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SER - Enrollment for PhD students
Last modified: Wednesday, 25 September 2024, 1:23 PM
Enrollment & Start of Studies PhD students
Next step: Enroll at KLU as a student
Enrollment at KLU
Enrollment is an essential step to officially begin your studies at KLU and confirm your student status. To complete the process, all required enrollment documents must be submitted before your program starts.
On the right you will discover an enrollment checklist containing all the necessary documents for submission. Please send all documents in one PDF document to studentservices@klu.org.
We encourage you to submit your enrollment documents as early as possible. Please note that missing, incomplete, or unsigned documents may delay or interrupt the enrollment process.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Student Services at studentservices@klu.org.
For inquiries related to scholarships or employment contracts, please contact our Human Resources department at hr@klu.org.
Checklist for enrollment
Checklist:
- Application for enrollment along with KLU forms
- Proof of health insurance: please find more information about the exact proof in the section about health insurance below
- Passport/national ID card*
- Visa: only if non-EU student**
- Exmatriculation certificate: only if enrolled at a German university right before your PhD studies
- English language certificate: if not already provided during the admission process
Submission deadline: All required documents must be submitted by the date specified on your Certificate of Admission.
Completeness is key: Avoid missing, incomplete, or unsigned documents.
In-Person verification: Original final degree documents are mandatory. Present these documents in person at the Student Info Point at the start of your study program.
Adhering to this checklist ensures a smooth enrollment process.
*In order to verify your personal data (e.g. for issuing your Student ID card), we need to verify the following information: Name(s), date of birth, place of birth, nationality. You may cover or redact any other information on your ID card that you feel is unnecessary for this purpose. Rest assured, we will handle your data with the utmost care and confidentiality.
**Please check here if you will need a visa to enter Germany.
Information about Health Insurance
General information
Health insurance is crucial for your stay in Germany, necessary for enrollment and your residence permit (if non-EU student) .
Two types exist: public and private. Public insurance is cost-effective, covering medical expenses and preventive care. International students usually can't have public insurance, except for PhD students from EU countries who can opt for voluntary membership.
Private insurance varies in benefits and costs based on the individual's risk profile, not income. Monthly contributions for private insurance can be around €250, and spouses and children must have separate coverage. International students arriving in Germany typically choose private insurance. Compare options and consider scholarship earnings when selecting insurance.
Students from Germany
Public Insurance in Germany for students allows free choice among various health insurance funds like AOK, DAK, HEK. Doctoral students can only opt for voluntary public health insurance, paying 14.6% of monthly income (e.g., scholarship) plus 2.8% for long-term care. Scholarships may be considered as income, impacting your health insurance tariff/rate. Spouses and non-working children are covered for free.
Private German insurance ("Vollversicherung") is an option for German students, with costs potentially reaching €250/month based on age. Private insurance often requires proof of recent health status, and reimbursement involves self-payment upfront. Pre-existing conditions and certain benefits like dental or mental health treatments are typically not covered by private insurance.
What to submit for enrollment if you are insured with public insurance
Your
insurance status will be transmitted to the universities by the
statutory health insurance companies via an electronic reporting system
(“Elektronisches Meldeverfahren”). Therefore, you must contact a
statutory health insurance company as soon as possible after receiving
your letter of admission and take out student insurance there so that
your insurance status is reported to KLU. If your status is not reported
to KLU, we cannot report your student status to the health insurance
company and your student insurance will not be activated.
What to submit for enrollment if you are insured with a private health insurance
Please
submit a confirmation of health insurance from your private health
insurance company. A copy of your insurance card is not sufficient.
Students from the EU
If you are from the EU or a country that has a social security agreement* with Germany (like EFTA countries), you can remain insured with your home country insurance during your stay in Germany if you have state-regulated health insurance in your home country. In order to do this, you must stay registered with your health insurance company and continue to pay the premiums.
*Countries that have a social security agreement with Germany include e.g.: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey, Tunisia, United Kingdom.
Students are generally classed as 'non-active citizens', which means they're covered by health insurance in their country of residence. Students going abroad to study for a limited period are generally considered to have maintained habitual residence in their home country, and can use the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) issued to them by that country for healthcare received while studying abroad temporarily.
The EHIC allows you to obtain any unplanned medical treatment that may be necessary while you're temporarily studying in another EU country (as well as Iceland, Switzerland, Norway & Liechtenstein). It gives students access to whatever treatment becomes necessary, depending on the length of time they're spending abroad. It's up to the healthcare provider to define what types of treatment are medically "necessary". As students are usually staying for longer than tourists - who may only be visiting for a few days - they have access to a wider range of treatment. You can use your EHIC only at the public healthcare providers, as it does not cover privately provided healthcare.Students from the EU or countries whom the Federal Republic of Germany has a social security agreement (EU/EFTA countries) with, should obtain the required European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from the health insurance company in their home country.
It may be that your insurance does not cover all costs. Please contact your local health insurance provider to find out which services are fully covered. An additional insurance may be necessary.
What to submit for enrollment
For
enrollment, please submit a copy of your EHIC. Please make sure that
all information on the back of your card is readable (your name,
validity).
Additionally, you need to prove that you are exempted from the statutory health insurance obligation in Germany. For this, please contact our consultant Jurij Visnakov from TK:
Phone: + 49 40 460 65 10 16 16Email: jurij.visnakov@tk.de
As a prove you must send him a scan of your EHIC.Alternatively, you can contact any statutory health insurance company (e.g. DAK, AOK, Barmer, etc.) and ask them to report your insurance status ("nicht gesetzlich versichert") to KLU via the electronic reporting system. KLU's sender number is: H0002523.
Important if you have a Minijob at KLU
As soon as students with a health insurance from their EU home country
take up an employment, self-employment or paid internship, even if it is
less than 20 hours per week, the insurance of the EU home country
becomes invalid. In such cases, the student must now take out insurance
as a student with a German statutory health insurance company. If necessary, consider additional insurance. If working in Germany (e.g., "Minijob"), you must have German insurance (see information for German students). Please
clarify this with the HR department.
Non-EU students
Non-EU PhD students cannot opt for public insurance in Germany (if never insured with public insurance in Germany before. If yes: please see the last passage).
Private health insurance is the only option, with potential costs of up to €250 per month. Proof of recent health insurance and health condition may be required.
Coverage considerationsPre-existing conditions, dental treatments, and mental health disorders are often excluded.
Medications for pre-existing conditions should be brought from home due to potential coverage limitations.
Expense and family coverage:
Private insurance requires individual policies for each family member, leading to potentially high costs.
Possible private providers (no recommendation)
These are recommendations of previous students:
o Provisit Science
o Vela - tariff: Optimal
o Care Concept - tariff: Care Student (for students from 30 to 34 years)
o Mawista - tariff: Student Pro
Exercise caution and thoroughly check conditions before signing a contract with a private health insurance provider. Independent research for other providers is encouraged.
Ensure that the chosen private insurance is accepted by Hamburg authorities for a residence permit. Without approval, a visa may be granted, but a residence permit may be denied upon arrival. Please check this form from Hamburg’s authorities to ensure your insurance is accepted for getting a residence permit. Most insurers with special tariffs for international students may not meet all requirements.
What to submit for enrollment
Please submit a certificate of membership from your private, German health insurance.
If you have been insured in Germany/another EU country before
If prior to your doctoral studies, you have been a member of a public insurance in Germany or a EU member state, it could also be possible to continue this insurance during your PhD studies. If this is the case we strongly recommend that doctoral candidates, who bring family members with them to Germany, apply for a public health insurance policy. Such policies cover spouses (who are not working) and children free of charge. Private insurance companies, however, require policies for each family member which can end up being very expensive in total.
That means: If you have been insured in the past through a state-regulated health insurance system you can inquire at the public provider of your choice in Germany if they will recognize this coverage. If so, you can take out a so-called voluntary insurance coverage with this provider. The monthly contribution for doctoral students for all statutory health insurance companies in Germany is roughly € 200 (depending on your income/scholarship).
Information about Visa, Start of Studies, Registration & more
- Type of Visa/When to apply
- Visa without a scholarship
- Family visa
- Blocked bank account
- Child Care
- Welcome Day
- German courses
- Accommodation
- Public transportation
- Steps after arrival in Hamburg
For which type of visa do I need to apply for my PhD studies?
In general you are strongly advised not to enter Germany with a tourist visa/Schengen visa, because this kind of visa cannot be converted into a student visa. With a Schengen visa, you would need to leave the country after it expires as it cannot be changed into a residence permit. So please make sure to apply for the right type of visa.
In case you
start your PhD studies at KLU with a scholarship (+ “Minijob”) the main purpose
of your stay is to attain a PhD. The applicable German visa for foreign
doctoral candidates is the so-called “student visa” (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung
nach §16 Aufenthaltsgesetz). It is intended for foreign doctoral and other
higher education students seeking to get higher education in Germany.
In case you
start at KLU with an employment contract only (and not with a scholarship +
Minijob) there are different types of visa. Please see next tab - visa without a scholarship.
