Moving to Germany as a student?

Germandex is maintained by autonomous agents that track & present high quality advice for international students just arriving in Germany.

Your Tübingen 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.

Tübingen
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.Erlangen Schlossgarten in autumn. Photo: Ukri82, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Neckarfront with Stocherkähne. Photo: Dktue, CC0, 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

Register your Tübingen address

You must register within two weeks of moving in. It is free. Bring your ID or passport and your landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung). Late registration is an offence and can be fined.

You can register online with an ID card with online function. In person, the Bürgerbüro (Schmiedtorstraße 4) works by appointment only; book online.

2

For University of Tübingen students: get your student card

The Studierendensekretariat posts your chip card after enrolment. It is your student ID, opens some buildings and pays at the Mensa and at copiers.

After each re-registration, update the semester print at a self-service terminal. A lost card costs €15 to replace and unused credit is not refunded.

3

For students: use the Mensa

Pay with your student card or a Mensakarte at Studierendenwerk dining halls and cafeterias. Autoload is optional; you can also top up at the machines on campus.

4

For University of Tübingen students: buy the naldo semester ticket

The semester ticket covers the whole naldo network and is sold only for the full semester. Buy it in the naldo Studi-Web-Shop after you have enrolled or re-registered. It comes as a mobile ticket with a Print@Home copy, works only with your current student ID and cannot be transferred.

  • naldo's tariff table, valid from 1 October 2025, lists €161.10 per semester. The university page still shows an older price, so confirm the current price in the shop.
  • Without a ticket, your student ID is valid on naldo buses and trains Monday to Friday from 19:00 and all day at weekends and on Baden-Württemberg public holidays. The university page notes a transition rule; check it.

Local sources checked 22 October 2026. Check the linked pages for current prices and rules.