Staying in Germany (legal issues)

Admission and Enrollment

Unfortunately, this is not possible.

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In order to secure the offered university place, please enrol provisionally in the online application portal, section “Status of my application“ (www.primuss.de/status-fhin) within the mentioned time period, as stated in the admission letter. For actual enrolment, you will have to fulfil all criteria, mentioned in the checklist for enrolment (in your admission letter) at the latest 4 weeks after the beginning of the semester.

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Unfortunately no. If you would like to start in the next semester, you would have to apply again.

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Please take a look at your admission letter for this information. The pack of documents varies for each applicant, depending on your background and chosen study programme. If you are still unsure, ask bewerbung@thi.de.

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You will need to complete the upload area in the application portal online and transfer the student union fee. Documents for verification you can bring to Service Point Study at THI, in the entrance hall, A006 in person.

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No, unfortunately that is not possible. For this you have to apply again in the next application period.

We recommend to apply only for the degree programmes that are actually suitable and interesting for you. Therefore, please inform yourself in advance about the course content in the corresponding module handbook.

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The semester fee should arrive on the account mentioned in the admission letter four weeks after the beginning of the semester at the latest.

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Yes, you can enroll, while still waiting for your visa. Make sure to complete the upload of all necessary documents at the application portal. Please make sure to send all documents requested for verification by post. For the enrollment, you also must pay the student union fee. However, the university can not transfer it back, if enrolment hasn't taken place.

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There will not be any proof issued. You will have to make sure, that you followed the instruction from the admission letter on how to pay the fee. Additionally, you will have to attach the proof of payment of the student union fee to your submission documents. The transfer receipt from your bank serves as a proof of payment of the student union fee.

If you are still unsure, please ask bewerbung@thi.de.

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After our colleagues from Service Centre Study Affairs approve the documents. This might take some time. Please ask all questions regarding your application and admission at bewerbung@thi.de.

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The student ID card will be sent to the newly enrolled students by post, a German address is required.

Students who need to pick up the ID card personally in justified cases (e.g. international students) may pick up the ID card during the opening hours of the Service Center Student Affairs Department at the ServicePoint Studium (Aula A006). There is no pick-up deadline. Your student ID will be waiting for you, until you pick it up.

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Visa

Are you unsure, if you need a visa to enter Germany? Study in Germany has summarized all information on visa requirements and the application process.

Important: Please do not enter Germany with a tourist visa. This cannot be changed to a visa for study purposes after your entry.

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Unfortunately, THI is not in a position to influence the duration of your visa application process. Please contact the German diplomatic mission in your home country, if you have any questions.

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All visa related issues you´ll have to inquire about in the German embassy of your home country.

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It is all right to enrol at THI even if you have a visa for a different university. However, you must register at the City of Ingolstadt as quickly as possible and contact the local aliens’ office as soon as possible. You cannot wait until your visa expires under any circumstances, considering the fact that your visa is valid for a different university.

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Please provide the study regulations. You will find them under the legal documents of your faculty.

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THI does not issue an IELTS exemption certification. As an alternative, you can print out the “Language Requirements” course description from the DAAD Web-page. You also might use the SPO document of your degree programme.

If it is not enough for your embassy, please contact bewerbung@thi.de.

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Unfortunately no, that is not allowed.

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This information can be found in your admission letter.

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With a German student visa you’ll be able to remain in Germany for the initial 3 months. Within this period, you’ll be required to apply for a residence permit to study. The maximum period you’ll be receiving through such residence permit is 2 years. You’ll also be given an opportunity to extend the residence permit, depending on the duration of your studies.

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Residence permit

Students from non-EU countries who are allowed to enter the Federal Republic of Germany without a visa (e.g. citizens of Brazil or the Republic of Korea) have to apply for a residence permit 3 months after having entered the country at the latest. Students who entered the Federal Republic of Germany with a visa must hand in the application for residence permit before their visa expires.

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Please follow the instructions on moodle - Video tutorial: application for a residence permit.

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Usually, it takes 30 working days.

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Yes, you can. After arriving in Ingolstadt you´ll have to notify the immigration office about your move.