When to apply
The visa will be issued by the German embassy in your home country. You need to apply for a student visa - or: visa for study purposes - by submitting your certificate of admission (which you received digitally).
Apply for a student visa as soon as you have the certificate of admission and visa letter of support, as the process may take around up to three months - or even longer. You can find more information on which documents you need in order to get a student visa from the respective website of the German embassy in your home country or from this website.
Please keep in mind that you must prove how to finance your studies in order to get a visa. The German Embassy usually requires proof of funding for the first year of studies. You may use your contract (scholarship agreement) as financial proof for your visa application. In the contract the amount of the scholarship as well as the period of time of the scholarship will be specified.
Kindly note that the formal living substance requirements for the visa application may differ to the realistic sum that is needed for living in Hamburg.
In case a German address is already required for your visa application: as it is quite difficult to find permanent accommodation from abroad you can start with temporary accommodation (hostel, Airbnb) and may use this address for your visa application.
At first, the visa will be issued typically for a period of 90 days. Once you have arrived in Hamburg, you need to register at the foreigner’s authority and convert your visa into a residence permit for study purposes.
You will find further information about the visa process, the requirements and the documents which have to be presented for your visa application also on our Student Services' website.
Visa for PhDs without a scholarship
In case you start at KLU with an employment contract only (and not with a scholarship + Minijob) there are different types of visa. In the following you will find some information about the possible types. Please contact our Human Resources Department (hr@klu.org) to find out for which one you need to apply for.Residence for the purpose of employment – work visa (§ 18 Residence Act)
This type of visa applies to PhD students who have an employment contract (e.g. research assistants) and a doing a PhD alongside work.
Skilled specialist visa (§19 Residence Act)
This type of visa is intended for top-level personnel in science, research and teaching with outstanding professional qualifications.
Research visa (§ 20 Residence Act)
This type of visa requires a hosting agreement between researcher and research institution (not for the purpose of a doctorate only).
BlueCard for highly qualified doctoral candidates
A Blue card can only be received if you receive a gross salary of (currently) at least 50,800 euros per year or in so-called shortage occupations a gross salary of (currently) at least 39,624 euros per year.
An overview of the different types of visa/residence permit can also be found here.
Can I bring my family with me while I study in Germany?
As you intend to be in Germany for several years, you may want to be accompanied by your spouse and/or children. For nationals of a member state of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) this will be quite easy. In case accompanying family members are not citizens of one of the member states of the EU/EEA countries, a visa application for these family members is required. However, usually these visa applications are treated quite straightforwardly by the German authorities.
Unmarried partners will usually not be granted a residence permit unless they can provide their own reasons for staying in Germany. Spouses and underage, unmarried children of a foreign nationality from a third country can obtain a visa/resident permit for family reasons, provided certain conditions are met. These conditions include having sufficient funds for your whole family and enough living space. Please find more information about the requirements below. Please note that marrying after you have already entered Germany may result in a longer visa process of your spouse.
Please make sure to take care of a visa for your family as early as possible.
The visa application for family members differs from the application for students and may also take longer. All visa regulations for family members can be found on the website of the German embassy in your home country.
If your spouse will travel to Germany with you, he/she will usually be granted the same rights of residence as you have. The duration of your family members' visa will correspond with the duration of your visa. If you have a spouse and he/she wishes to work in Germany, you should state this in your visa application already. Once in Germany it is not possible to apply for a work permit.
For the application for the residence permit once you are in Germany you will need some additional documents in case you will bring your spouse with you. Therefore please do not forget to take the following documents with you:
• your marriage certificate (+ certified German translation unless the original is an international document)
• your children’s birth certificates (+ certified German translation unless the original is an international document)
What are the visa requirements for my spouse and/or my children?
If your spouse intends to enter for purposes of study as well, the same conditions as for your stay apply.
If this is not the case and you family members will come to Germany as accompanying family members your income has to be sufficient for your whole family.
Please note: cases are always decided on an individual basis at the Germany embassy of your home country. Actually, there is no exact information for accompanying spouses (formal requirements). Each case will be treated differently in the embassies. It is an individual decision made by the embassy. The same applies later on for the residence permit issued by the German authorities.
Non-EU/EEA citizens have to be able to support themselves and their family without assistance of public funds. The residence permit for family reasons can be refused if the person whom family members intend to follow is reliant on welfare benefits for the sustenance of the family. Moreover all family members must have a sufficient health insurance and enough living space. Please find more information about each requirement here:
Living Space
Sufficient living space is deemed to be 12 sqm of living area for every family member over six years old and 10 sqm of living area for each family member under six years old, as well as the adequate possibility of using ancillary rooms (kitchen, bathroom, WC).
