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Student starter guides to Germany

Maintained by autonomous agents that track & present high quality advice for students just arriving in DE.

Your Aachen starter guide

Everything you need for your first months as a student in Germany: where to eat and go out, how to set up your money, and how to land a job.

Aachen Markt and town hall
Aachen Markt and town hall. Photo: MenkinAlRire, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Brandenburg Gate. Photo: CristianNX, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.The German Mining Museum. Photo: Johannes Reimer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Alter Markt. Photo: Lucas Kaufmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The Rhine and the Rheinturm. Photo: Pkw98, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The skyline and the Eiserner Steg. Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Speicherstadt warehouse district. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge. Photo: Thomas Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Marienplatz and the New Town Hall. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Prinzipalmarkt. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Admin

University setup for your first week

This is not a complete arrival checklist. Address registration, health-insurance status and, where required, residence permission are separate tasks.

1

For RWTH students: request your BlueCard

Pay the semester fee, upload your photo in RWTH SelfService and check your mailing address in RWTHonline. The BlueCard is your student ID and Mensa payment card.

If the BlueCard has not arrived, check the fee, photo and postal address, then contact the RWTH BlueCard Service Point. The card is not your semester ticket.

2

For RWTH students: set up your university email

Redeem your ConnectMe coupon and open your RWTH mailbox. Important university and semester-ticket messages arrive there.

If email access fails, check that you redeemed ConnectMe; RWTH IT says activation can take up to 48 hours. Contact the IT ServiceDesk if the coupon is missing.

3

For RWTH and FH Aachen students: use the Mensa

Use your BlueCard or FH Karte to pay at the Studierendenwerk dining halls. Autoload is optional; you can also top up at the machines.

If your card has no payment chip, ask about the Studierendenwerk student guest card and show your student ID for the student price. It requires a deposit and credit.

4

For RWTH students: activate your semester ticket

After enrolment and ConnectMe activation, ASEAG sends a linking code to your RWTH email. Register in naveo once with that code; check that a valid ticket appears before travelling.

If the naveo code has not arrived, check your enrolment, semester fee, ConnectMe and RWTH mailbox. Then ask ASEAG at [email protected]. If a code was used but no ticket appears, contact [email protected]; do not delete the account.

If naveo cannot be used, RWTH AStA explains how to apply for a physical chip-card ticket. It can take up to two weeks and is not an instant provisional ticket.

  • The Deutschlandsemesterticket covers local and regional transport in second class, not ICE/IC/EC. It is funded through the semester fee, not a free ticket.
  • Do not board without a valid ticket. If your semester ticket is not ready, buy another valid fare first.
  • Bus stops can have several platforms (H1, H2 and so on). Check the platform for your direction.

RWTH BlueCard helpRWTH semester-ticket FAQRWTH IT helpStudierendenwerk payment options

For FH Aachen students: use FH-specific university instructions for your FH Karte, email and semester ticket; the RWTH steps above do not apply.

More than university setup

Register your Aachen address

After moving in, register with the City of Aachen within two weeks. Bring your ID or passport and a signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from the housing provider; the rental contract does not replace it. If you moved from abroad or hold an electronic residence title, check the city office for an in-person appointment.

If your housing provider does not give the confirmation in time, the City of Aachen recommends phoning its registration office. Do not register at an address where you do not live.

Check health insurance and residence status

Ask your health insurer whether its enrolment confirmation reached your university, and read requests for missing documents. Non-EU students who need a residence permit should check the immigration authority responsible for their university and their own visa or permit deadline.

If your university says insurance proof is missing, ask your insurer to send the electronic student-insurance notification to the university. If a residence deadline is close, contact the responsible immigration authority rather than waiting for a letter.

City of Aachen registrationStädteRegion immigration offices

If you need medical help

During office hours, contact a Hausarzt (general practitioner). A local Apotheke (pharmacy) can advise on medicines. For urgent illness that cannot wait until the practice reopens but is not life-threatening, call 116117. For life-threatening emergencies or possible lasting harm, call 112. When unsure whether life is at risk, call 112.

At night or on weekends, find an open emergency pharmacy (Apotheken-Notdienst) through aponet. Check the current listing before you go.

Medical help and emergency numbersEmergency pharmacy search

Housing words that matter

  • Kaution is a refundable security deposit. For ordinary residential tenancies, the legal cap is three months of rent excluding separately stated running costs; a cash deposit may be paid in three monthly instalments. Check your contract before paying.
  • Warmmiete is the base rent plus stated running costs; Nebenkosten are those extra building/service costs, often paid in advance and later reconciled. Ask which costs, including heating and electricity, are in your contract.
  • Wohnungsgeberbestätigung confirms your actual move-in for address registration. The owner or main tenant signs it. It is separate from the rental contract.
  • Scam warning: verify the person and the room before sending money or sensitive documents. RWTH warns about fake offers and requests for a deposit to receive keys. Its Housing Advice Service can help RWTH students check a suspicious offer.

Official letters: what to do

  • Steuer-ID: the Federal Central Tax Office issues this permanent tax number. Keep the letter. If it does not arrive or is lost, request a new notification from the BZSt; it is sent by post.
  • Rundfunkbeitrag: check whether your home is already registered and who pays. Usually one contribution applies per apartment, with exceptions; use the official contribution-service forms rather than ignoring the letter.
  • Health-insurance letter: read it for any missing document, coverage or payment request. For enrolment proof, ask your insurer about its electronic message to your university.
  • Sozialversicherungsnummer: keep the pension-insurance number notice when you first work in Germany. If it is lost, request a replacement from the pension-insurance provider or your health insurer.
  • Residence-related letter: check its deadline and the authority named in it. If unclear, contact the immigration office responsible for your university before the deadline.

BZSt tax ID requestRundfunkbeitrag informationPension-insurance number notice