International Scientific Staff

Step 1: Sign your contract

Organise a meeting with Welcomeservice to sign your contract. We will be your first contact in central administration for the first couple of days after your arrival and will support you in completing some further official documents required by the university. We also help by giving you information on opening a bank account, getting health insurance, registering your address with the city’s authorities and extending your visa, if you are not an EU citizen. Finally, we will help you with any cultural or language issues you may encounter during your stay in Germany and help you connect to other international members of staff.

Step 2: Going to your department

Organise a meeting with your contact person in your academic department as soon as possible after you have signed your contract (preferably on the same day). They will be your first and most important contact person at the university during the first couple of days of your stay here. They will show you around the department and introduce you to other members of the department. Your contact person will also inform you about regulations pertaining to matters such as taking leave or reporting to the department when you are ill.

Step 3: Registration at the city’s Foreigners’ Office or at the city’s Registration Office

Sign your rental contract (needed for this step) and make an  appointment for registering at the city’s Registration Office.

In Germany, one is obliged to register one’s place of residence with the authorities in the city where one lives. Furthermore, non-EU citizens need to apply for a residence title that permits them to work here and sometimes need to extend it during their stay. Your academic department may organise someone to accompany you to the city’s Foreigners’ Office or to the Registration Office.

Where to go to:
The city’s Registration Office (“Einwohnermeldeamt” in German). Each German city has such an office. They are responsible for administrative matters pertaining to non-EU citizens living in Germany.

Address:
Stadthaus 2, Natruper-Tor-Wall 5, 49076 Osnabrück

What to take along:

1. Your passport
2. A so-called “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung” showing your address and serving as official proof that you have accommodation in Osnabrück. Please ask your landlord or landlady to complete it.
3. If family members are accompanying you, you also need these documents:
   a) A list with the names of all family members that have to be registered.
   b) Their passports showing their valid visas.
   c) Your original marriage certificate as well as the original birth certificates of all family members that have to be registered. The marriage and birth certificates need to be accompanied by certified German translations.
4.  A recent passport-sized biometrical photo.
5. Your employment contract/a letter from HR. You will get it from us during our first meeting.
6. Proof of health insurance. We will provide you with information on this during our first meeting.

Costs: The registration costs a corresponding fee. Please remember to bring money with you. The exact costs can be found on the website of the city or municipality.

Step 4: Taking care of practical and official matters

In addition to settling in at the university, you will also need to take care of a number of administrative and practical matters once you are here, such as:

• Open a bank account: This you can only do after you have registered your address with the city’s authorities. Beside this, some banks need your residence permit as well. You can open an account with any bank
• Pass on the following information and documents to us:
  • Tax ID
    It will be sent to you, after you have been to the city’s registration office.
  • Bank details: IBAN, BIC, bank address
    These will be given to you, when you open your bank account. Please do not forget to write down your bank’s physical address.
  • certificate of good conduct (Führungszeugnis)
    Ask for it when you go to the city’s registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt). Ask them to send it directly to the HR officer responsible for you.
  • Document stating that you have registered your address here (Meldebescheinigung)
    The city’s registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) issues this document.
  • Proof of medical aid and social security
    You can either personally go to a health insurance company or register online.

For insurance, administrative and organisational purposes, it is important to do the paperwork when taking leave or going on an official trip. Below are the most important points to take into consideration.

Applying for leave

Should you want to go on leave, please use the orange form called an “Urlaubsantrag”. It will be handed out to you by the secretary responsible for your research group. You will be using this form to apply for and record your leave for the whole duration of your contract. Each application for leave must be approved by your supervisor.

Sick leave

Should you get ill, contact the secretary responsible for your research group – also when you are on holiday. You can phone or send an e-mail. From the fourth day onwards, you need a doctor’s certificate that should be given or sent to the secretary. Also inform the secretary when you are back at work again.

Official trip

Should you go on an official trip, e.g. because you are attending a conference or doing fieldwork, you need to complete a document called a “Dienstreisegenehmigung”. The document is available on the  Intranet. Complete the document and let your supervisor sign it, before you leave on your official trip. Should you have any questions or need any help in completing the document, do not hesitate to contact me or to get the administrative member of staff supporting your research group to help you.

The Osnabrück University is a family-friendly university and is happy to help you with combining work and family life. Therefore there is a  Family Service at the University, which offers for example advice for single parents or gives information on childcare. Do not hesitate to ask reach out, if you have any questions.

Have you come to Osnabrück from abroad as a member of staff, a doctoral candidate, a post-doc or visiting researcher and are you looking for like-minded people with whom to share your thoughts and experiences?

Osnabrück University and the University of Applied Sciences offer regular events to assist you with networking. Our meetings take place on the third Thursday of every month at 7pm at a different location in Osnabrück every time.

