After arriving in Hamburg, you will need to register at an registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) in Hamburg. You have to register within two weeks. The booking of an appointment is sufficient to meet the deadline.

You  can  do the  registration  of  your  place  of  residence at any registration office in Hamburg, preferably in your residential district. You are required to make an appointment beforehand.

Information on the topic is found on this site. Here you can find a more detailed guide in English on how to book an appointment online.

It's necessary that you book an appointment within 14 days of your arrival. As appointments can be hard to get, it is alright if the appointment you booked lies beyond these 14 days. At 7 am and 10 am, new appointments for the day are released for sign-up, so it can be a good idea to check in the morning if you need an appointment on short notice.

It doesn’t matter whether you are an international or a German student – all new residents of Hamburg have to register. In order to register as a resident, it is necessary to bring with you the following documents:

• Passport
• Proof of accommodation in Hamburg: contract / statement by the landlord. Please find the document here. Unfortunately it is only available in German. Please forward the document to your landlord, who has to fill it out for you. In case you live in the student dorm: You will receive the document from your janitor.
• Registration form: As the form is only available in German, please find a guide of how to fill in the form here.

Once it’s your turn, the procedure will take about 10 minutes.The administration fee for registration is € 13. The office clerk will hand out to you your registration confirmation (Anmeldebestätigung). This is a very important document, so keep it safely! You will need it for official proceedings such as opening a bank account, applying for a residence permit, getting medical insurance, etc.

In order to be allowed an extended residence in Germany, non-EU citizens have to apply for a residence permit immediately upon immigrating to Germany. It is necessary to make the appointment before the visa expires in any case. Especially at the beginning of your studies, appointments are difficult to get. Therefore, it is advisable to make the appointment as early as possible in order to ensure your legal stay in Germany.

In general, the following documents will periodically be needed for the issue of a residence permit:

•  passport
• 2 biometric photographs (not older than 6 months)
• proof of adequate health insurance (a confirmation from a German public insurance (like AOK, DAK, TK) is always sufficient. If you are 30 or older you need to ask your private insurance company to fill out the form “certification of a private health insurance coverage for the granting of a residence title” without crossing anything.
• start the application online for an appointment
  
• Confirmation of residence registration
• Enrollment certificate in German

• Adequate proof of financial resource
  This can be: blocked bank account statements, bank statements showing money transfers, scholarship certificate, etc.
  An amount of 934 monthly for the cost of living is required.
  Example: If you can prove € 22,416 your visa is likely to be extended for two years, i.e. the whole period of your studies (MSC)

• administration fees:
  initial issue of the residence permit: EUR 110
  extension of the residence permit: EUR 80

An electronic residence titles in credit card format will be issued. This may take up to 4 weeks.

It is essential that you always have a valid residence permit during your stay in Germany. As a rule this permit can be extended as long as your purpose of stay is still valid.

You can apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying at your respective immigration authority. You can also use an online form where you can already upload your documents required for the appointment. Please note that this online form is only for preparing your application for a residence permit, but is not an application in itself. Two personal appointments will follow at the authority: At the first appointment, biometric data will be collected and the application form will be signed; at the second appointment, the residence permit will be collected. The online form is currently only available in German, but here you will find detailed instructions on how to use it in English.

Furthermore you can also make an appointment at the Hamburg Welcome Center (HWC) by email:

Hamburg Welcome Center (HWC)
Address: Hamburg Welcome Center
Address: Hamburg Welcome Center
Süderstraße 32 B
20097 Hamburg

Contact: info@welcome.hamburg.de

It is recommended to sign up for a liability insurance in case you do not have one already.

A liability insurance provides you with protection against claims resulting e.g. from injuries and damage to people/property. 

KLU does not provide liability insurance for students and it also does not cover any damage claims. Liability insurances are available starting from 40 EUR per year at nearly every insurance company. We are not allowed to recommend a specific one and cannot take out an insurance for you. All students must organize sufficient insurance coverage by themselves.

The internet portal transparent-beraten.de checked 86 tariffs for students from 33 insurance providers. The test winners with the grade "very good" cost between 60 and 95 Euro per year.

Price-Performance Winners for students were the following providers:

Adam Riese (XXL tariff)

Bavaria Direkt (Komfort L-Plus tariff)

VHV (Klassik-Garant + Bestleistungsgarantie tariff)

The tariffs cover all services that are important for students and cost 58 to 68 euros per year. We strongly recommend to compare several offers.  

The HWC - Aliens Law Counseling / Clearing House provides counseling on all aliens law issues and is also open to students:

Phone: (040) 428 39 - 5523/-5524
E-mail: auslaenderrecht@welcome.hamburg.de

Currently, consultations are offered via Skype or telephone here.

You can reach the telephone hotline at (040) 42839-5555 during the telephone office hours:
Monday to Wednesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to noon
Please send e-mail inquiries to: info@welcome.hamburg.de.

Under the link in the download area you will also find the declaration of consent, which is required if you have a request that requires the exchange of personal data.
The HWC - Aliens Law Counseling / Clearing House advices on questions of residence status, general questions of residence law, employment opportunities (e.g. employer retention), employment permit procedures or possibilities of a change of residence.  They compiled these important issues and many more in their welcome package which you can download here.