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 During your stay in Frankfurt 

You have successfully applied as a guest student and have already arrived in Frankfurt? 

Here you will find all the information you need about studying and living in Frankfurt. 

We wish you all a wonderful time and successful studies!

If you arrive by plane, you can either take a taxi (€30 – €40) or you can take the S‑Bahn (suburban train) (€4) to the city.

Signposts indicate the way from the arrival hall to the airport station (“Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Regionalbahnhof"). Do not forget to buy a ticket at a ticket machine before getting into the S‑Bahn. Lines S8 direction: Offenbach (Main) Ost or S9 direction: Hanau Hauptbahnhof will take you to the central station (Hauptbahnhof) of Frankfurt.

The way from the central station to the different locations of the university:

Directions and maps of the campuses of Goethe University can be found here.

The following information only applies to the dormitory rooms allocated via the Global Office contingent. If you have found private accommodation or rented a room in another student residence, please inform yourself about your move-in. 

You will receive the necessary information for moving into the student residence before your arrival via e-mail from the Global Office. 

Please note that it is only possible to move in at the following times: 

Monday to Thursday: 8 am to 3 pm (8-15h)

Fridays: 8 am to 2 pm (8-14h)

If you arrive outside these times, you will not be able to move into your accommodation on the day of arrival.

Registration Office (Bürgeramt)

In Germany, it is required for persons residing in Germany for over 3 months to register with the police at the Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt or Bürgeramt) in the city where they reside. This rule is also applicable if you decide to move within Germany (Ummeldung). You should register within one week of arrival at the Registration Office (Einwohnemeldeamt or Bürgeramt).


Address central Bürgeramt Frankfurt:

Zeil 3
60313 Frankfurt am Main
Tel.: 069/212 30600
Web Page of the Registration Office (Bürgeramt)

You need to book an appointment online before going to the Bürgeramt.

As an alternative to the central Bürgeramt, you can also go to a Bürgeramt near you. If you move into an accommodation outside of Frankfurt, you need to register with the municipal office of the respective city.

In order to register, please bring your rental contract, your proof of identity (ID card, passport) and your lessor confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).

Only for Non-EU-citizens!

After you have registered your address at the Registration Office (Bürgeramt), you need to apply for a residence permit at the Foreigner's Registration Office.

The following documents* will be needed:

  • Passport photo with biometrical data
  • Valid passport
  • Confirmation of registration from the registration office (see above)
  • Confirmation of enrollment of the university
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Proof of financial support (scholarship acceptance letter, personal financial resources, etc.)

Address:

Ausländerbehörde
Ordnungsamt
Service-Center Ausländerangelegenheiten (SCA)
Rebstöcker Str. 4
60326 Frankfurt am Main
E-mail: abh-43.1@stadt-frankfurt.de
Website of the Foreigners' Registration Office

* The information on our website regarding required documentation is provided as a guideline only. In general, it is always possible that the Foreigners' Registration Office (= Ausländerbehörde) may request additional documentation beyond the standard requirements.

Important Notice:


  • You are obligated to apply for your residence permit within the first 90 days of arrival (if you entered without a visa or if your visa is not valid for the entire duration of your studies).
  • Start applying for your residence permit with the Foreigners' Registration Office as early as possible. Do not wait until the last day of your application, as your stay in Germany beyond 90 days is illegal! 
  • Remember to fill out all your documents completely, in order to avoid having to return to the Foreigners' Registration Office due to incomplete documents or certificates.
  • Make sure that you receive a certificate (confirmation; Fiktionsbescheinigung) on the day you submit your application to the Foreigners' Registration Office. You need these documents for any personal checks within Germany or for trips abroad.

Every registered student of the Goethe University gets a Goethe-Card. It is not only your student ID-card but holds many other functions: library card, key for lockers, semester ticket for public transport, credit card for the mensa, coffee and vending machines, printing, copying and scanning, ticket of admission for the botanical garden (Palmengarten) and municipal museums (Kulturticket).

The Goethe-Card can be picked up personally after your arrival in Frankfurt at the Global Office. You will receive further information regarding this procedure via e-mail.

You can find further information here.

All enrolled exchange and guest students receive an HRZ account from the Global Office. HRZ stands for Hochschulrechenzentrum i.e. the University data center. The HRZ account consists of login and password and is required for almost all HRZ IT services (e.g., Internet access, webmail, study and examination organization and much more).


All necessary information can be found on the website of the HRZ. 


Frequently used websites and portals: 

With the semester ticket, you can use all RMV (Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund) means of transport (buses, trams, underground and suburban trains and local trains such as Regionalbahn, StadtExpress, RegionalExpress) free of charge in the entire network area and in the transition area to the network area Rhein-Neckar (VRN). The ticket is therefore valid in all of Central and Southern Hesse, including Mainz, Weinheim and Worms. The validated Goethe-Card is your semester ticket.


Further information on the RMV-AStA-Semesterticket: 

Here you can find a map to the validation machine closest to the offices of the Global Office. 

           
Cost of living (Rent, Food, Clothing, Study Material, etc., per month)approx. €700
Health insurance (per Month)approx. €110
Semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) (approx. €326 per semester), per month
approx. €55

Total (per Month)
approx. 865 €
Here are some average prices of some products to give you an idea of the price level in Frankfurt:

1 bread (approx. 500g)€2
1 kg potatoes€1.50
1 l milk€0.90
1 bottle mineral water (0.75 l)€0.80


1 cup of coffee (in a Café)€3.00
1 lunch (at the university cafeteria)€2.50
1 beer (at a bar)€4
1 Apfelwein (traditional Frankfurter drink)€2.50
1 pizza (at a restaurant)€7

stamp standard letter national€0.85
museum entrance€12
movie theater ticket€11

A German bank account allows you to make regular payments such as rent and insurance. Most banks offer free checking accounts for students. Smaller amounts of money are mostly paid with cash. However payment by debit card is also common for everyday purchases.

If you are accommodated in a student residence of the Studierendenwerk and you do not yet have a bank account with a bank that participates in the SEPA procedure, you need to open a bank account from which the monthly rent for your accommodation can be debited by direct debit authorization. Usually, it is necessary to arrange an appointment with the respective bank or savings bank, in order to open an account opening. Various banks and savings banks have branches near the university. To open a bank account, you need a valid ID document (e.g., passport). After you have opened a bank account with a bank or savings bank, please submit your account data/direct debit authorization to the student housing administration within the first three days after moving in.

Next to the Global Office and the departmental coordinators there are additional organizations/groups that support exchange students during their stay at Goethe University.

All necessary information on the Buddy programm can be found here on our website.

The IST is a project launched by Studium Lehre Internationales that aims to help international students settle in and establish contact between international and German students.
Further information can be found on the website of the IST and in their event calendar.
Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a Europe-wide student organization with 416 sections in 36 countries. The aims of ESN are to promote the social and personal integration of exchange students.

The aim of ESN Uni Frankfurt / Hermes Club e.V. is to ensure that all international students feel at home, meet new people and have a great time during their stay in Frankfurt. Therefore, ESN Uni Frankfurt organizes a variety of fun events. The semester starts with ESN Welcome to Frankfurt-Events, consisting e.g. of city tours, Get to Know Pub, German Quiz Night, and pub crawls. Additionally, all year long, regular international pubs and soccer meetings take place, as well as cultural activities, city trips, parties, Social Erasmus events and many more.

The members of ESN are more than happy to offer their help and assistance with all upcoming questions and issues concerning life as an exchange student. Bringing international students together and making their exchange experience unforgettable is what ESN Uni Frankfurt strives for.
For more information about ESN Uni Frankfurt visit their website.
You are an exchange student and would like to improve your German language skills? Below you can find some offers of the ISZ.
During the course of the semester, there will be various courses offered by the ISZ to help improve your knowledge of German. The courses can be attended in a building block fashion according to individual needs and preferences. For further information about these courses see here.

You can also find the schedule for these courses in the online course overview and on the website of the Internationales Studienzentrum (ISZ). As soon as possible we will inform you via e-mail regarding the courses of the respective semester. The courses are free of charge for registered exchange students. German language courses at the ISZ can be added to your schedule in addition to the courses of your field of study at Goethe University.

Please note that you cannot obtain language certificates upon completion of the courses.

A flyer with all German courses of the current semester can be found here.

The tandem program will find you/team you up with a native speaker as a tandem partner. You can meet with each other regularly and you will both improve your skills in the language of the other person – that way you exchange language skills and study individually and independently.

Further information can be found here.

The ISZ offers a Sprachcafé on the Westend Campus in cooperation with the department "Deutsch im Studium". The Sprachcafé is a further opportunity to develop multilingual skills and to improve your oral language skills, in particular your fluency, as well as your intercultural skills.

You can find further information on the website of the ISZ.

If your officially planned period of study exceeds one semester, you have to re-enroll for each following semester before the end of the current semester. The regular re-enrollment period starts:


    01 January and ends 31 January (re-enrollment for the summer semester) or
    01 July and ends 31 August (re-enrollment for the winter semester).