 More information about our next events

Participation is free and we are looking forward to getting to know you! Of course, German doctoral candidates and staff members are also welcome. If you would like us to remind you of our events by email, we would happily include you on our mailing list  welcome-center@hs-osnabrueck.de.

With the Doctorate Student Council and the PhD interConnect project, there are two central contact points at Osnabrück University for doctoral candidates who would like to network, exchange ideas and get involved or simply take part in events for doctoral candidates.  More information

Advice on finding accomodation

You are new to Osnabrück and searching for a place to stay? Please read the following information:

• The housing market is quite competitive and it is not easy to find a place to stay. However, it is also not impossible if you start early, use your networks (e.g. in your department) and are willing to make some compromises at the beginning of your stay.
• Please note: If you have doubts concerning the soundness of an apartment offer, please feel free to contact us – especially if the landlord asks for an advanced payment.

 Please ask in your department if you need more help in finding a place to stay.

Furnished one-room apartments

The university also has furnished one-bedroom apartments that are temporarily available to international employees - provided they are also enrolled as doctoral students. The apartment is located in one of the newest buildings of the Studentenwerk and is very close to the Westerberg campus. If you are interested, please contact us.

Address: Natruper Str. 160, 49076 Osnabrück
Contact:  welcomeservice@uos.de

• Child benefit (Kindergeld) is a financial support of the government.
• Parents are entitled to child benefit until their child turns 18. If the child takes up a place on a vocational training course or is studying, this entitlement continues until the child turns 25 as a maximum.
• Nationals of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland are, just like German citizens, entitled to child benefit if they are living and/or working in Germany. Other foreign parents are generally also entitled to child benefit, if they have a valid settlement or residence permit which allows them to work in Germany legally.

More information on the topic:

 The Federal Government: Make it in Germany

 Federal Employment Agency

There are different options for child care:

Child Care Center

You can find a large number of different child care centers in Osnabrück: public, private, denominational and international. The Osnabrück University also has its own child care center for students and members of staff. Yet, the demand for places is much higher than the offer. Therefore we strongly recommend to search for suitable child care solutions as early as possible. Usually children aged 1 to 6 can be considered for child care. As a rule, admissions are normally on 1 August of each year and applications are accepted until mid/end of January. Admissions during the year are less common and mostly depending on vacancies due to families moving to another city. Child care centers are liable to costs. The level of the costs depends on the parents' income.
 more information about child care center and the application

(In-home) Day Care

In-home day care is called "Tagesmütter" or "Tagesväter" (day mothers or day fathers) in German. They provide individualized care and have more flexible hours. They usually look after several children at a time in their own homes. In-home child care providers are trained and have an official licence from the local Office for Children, Youth and Family.
 more information about the local Office for Children and Family

Babysitter

Babysitters are taking care of your children for only a few hours during the day or in the evenings on demand. The best way to find a babysitter is asking your colleagues or neighbours - maybe they know someone who is interested in Babysitting. Babysitters are often young pupils or students that want to earn some money.

• School attendance is compulsory between the age of 6 and 15 years (also for children from foreigners country who are living in Germany)
• Attendance of public schools is free of charge in Germany
• In Lower Saxony, the school year starts in August/September after six weeks of summer holidays

Kind of schools

The children's school education starts with Primary School ("Grundschule"; year 1 to 4). At the end of the 4th year, it has to be decided which secondary school the child will attend. In Lower Saxony, there are different types of public secondary schools:

• Gymnasium (year 5 to 13): offers a broad and in-depth education. With finishing this type of school you are allowed to study at university afterwards
• Realschule (year 5 to 10): well-founded education and work-orientated competencies. After finishing this kind of school, you can start an apprenticeship or switch to another school (e.g. "Gymnasium")
• Hauptschule (year 5 to 9/10): general schooling. After finishing this kind of school, you can start an apprenticeship or switch to another school (e.g. Realschule or Gymnasium)
• Gesamtschule: It is a school form comprising all the other forms in only one school. It is a good option, if parents can not choose one of the other three school forms already after primary school. Because sometimes, it is very difficult to assess the capabilities of a child being so young

 Overview of schools in Osnabrück

Depending on your home country, your family also needs a visa and residence permit to stay in Osnabrück. Please let us know as soon as possible, if your family is also coming to Osnabrück, so we can help you with preparing and addressing the required formalities. Please note that it can take at least 12 weeks or even longer to get a visa.

If your family needs a visa...

• Check the website of your Federal Foreign Office for information on the exact visa requirements and regulations.
• Please note that the Foreigners Office in Osnabrück only accepts certificates of marriage or birth certificates (in German or an English translation) with the legalization of a German consulate.

Further information

 Legalization of documents

 Overview of Visa Requirements for entering Germany

 Working, studying and living in Germany: webside of the Federal Government

 Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)