After finding a place to live, there are a few things International Students will need to do.
Register with the City Council (Stadhaus) as a resident of Bonn.
After entering the building, you can approach the Information Desk and obtain a Ticket with a number on it to be seen. Once your number comes up, you go to the assigned table. Make sure to bring your Passport and preferably a letter from your Employer.
You will receive your stamped Anmeldung, which you must keep up to date for your Bank, Health Insurance and Employer.
Register with a Health Insurance Provider
There are a number of health insurance companies in Bonn, including:
Register with a Bank
This is a personal preference, but there are a few key points about banks that are worth noting:
- Your bank account will allow you to use ATMs from that bank for free, and any of it’s associated partners – but you will be charged for taking out money from banks outside their group.
The two most useful banking groups for Bonn in terms of ATM availability are:
- German Savings Banks Finance Group (Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe)
This is the largest German Public Bank subsector, with numerous ATMs all over Germany.
This is primarily represented by the Sparkasse brand – (wikipedia link).
- Cash Group : Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, HypoVereinsbank, and Postbank
Consisting of the four largest private German banks, they have an extensive ATM network. – (wikipedia link).