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Technical University of Munich

Downloads for international researchers without TUM employment contract

Just like your move to Munich, the entry to Germany requires some preparations in advance and after your arrival. Our checklist for non-employee researchers contains all the important steps and formalities you need to think about. You will also find further helpful information and documents as well as important forms below.

Preparing for your research at TUM

Checklist for non-employee researchers (PDF, 574 KB)

Visa and residence permit

For detailed information on visa and residence permit please refer to our checklist above (section III.1. and section III.6.) and find more information about the residence titles for researchers in the following overview:

National D visa

Non-EU citizens require a visa to enter and conduct research in Germany. Friend state citizens do not require a visa to enter Germany, but they do need a visa to enter into an employment contract and to work in Germany, and they need a visa or residence permit to stay in Germany for more than 90 days.

  • To find out if you need a visa or not, check out the Federal Foreign Office's overview.
  • Contact your nearest German mission and apply for a visa for researchers according to §18d German Residence Act (AufenthG). It is one of the various  National D Visa for stays longer than 90 days.
  • Apply well in advance, as processing times can be very long.
  • Check whether your spouse and/or children need a visa to enter and stay in Germany.
  • For stays of less than 90 days, it is possible to apply for the Schengen visa, which is a tourist visa and cannot be extended if you decide to stay longer than 90 days. Also, unlike the National D Visa, it cannot be converted into a residence permit in Germany. 

Residence permit

If your visa doesn't cover your entire stay, you will need to apply for a residence permit from the local Foreigners Authority (Ausländerbehörde). It depends on where you live in Munich (or the surrounding area) which Foreigners Authority is responsible (for more information, see our checklist in section III.6, p. 13f). Unfortunately, some of these offices are very busy. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you apply for your residence permit four to five months before your visa expires. 

Form to be completed for visa and/or residence permit: 

Hosting Agreement / Aufnahmevereinbarung (PDF, 226 KB)

According to §18d of the German Residence Act, a Hosting Agreement (Aufnahmevereinbarung) is required in order to apply for a researcher visa. You can fill in parts of the form yourself. Please ask your hosting chair for any missing information. The Hosting Agreement must not only be signed by you, but also by the "authorised signatory on behalf of the research organisation", i.e. your supervisor at your TUM chair or another authorised signatory. Your hosting chair at TUM and your contact person will know who's signature is required here. Hosting agreements without a stamp may not be accepted and may cause a delay.

How to apply for a residence permit at the Service Office for Immigration and Citizenship of the City of Munich (KVR):

For more information on how to apply for the residence permit at KVR, please visit their website for researchers and scientific staff and our checklist for non-employee researchers, p.11 (see above).

Resident registration

If you are staying in Germany for more than 90 days, you are obliged to register your address with the responsible resident registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) within 2 weeks of your arrival. To do this, you will need to complete a form called Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (housing provider confirmation). You must have a signed confirmation from your landlord before you go to the registration office. Regular landlords are required by law to sign the form. If you are forced to find an interim solution or have a short-term stay of several months, please note that hotels and Airbnb hosts usually refuse to sign the housing provider confirmation for various reasons. So please make sure that you obtain a signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung at the beginning of your stay before you choose an accommodation. 

It depends on the location of your address in Munich (or the surrounding area) which registration office will be responsible. With the BayernPortal you can find out at which authority you can register your residence in Bavaria. Please enter the postal code (PLZ) or the name of the locality (Ort/Ortsteil) in which you live.

Form to be completed: Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (PDF, 86 KB)

Statement of comparability

The anabin recognition is a statement of comparability for foreign higher education qualifications issued by the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen. The database excerpt is required for any scientific activity in Germany. You need it, if not for the visa then at least for your residence permit.

The anabin database contains a large number of foreign degrees from universities all over the world. On the anabin web pages you can search for your own university where you graduated (click the tab that says Suchen). A master's degree would suffice. If you cannot find your master's degree, search for your doctorate. Your university must be H+ rated to be recognized in Germany.

If your degree cannot be found on the anabin website, you will need to request a statement of comparability. The fee is 200,- EUR, the processing time takes a few weeks or even months.

Health insurance

If you are not employed by TUM but are conducting research, you must obtain health insurance for yourself and your family during your stay. Check your existing health insurance policy to confirm coverage in Germany. Beyond that, researchers without an employment contract have several health insurance options.

  • Statutory health insurance: Researchers without a TUM employment contract who are in possession of a researcher visa or a residence permit according to §18d of the German Residence Act (§ 18d AufenthG) can apply for a public health insurance, which favors people with families, pre-existing illnesses or elderly people. Applications must be made within three months of arrival in Germany, and contributions are paid retroactively to the beginning of the stay. You can apply in advance to provide proof of insurance for your visa application. Note that statutory insurance starts upon entering Germany, so separate travel insurance should be arranged for the trip. In rare cases, researchers in Germany with a residence permit based on other paragraphs of the Residence Act may also have the option of voluntarily enrolling in statutory health insurance according to § 9 SGB V. If in doubt, please ask your funding agency or the statutory health insurance fund with which you would like to enroll in Germany about this option before beginning your research stay. For more information, visit the website of the German National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Providers (GKV Spitzenverband).
  • Private health insurance: If you are a non-EU national and not eligible for, or prefer not to use, statutory health insurance, you will need to purchase private health insurance for your stay in Germany. These policies require you to pay for medical services in advance, with subsequent reimbursement. You must pay the insurance premium individually for all family members (unlike family coverage under statutory health insurance) and continue to pay the premiums even if you are temporarily not working (e.g., during parental leave). If you opt for private health insurance at the beginning of your research stay, you are generally excluded from applying for statutory health insurance at a later date, even within the first three months of your stay, due to § 18d of the German Residence Act, if you are not in an employment relationship subject to social insurance contributions. Please note that the choice of private insurance generally prevents you from changing to statutory insurance at a later date, except under certain conditions. Travel health insurance policies that cover travel to Germany are generally exempt from this exclusion from membership in a statutory health insurance fund. There are over 40 other private health insurance companies in Germany. You can compare and look up details online. For more information, visit the website of the Association of Private Health Insurance Providers (PKV-Verband).
  • Health insurance for EU/EEA nationals: If you are voluntarily or compulsorily insured in your home country, you can make use of healthcare services in other EU countries as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and have the costs reimbursed by your health insurance company. Please check with your health insurance company and visit EURAXRESS Germany to find out more.
    You can also find detailed information about the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for EU citizens on the website of the European Commission.

Accompanying spouses & partners

Accompanying partners have to manage their own affairs related to the resettlement. For capacity reasons, we are unfortunately unable to support spouses and partners. Nevertheless, we would like to offer a little assistance with our spouse guide.

Welcome guide for spouses & partners (PDF, 1.377 KB)

IDCN Munich: Partners of new TUM staff members are invited to join the dual career network IDCN Munich for free. Dual career partners can publish their profile in the talent pool, participate in career events and networking sessions, and volunteer. In this way, they can get a picture of the Munich job market and get in touch with recruiters or company representatives. Learn more about the International Dual Career Network Munich.

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