You must apply for a residence permit at the local Immigration Office within the period for which your national visa is valid if it does not cover the entire duration of your stay. You can use the online portal for making your online application.

The special services for arranging your city registration and residence permit as well as guidance for your new start in Hamburg can be provided by The Hamburg Welcome Center! You can contact them for getting an appointment at:  info(at)welcome.hamburg(dot)de; Tel.: +49 40 428 54 5001

If you have to apply for a visa to enter Germany, you will need an invitation letter from the Institute. Please contact your TUHH supervisor.

Make sure you apply for this visa in good time at the German diplomatic mission in your home country. EU nationals and nationals of certain countries (e.g., Australia, Great Britain, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Canada, Liechtenstein, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States) do not need a visa to enter Germany.

• See the list of countries for which there is / is not a visa requirement on the multilingual web page of the Federal Foreign Office. This page also contains information about applying for a visa.
• For special information, see the web page of the diplomatic mission responsible for you.
• Note that the 3-month Schengen visa (tourist visa, visitor’s visa, business visa, visa to attend a language course without the intention of pursuing university study) cannot be converted into a residence permit in Germany. In this case, you must leave Germany and reenter with a special visa issued by the diplomatic mission responsible.

If you enter Germany from a non-EU country, you must prove you have sufficient financial resources when you apply for the visa. If you can enter Germany without a visa, you can prove you have sufficient financial resources when you apply for a residence permit.

Researchers from non-EU countries who plan to stay more than 90 days need a host agreement to apply for their visa and residence permit. Contact person for hosting agreements at TUHH: The Manager of Internationalisation Mrs Nicole Frei/ e-mail: n.frei(at)tuhh(dot)de

Further important information on visa and entry formalities can be found on the homepages of Euraxess;  The Hamburg Welcome Portal and Federal Foreign Office.

Health insurance for you stay in Germany is mandatory.
Please contact your insurance company to check whether your existing health insurance covers treatment costs in Germany (this usually applies for EU citizens). If your existing insurance does not cover treatment costs in Germany, you either need to extend it or take out an additional insurance for the time of your stay in Germany. As a rule, guest researchers have to have private health insurance. More information and links to various private insurance providers can be found at Euraxess Germany, the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation's information and DAAD advice portal for international researchers. Please note that the travel insurances are usually not covering the real costs of the medical treatment in Germany needed in the case of accident or illness.

Please note that travel insurance does not usually cover the actual costs of medical treatment required in Germany in the case of an accident or illness.

If you plan to stay in Hamburg for more than 3 months, you will have to register as a resident within two weeks after your arrival.

For further information about the citizen registration procedure as well as the online appointment, refer to the city of Hamburg websites.

Finding accommodation in Hamburg, especially for a short period, can be difficult and expensive. We recommend that you start looking for housing early— as soon as you begin planning your stay. We are happy to assist you in finding suitable accommodation in Hamburg. Please note that TUHH does not have its own lodging facilities for guests.

A very comprehensive overview of the housing search in Hamburg is provided in the information brochure from the Hamburg Welcome Center.

Here you will find information on all steps of the housing search in Germany, or specifically Hamburg, including:

• Preparation
• Application
• Viewings
• What to avoid

For visiting researchers, finding furnished accommodation or short-term living is often the best solution. As a starting point, we have compiled a list of various providers of short-term rentals in Hamburg for you. Usually, these offers have a minimum rental period of 6 months, but some providers also offer shorter rental periods.

Since we intend to expand this list gradually, we are always grateful for suggestions from the institutes regarding further accommodation options for visiting researchers that you may have used in the past. We look forward to your message!

PhD Students

For students, TUHH has established its own Housing Advice Service. Doctoral candidates who come to TUHH as visiting researchers are welcome to contact this service as well as the Housing Advisory Center of the Studierendenwerk Hamburg. You can reach the TUHH Housing Service at the email address rooms(at)tuhh(dot)de.

We also recommend the information brochure [eng] from the Housing Service to all other guests for orientation. Besides information about student dormitories in Hamburg, the brochure contains tips for searching for apartments and shared flats on the private market.

In order to get access to TUHH Campus facilities you have to register at TUHH. Depending on your status you will be registered as a Guest Researcher (valid for all internship students, visiting academics, guests conducting researches for their doctoral dissertation): Please contact the department STUDIS – Admission & Registration/ Mrs Hennke/ room 0026/SBS 95E for filling out the form and carrying out your registration procedure.

For registration as a regular TUHH PHD student (valid for PHD research fellows in an institute): Please contact the PHD Office

You are coming to Germany with your life partner and one or more children and need support in organising a childcare? You can make use of the TUHH day care centre! Your children will meet playmates of their own age there and you’ll easily get to know other parents. For more information, please contact the TUHH Family Office which provides support for spouses and children of visiting scientist.

Contact data: Tel.: 040 42878 3968/ E-Mail: familienbuero(at)tuhh.de

The Graduate Academyserves as an umbrella facility and central point of contact for PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers at the TUHH. By addressing a broad range of transferable skills that are either currently needed or required in the future, the Graduate Academy helps junior scientists to strengthen their professional skills and become aware of individual career goals either in academia or in other research-related fields in industry or NGOs. In addition to workshops on transferable skills the Graduate Academy's formats include counseling as well as information and networking events.

Contact: E-Mail: graduiertenakademie(at)tuhh.de

Information platform for guest researchers 

Euraxess Germany

Special services for guest researchers in Hamburg: arranging  residence permit, city registration and general guidance for new start in Hamburg!

Hamburg Welcome Center
 

General information for guest researchers:

Der DAAD guide "Research in Germany"

General information for guest researchers, information on residence permits and application procedures for researchers from third countries

Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
 

The fellowship program is aimed at both outstanding established scholars and promising emergent early career researchers (minimum requirement: doctorate) as well as artists and cultural professionals.

HIAS Fellowship Program
 

Information on visas and regulations for entering Germany as well as the requisite application forms:

Federal Foreing Office (Auswärtiges Amt)

Information for non-EU citizens wishing to carry out research in Germany:

European Commission: EU Immigration Portal