Legal Issues

First of all, 'legal issues' refers to visas. Should you need a visa, it is your responsibility to get one in time to start your Ph.D. fellowship with BIGSSS in September. We are happy to support you in your efforts but we would like to stress that ultimately this is your responsibility.

Please note that the time it takes to acquire a visa varies largely from country to country. In some countries, it is a rather quick procedure once you get your stipend letter from BIGSSS. In others, you need to register for an appointment with a privately run company that will then allocate you an appointment with the visa-granting institution situated in another part of the country. This may take much longer than you think.

Therefore we expect every fellow to start applying for a visa immediately after acceptance to BIGSSS.

Should you encounter problems during the application for a visa please do not hesitate to contact us. We will do our best to help you.

EU citizens: Citizens of EU member states do not need a visa but still have to complete a so-called 'Aufenthaltsanzeige' within three months of moving to Bremen. For details, please visit the website of the Bremen Service University.

Once you have accommodation in Bremen you need to register your residence, e.g. at the registration office Bremen Service University on Uni Bremen campus. (German law requires everybody to register their residence.) You also need this for your residence permit application.

EU citizens: Citizens of EU member states do not need a visa but still have to complete a so-called 'Aufenthaltsanzeige' within three months of moving to Bremen. For details, please visit the website of the Bremen Service University.

There are plenty of types of insurance on offer in Germany, some of them are dispensable, some of them are essential, maybe even a prerequisite to acquiring a visa such as your health insurance. Here is a list of the important ones:

• Health insurance, German: Krankenversicherung: You need to get one but you do not necessarily need to have it on arrival. Many fellows get a travelling health insurance to enter Germany and then effect a policy with a health insurance company once they are here. We will be happy to assist you in finding an insurance company, a number of them have offices at the University of Bremen. Other fellows get a European health insurance; contact your own insurance company to find out whether it offers such.
  Please know that there are two types of health insurance in Germany: public and private ones. In a nutshell, the major difference between them is that private health insurances require you to cover everything below a certain sum yourself first, then they reimburse you later. For most regular treatments or preventive medical checkups, doctors will usually send their bill to your public health insurance that will then settle it directly with the doctor. Please note that if you enter Germany with a private health insurance you will not usually be allowed to switch to a public health insurance later on.
• Personal liability insurance, German: Haftpflichtversicherung: It is included in your registration at Jacobs University. For more information, check Jacobs' teamwork.
• Important: Ph.D. students do not have regular student status in Germany as far as insurance is concerned. You will not be eligible for student discounts with your health insurance since doctoral students are considered employees.

There are many options to choose from. Some banks may require more paper work, such as residence permits, housing contract while there are also "foreigner-friendly" banks. For your stipend cash transfer, it is extremely important that you get a bank account immediately upon arrival (after registering). For additional information, please check the welcome letter you will receive in summer.