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Arriving for your studies

It is possible, but enrolment has to be done in time in any case. Please check your enrolment letter for those deadlines.

If you arrive late for studies, you will need to keep up with the missed study material on your own.

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You will miss the university introduction part. It is especially important to understand all IT systems, we have at THI (Primuss, Moodle, etc.). There is a self-learning IT course for that. You can access all university platforms after you are fully matriculated.

Obviously, you will miss a part of the lectures, if you arrive late. At the beginning of every course, a professor issues a digital key for Moodle (our student learning platform). On Moodle presentations and tasks are usually posted for students. So, you can already study this material at home, if a fellow student or professor shares the course key from Moodle with you. Keep in mind, there are group projects as well. You will need to find it out about them, too.

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Registration for exams is online. So, if you arrive late, you´ll have to make sure you registered in time for the exams in Primuss platform. In the IT self-learning course, you will find out how to do it.

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Insurances

In order to be allowed to enrol at a German university, you are obliged to have a valid health insurance. To enrol at THI, you will need the certificate from a German public health insurance company. The certificate should be submitted digitally by your health care provider. Please request the digital submission from your health care provider.

(German as well as non-German) applicants with private health insurance coverage also have to book an appointment at a German public health insurance company. At this appointment the private insurance coverage will be checked, and the applicant also gets a certificate of exemption from the public health insurance system in case the private health insurance coverage is sufficient. The certificate of excemption has to be sumitted digitally by the German public health care company.

Note: after the exemption from the German public health insurance system you will not be able to switch back to a statutory health insurance during the whole study period.

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There are public and private health insurance companies in Germany. We strongly recommend to obtain German public health insurance. It will ease the process of enrolment at THI, you will avoid paying any single bill from the doctor by yourself. Also, you will have no problem getting a part time job with the German public insurance.

Several companies provide this service online:

If you choose a foreign or German private health insurance, you will still need the certificate of exemption from the public health insurance system. You cannot get this online and most importantly, after the exemption you will not be able to switch back to a statutory health insurance during the whole study period.

If you are already in Ingolstadt, you can visit following public health insurance companies to obtain a German public health insurance, to check if your foreign health insurance is sufficient enough or to get a certificate of exemption from the public health insurance system: AOK , TK , DAK , Barmer .

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Apart from health insurance, we strongly recommend to get personal liability insurance.

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Bank account

Students from non-EU countries need to provide proof of financial means: 934€ per month for their stay in Germany= €11.208 for a year (Status 2024).

This proof has to be handed in, when applying for a visa and when applying for a residence permit. Many international students use a blocked account for this purpose. Please follow the instruction on how to open a German blocked bank account (Sperrkonto) for foreign students.

Several companies provide this service:

Coracle (We recommend also to consider their Student Public Health Insurance Offer)
Fintiba (We recommend the package Fintiba Plus with DAK Health insurance)
Expatrio (We recommend the value package, which includes public health insurance and liability insurance)
Deutsche Bank (Checklist)

Blocked account Germany–2020 review

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There are a number of ways to get proof of financial means apart from a blocked account:

Your parents can submit documents certifying their income and financial assets and signing the declaration of commitment in the German diplomatic mission in your home country.
Someone with permanent residence in Germany can guarantee the Alien Registration Office to cover your expenses: declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung).
You can present a bank guarantee.
You can present a scholarship award notification from a recognised scholarship provider. Important: If your scholarship does not cover 934€ per month, the difference has to be deposited on a blocked account as well.
You might present a student work contract with the fixed wage as well. If it is less than 934€ per month, the difference has to be deposited on a blocked account as well.

Make sure to inquire at the German embassy in your country as to which form of financial proof is required!

Find out more on the Study in Germany site

Note: the Aliens Authority in Ingolstadt accepts in most cases only blocked bank accounts, scholarship award notifications and declarations of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung).

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Students from EU countries may open a regular bank account at any bank of their choice.
Students from non-EU countries who already opened blocked bank account and do not have a credit/debit card yet, can also apply at any of the banks in Ingolstadt.

Prerequisites: German address

Documents to take along: