, you will have to find accommodation on the private rental market. The team of the Welcome Center can assist you with your search but unfortunately cannot find accommodation for you.

We have compiled the ins and outs of the rental market in Germany and Mannheim in a short guide. It contains links to the usual search platforms as well as information on prices, deposits, the different city districts of Mannheim, utilities and other important details.

Information on finding accommodation

In Germany, health insurance is mandatory for all citizens. Please be aware that health insurance coverage is required as of the day of your arrival. Family members traveling with you also have to be insured. Proof of sufficient health insurance coverage is also required for the approval of your residence permit application. 

If you are coming to Germany on a Schengen visa for a short-term research trip of up to 90 days, travel insurance valid for all Schengen countries with a coverage of at least EUR 30,000 is required. For longer stays with a residence permit, you will need more comprehensive health insurance coverage, equal to that of German statutory health insurance.

Depending on your status at the University of Mannheim, there are different options regarding health insurance:

• If you are enrolled at the University of Mannheim as a doctoral student and are completing your dissertation project here, your health insurance options depend on your individual status. Please research the specific conditions. The Welcome Center is happy to advise you.
• If you have signed a work contract with the University of Mannheim as an academic staff member or post-doc, you will have to take out a statutory health insurance policy. Please continue reading on the health insurance for employees page.
• If you are being appointed to the University of Mannheim as a (junior) professor, you are required to enroll in private health insurance as you receive the status of a civil servant. Please continue reading on the private health insurance for civil servants page.
• If you are a visiting scholar or visiting doctoral student involved in research at the University of Mannheim but are not employed by the University of Mannheim, you need to take out a private health insurance policy. Please continue reading on the private health insurance for visiting scholars and visiting doctoral students page.
• If you are an EU citizen enrolled in statutory health insurance in your home country while staying in Germany and have no work contract with the University of Mannheim, please continue reading on the health insurance for EU citizens page.

You might need a German bank account in order to receive your salary or scholarship payments, pay bills or make regular payments such as rent. We therefore recommend opening up a checking account. For this type of account, online banking will be available to you. You will be provided with a debit card that can be used for payment in many shops and grocery stores and to withdraw cash from ATMs. Make sure that you are withdrawing cash at your bank or a bank belonging to the same network, since other banks may charge fees of up to EUR 5 per withdrawal.

If you already have a European bank account with IBAN and BIC, depending on your position at the University of Mannheim and the duration of your stay, it might be advisable not to open up an additional German bank account. The Welcome Center is happy to advise you.

The following documents are required for opening up a checking account:

• passport
• citizen’s registration certificate
• tax identification number

In the following, we have compiled a list of several banking institutes in Mannheim. This list is not exhaustive.

Commerzbank
P3, 1–3
68161 Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 1710

Online banking in English available

Citizens of certain countries are not allowed to open up an account at the Commerzbank. Please ask the Welcome Center about regulations for your country.

Deutsche Bank
R1, 4–6
68161 Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 126820

Online banking in English available

Citizens of certain countries are not allowed to open up an account at the Deutsche Bank. Please ask the Welcome Center about regulations for your country.

Targo Bank

P6/26
68161 Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 25964

Online banking in English available

Sparkasse Rhein Neckar Nord
D1, 1–3
68159 Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 298–1238

Rhein Neckar Volksbank
N2, 5
68161 Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 12820

 The banking institutes listed here are known to the Welcome Center of the University of Mannheim. The Welcome Center does not assume responsibility for the quality or completeness of the information/recommendations provided. The accompanying links lead to information free of charge which the Welcome Center of the University of Mannheim deems useful with regard to the subject. However, the Welcome Center of the University of Mannheim would like to point out that the operating agency of the corresponding page is a commercial or private organization. The Welcome Center of the University of Mannheim cannot make a recommendation regarding services subject to payment which may be offered by the operating agency in addition to mere information. – Furthermore, the disclaimer in the About this Site section and the general provisions on liability apply to all pages linked to.

Is your family coming with you and you are looking for child care? The Welcome Center will personally advise you on your child care options. Here you can find some basic information:
 

Parent and child room

Your child care worker has just canceled? Your child is sick and can’t go to day care today? These and other unplanned factors can turn child care into a challenge for working parents. That’s why the University of Mannheim has come up with a simple solution: the parent and child room in B6, 30-32. This room has space for your child to play and rest and a desk with Internet access for you to work from. That way you can look after your child while you’re working.
 

Day care centers and kindergartens

The child care center run by the Studierendenwerk

The university has reserved several places in the child care center in N6 for employees with children between one and six years of age. 
 

Regular and backup care at the “Justizzwerge” day care center

Employees of the university can also apply for regular child care at the “Justizzwerge” day care center located in Palais Bretzenheim in A2. Places are available for children between six months and six years of age. The day care center also provides backup care if, for example, your regular caregiver cancels at short notice.

Public day care facilities run by the city of Mannheim

The city of Mannheim operates 53 child care facilities, such as day care centers, day nurseries, kindergartens and after-school care centers (Hort). Using the city’s Kita finder (only available in German), you can find out about all public, protestant, catholic or other child care facilities in Mannheim (day nurseries, child care centers, after-school care centers, fixed-hour primary schools). Registration is handled by the city of Mannheim.

Bilingual kindergarten

The private Metropolitan International School maintains a bilingual day care center in Mannheim. However, fees are higher for this kind of day care facility.

Alternatives

You can also employ a child care worker or take your child to a Kinderladen, an alternative child care center.
 

Schools

Public schools are free in Germany. There are also private and international schools. These, however, will charge tuition fees. Public schools are usually chosen by proximity to the place of residence of the pupil. Private schools and secondary schools have their own admission criteria. In Germany, for children between the ages 6 and 15 school attendance is compulsory.

All children attend primary school together until fourth grade. By the end of the fourth grade, the primary school teachers give a recommendation on the type of secondary school the child should attend.

More information on primary and secondary schools in Mannheim can be found on the website of the city of Mannheim.

Mannheim schools with language programs for international pupils

Johannes-Kepler-Schule
K5, 1
68159 Mannheim

The Johannes-Kepler-Schule is a primary and interdenominational school. During their first year, pupils who don't speak German attend a preparatory class to improve their language skills and then will be integrated into a regular class. Ms Prof. Nora Berend, who spent a year in Mannheim as a visiting scholar with her daughters has graciously provided us with a report on her experiences with the Johannes-Kepler Schule.

Freie Interkulturelle Waldorfschule
Maybachstr. 14–16
68169 Mannheim

Karl-von-Drais-Schule / SEMA private school – middle and secondary school
Hans-Thoma-Str. 34
68163 Mannheim

Mannheim schools with bilingual teaching

Please contact the schools directly for information on admission requirements and possible tuition fees.

Konrad-Duden-Schule
middle school
Kronenburgstr. 45–55
68219 Mannheim

Tulla-Realschule
Tullastr. 25
68161 Mannheim

Waldschule Mannheim
Walkürenstr. 7
68305 Mannheim

Liselotte-Gymnasium
Wespinstr. 21–25
68165 Mannheim

International schools

There are a number of schools in the region teaching in English or French.

• H.I.S. Heidelberg International School
• Metropolitan International School Heidelberg / Viernheim / Mannheim
• International School Neustadt
• European School Karlsruhe
• Frankfurt International School
• International School Stuttgart
• ISF International School Frankfurt-Rhein-Main
• Japanese International School Frankfurt am Main e.V.
• Ecole Pierre et Marie Curie Heidelberg
• European School Frankfurt am Main
• State International School – Schuldorf Bergstrasse