This is how the process works:

Before the deadlines (31 January or 31 August), you need to transfer the semester social contribution (Semestersozialbeitrag) to the bank account of the university. The semester social contribution must have arrived on the account before the deadline. In January/July, the exact amount of the semester social contribution for exchange/ERASMUS students can be found here under "Enrollment" - "Semester Contribution".

Please remember to state the correct reason for transfer (Verwendungszweck)! (=enrollment number (Matrikelnummer or within the framed: „Hinweis zur Rückmeldung“ see Stammdatenblatt (master data sheet)).


If you transfer the semester social contribution late, i.e. between 01-28 February (re-enrollment for the summer term) or 01-31 August (re-enrollment for the winter term) you need to add a €30 late fee to the original amount.


The documents (Stammdatenblatt and confirmation of enrollment) for the upcoming semester can be obtained here under "Enrollment"


If you have any questions concerning re-enrollment please come to our office hours well before the deadline for re-enrollment passes.


After the money has successfully been booked under your name, (please have in mind that the money transferal and booking might take approx. five working days), you can validate your Goethe-Card for the following semester. Therefore the lower half of the chip card will be re-stamped with the RMV logo and the new period of validity. Further information on the Goethe-Card can be found here. In order to validate your chip card, insert it into one of the semester ticket validating machines. The locations of these can be found here. Re-enrollment is only completed, once you have re-validated your semester ticket and printed out your confirmation of enrollment for the following semester.

If you would like to extend your guest student status for one semester, i.e. beyond the originally granted study period (see letter of admission), you can ask for an extension at the Global Office until:

    31 December (extension for the summer term) or
    30 June (extension for the winter term).


ERASMUS students: Please contact the Global Office, in order to receive the form "extension request".

Direct/Departmental Exchange Program: The following confirmations that an extension has been approved need to reach the Global Office (incoming@uni-frankfurt.de):

  1. Confirmation of home institution (e-mail by International Office or departmental coordinator of home institution is sufficient).
  2. Confirmation of faculty/ department at Goethe University (e-mail by departmental coordinator or International Office (Auslandsbüro) of the faculty is sufficient).

Attention: Non-EU nationals studying in Germany must keep in mind their visa status. You are responsible to get an extension in time.

Freemover guest students need to present a letter of permission from their academic supervisor confirming the extension of their period of study in order to extend their studies.

Scholarship holders (e.g. DAAD) registered as guest students need to make sure that the Global Office receives a letter of award for the extended study period.


Extension Student Housing: 

In general, the period for your student housing contract relates to your planned study period, i.e. if you applied for one semester, you can only be accepted for one semester at student housing, too. If your planned study period is one semester and you extend your study period during the mobility, usually you cannot extend your accommodation in student housing as it is reserved for the newly arriving students. An extension may be possible in some cases, but you need to finalize your extension of study period before 01 December (extension for summer term) / 01 June (extension for winter term). Otherwise the accommodation will be re-assigned. 

Information on withdrawing from enrollment can be found here on our website under "Enrollment" - "Withdrawal of Registration". Please observe the regulations and deadlines of the Student Registration Office. 
If you want to shorten your stay by one semester (e.g.: two-semester stay planned, shortening to one semester desired), please contact us early (by 30 June at the latest for newly planned study end summer semester; 31 December at the latest for newly planned study end winter semester).

On weekends, public holidays or at night, you will find help from the medical emergency and on-call service in the hospital, a doctor or pharmacy in your area. 

In all serious cases, especially in a potentially life threatening situation, call the telephone number 112 (Notruf). The telephone number is valid everywhere in Germany and you will receive an ambulance within 15 minutes. There are no telephone charges for the emergency number.


If it's not that bad, you can also go straight to an emergency room of a hospital, which is open 24 hours a day.


At the Psychotherapeutic Counseling Centre, all students can obtain anonymous advice free of charge. In addition, workshops are offered on various topics, such as exam anxiety or stress. 


All information can be found on the website of the Psychotherapeutic Counselling Centre (PBS).

Please note that you have to make an appointment online.

If you need to see a doctor in Germany you should ask your fellow students or acquaintances for a recommendation. Your local classified directory (Yellow Pages/Gelbe Seiten) will provide you with a list of all of doctors, listed according to their field of expertise. A list of doctors might also be found through the website: https://arztsuchehessen.de.