Health insurance
Your family members must have sufficient health insurance. That means in most cases they have to sign up for a German health insurance with unlimited coverage. As international PhD students can only be insured with a private insurance in most cases a co-insurance free of charge for your family members is not possible (only possible if insured with a public insurance - please find more information above). Therefore you should expect a monthly contribution of approx. € 200 for each family member if you are insured with a private insurance.
Proof of financial resources
For the calculation of the family’s financial requirements, the current standard rates used are those of the “Unemployment Benefits II” pursuant to the second book of the Social Security Code (SGB II); rent and ancillary costs will be added in any case, as well as the costs for health insurance.
The estimated costs for accompanying spouses are as follows:
• Costs of living: ca. 420 €/month = 5040 €/year
• Health insurance: ca. 200 €/month = 2400€/year (health insurance coverage sufficient to be issued a residence permit in Hamburg)
• Total: 7440 €/year (assuming that the rent is already covered)
The exact amount is always an individual case and can be learned from the responsible German embassy/consulate.
The formal living substance requirements for the visa application may differ to the realistic sum that is needed for living in Hamburg.
Please note that a scholarship is usually not enough for a couple or a family - it is only sufficient for 1 person. You will need additional financial resources in case you come to Germany with a spouse and/or children.
Further requirements
Basic communication skills in German (A1) may also be required by law for spouses. However, this does not apply to everyone, e.g. if your spouse can prove that he/she is in possession of a college degree and therefore will presumably integrate easily.
For the exact visa regulations for family members please refer to the website of the German embassy in your home country.
Blocked Bank Account
If you are an international student from outside the EU, you will need to demonstrate to the German authorities (when applying for a student visa) that you have sufficient funds to support yourself. One common way to do this is by setting up a Blocked Account. Several providers offer this service.
A blocked bank
account allows you to deposit a specific amount of money, which is then
held securely. Funds from this account are released to you in fixed
monthly installments, ensuring you have a steady income to cover living
expenses throughout your stay.
I have a child/children who will come with me to Hamburg. Where can I find information about child care?
DaycarePlease find some general information about daycare for your child here.
We suggest to make an appointment with the “Family Service” from Studierendenwerk once you arrived in Hamburg, or to get in touch with them via email. Please be aware that it is often necessary to reserve child care places well ahead of time.
The Family Service Team from Studierendenwerk will help you to select the best support options for combining studies and family life. Moreover they can provide more information and links to other institutions (e.g. schools in Hamburg).
Please find the contact details here:
Counselling Centre for Social & International Affairs – BeSI
Grindelallee 9, 3rd floor
20146 Hamburg
Telephone: +49 / 40 / 419 02 - 155
besi@studierendenwerk-hamburg.de
You might also use the “Kita-map” to find child care in your future neighborhood or near KLU’s campus.
Schools
If your children are at least six or seven years old, you need to enroll them in a primary or secondary school. Most children in Germany are attending public schools. The standard of education is in general very high. Please find more information about the school system as well as the enrollment here.
Welcome Day for PhD students starting in September
All PhD students starting in September (official start of the academic year at KLU) commence their studies at KLU with a Welcome Day. This is an introductory day offering orientation for you.
In case you start your PhD during the year you will have no official introduction period, but of course on your first day we will answer all questions you may have!
German Courses
Even though you do not need to speak German for your studies, you may want to learn some German for your everyday live in Hamburg.
KLU offered German courses in the past, however, it is decided every summer anew whether German classes will take place in the following semester or not.
Therefore, unfortunately, we cannot give any information on this until shortly before the start of the fall semester. For more information please get in touch with our Program Managers (program@klu.org).
Accommodation
Finding suitable accommodation in Hamburg can be a challenging and time-consuming task. The city offers a range of options, but availability is limited, and prices are often relatively high compared to other cities.
For detailed guidance and resources, please refer to the accommodation section here. This includes information on databases, housing agencies, and hostel options.
Public transportation
The Deutschlandticket is a nationwide public transportation pass in Germany, introduced to simplify and reduce the cost of travel. For a monthly fee of currently €58 (January 2025), it offers unlimited access to regional trains, buses, trams, and subways across the country. However, it does not cover long-distance services like ICE, IC, or EC trains.
Please be aware that PhD students will not receive a semester ticket/Deutschlandticket from KLU and will need to purchase a Deutschlandticket independently if required.
After arrival
As a student in Germany, you must register your residence within two weeks of arrival at the local registration office. Non-EU students also need to apply for a residence permit at the local immigration office.
More information about registration and residence permit can be found here.