It is often advisable to consult a general practitioner first ("Hausarzt"), who will then refer you to a specialist if necessary. You should always ring the doctor's clinic in advance to make an appointment. In the event of an accident or emergency, you will be given an appointment immediately or on the same day. In non-urgent cases, you will probably have to wait a couple of days or even weeks for an appointment, particularly if you want to see a dentist or a specialist. Do not forget to take your health insurance card with you when going to the doctor.

All necessary information regarding health insurance can be found here. 

Related Links: 

Emergency numbers:

Firefighters, Ambulances, Emergency Doctor112
Dental Emergency Service069/63015877
Pedeatric Emergency Service Frankfurt069/3106 ext. 3322
Regulations on travel to Germany

Please check with the official resources of the German Federal Foreign Office which entry restrictions might apply for your travel to Germany. Regarding your vaccination status, you can check whether your vaccine is approved by the European Commission at Paul-Ehrlich-Institut's homepage.


Information for students already in Frankfurt:


Information for students on COVID rules and COVID testing can be found in the FAQs.


If you think you might be infected with COVID-19, call your doctor (if you already have one in Frankfurt) who will assess whether you have a suspected case of COVID-19. Alternatively, call the out‑of‑hours patient care services by dialling 116 117. They will decide how to proceed. If you had contact with persons who have tested positive, contact your local public health office for an individual consultation so they can recommend specific measures. In case of suspected infection, please oblige to all necessary home quarantine and hygiene measures that might be imposed upon you.


Even if you do not show signs of infection or have been tested negative you should always adhere to the basic principles summed up by the DHM formula: Maintain a distance (at least 1.5 meters), observe the hygiene rules (coughing and sneezing into the crook of your arm or a paper handkerchief, washing your hands) and wear a community mask (when there is little room or in crowded, enclosed spaces).


Related Links

Every university student receives a user account at the university computer center (Hochschulrechenzentrum or HRZ) for the duration of their enrollment as a student at Goethe University. Guest students receive their HRZ-account together with their Goethe-Card from the Global Office.

Available Computer Rooms can be found here.

Information:

For advice or help from the university computer center (Hochschulrechenzentrum) please look at their website.


Advising Services of the Computer Center:
Telephone: +49-(0)69-798-32936, -32890 (Campus Westend)
There are many possibilities to search for part time employment. Employment availability can be found in almost every local newspaper. For example, one could look in the Frankfurt Rundschau on Fridays, Saturdays in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), or in the “Uni-Report/Stellen aktuell" or on the Internet. Also you could call or go directly to human resource departments of companies.

At the university, there is always the possibility to work as a scientific aid or as a student tutor/mentor (studentische Hilfskraft or "Hiwi"). Keep your eyes open to written announcements in the faculty or institute of choice.

Temporary employment agencies provide another alternative.

Please note that we cannot support you in your job search.


Information on the rules for students can be found on the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) website.

The city Frankfurt and the Goethe University offer a number of activities for your free time.

All students, members, and affiliates of Goethe University in Frankfurt are entitled to use the Center for University Sports (Zentrum für Hochschulsport). Sports at Goethe University are purely recreational and hence emphasize a good time and offer a break from the daily routine. At the Center for University Sports, you will find many different sport classes.

Address:

Zentrum für Hochschulsport (ZfH)
Sportstätten und Geschäftszimmer
Ginnheimer Landstraße 39
60487 Frankfurt
Telephone: +49-(0)69-798-24516
Fax: +49-(0)69-798-24532

Internet: www.uni-frankfurt.de/hochschulsport

With the Goethe-Card, all students of Goethe University have free admission to all municipal museums in Frankfurt and the Palmengarten. 

Additional partners of the culture ticket.


Frankfurt also has many other Museums
The Kulturportal (cultural portal) of the city of Frankfurt am Main offers information on all cultural facilities and events in Frankfurt.
Stadtportrait (City Portrait ) of the city of Frankfurt.

In Frankfurt there exists a broad variety of recreational activities so that everybody can find a suitable hobby.

Possible actvities can be found through these websites:

Disclaimer: Despite careful review of the content, we assume no liability for the content of external links. The operators of the linked pages are solely responsible for their content. 

Pick-up Goethe-Card

valid from: '19.02.23 - 00:00' to: '30.04.23 - 00:00'

after valid

Please contact us via e-mail in order to schedule an appointment for the Goethe-Card pick up.

Contact

Student Mobility Team - Incoming Students

E-mail: incoming@uni-frankfurt.de

Tel.: (069) 798-17191, -17254, -15080

If you have any questions, criticisms or suggestions for improving the site, please feel free to email incoming@uni-frankfurt.de.