Information for TUM Global Visiting Professors
To support you in preparing for your international collaboration as part of the TUM Global Visiting Professor Program, this page provides a step-by-step guide and answers to frequently asked questions. Should you not find the needed information on this page, please feel free to contact us at any time.
All new visiting professor received an approval email with the next steps to follow for a successful stay at TUM. Below, you’ll find how to proceed – step by step – for a smooth and successful experience.
Before your arrival
- Please upload the Funding Agreement signed by both you and your TUM host within two weeks of receiving the approval email.
- Carefully review the information provided on this page (see Preparations / Going to Munich and Guidelines).
- Schedule an online meeting with the program manager (together with your administrative support staff, if needed). This ensures that all guidelines are clear and helps avoid issues later on during the reimbursement process. Use the link in your approval email to schedule the meeting.
After your stay
- At the end of your visit, please refer to the Receiving the grant section for detailed instructions on how to submit your expense claims.
- Your TUM host is required to submit an Experience Report within four weeks after your visit has concluded.
Support for your move and stay in Munich
Our Welcome Services team offers support with all the formalities involved in relocating to Munich, helping you integrate smoothly into academic life at all TUM campuses.
The TUM G&A Welcome Services offer:
- Comprehensive advice on topics such as visas, health insurance, university services, and living in Munich
- Assistance in finding accommodation for stays of at least 6 months
- Networking and information events
- A monthly newsletter
We encourage you to schedule an individual consultation for an individual consultation, either before or after your arrival in Munich.
Guidelines
Which costs cannot be reimbursed?
The following costs cannot be reimbursed through the TUM Global Visiting Professor Program:
- Per diems, lunch allowances, and entertainment expenses
- Rental car costs
- Insurance premiums and deposits
- Expenses for accompanying persons and family members
- Teaching assignments (lecture fees are possible)
General information on travel costs
- As a general rule, the amount of reimbursable travel and accommodation expenses should correspond with TUM's business travel regulations (based on the Bavarian Travel Expenses Act).
- Transport and accommodation can be arranged individually and do not require prior approval by the TUM Global & Alumni Office team.
Q&A
For flights and train rides, only second or economy class tickets are reimbursable. Costs for train seat reservations will be covered and additional costs for more legroom in the case of air travel can be covered if valid medical reasons are given.
- If you want to cover the extra cost to book a business ticket, it is possible. Please send us the paid business invoice and an alternative economy invoice (e.g., a screenshot from a booking website for the same trip, but in economy class, with the class and price visible). We will reimburse the cheapest price.
We reimburse the travel from the visiting professor from his/her home address to TUM.
If you make stops in between, which are not justified and pre-approved, then please provide with the paid invoice an alternative invoice for a direct trip (screenshot of a booking website for a similar trip with the price and itinerary visible), we will reimburse the cheapest price of the two invoices.
If the use of a car is justified, we can reimburse a price for the distance traveled (currently: 0,40 €/km , until 31.12.2022: 0,35 €/km). in this case, please provide a screenshot / map of the distance traveled and an indication of the total kilometers.
Due to our environmental-friendly policies, we always recommend public transportation. But if the use of a cab is justified, we can reimburse it. In this case, please provide a short explanation (e.g. large luggage due to material for a conference or no public transportation available in this area).
We reimburse the business trip from the visiting professor from his home address to TUM and back. Thus, if you took public transportation to come here or to go back, we can reimburse it.
- If approved in advance, relevant business trips while at TUM can be reimbursed (e.g. visit to a partner laboratory).
- Unfortunately, we cannot reimburse your daily public transport costs to go from your accommodation to TUM during your stay. Thus, the cost of a weekly or monthly card (e.g. Deutschlandticket) would have to be justified with enough business trips to make it a cheaper option than the sum of all individual tickets.
For public transportation, we require the ticket and a proof of payment (if it was paid cash: no proof of payment is required).
- If you used a e-ticket, please send us a screenshot of the ticket.
- If you lost your paper ticket and have no photo of it, you can provide instead the receipt. It can be the paper version or the digital version, for example a screenshot of the reservation email.
We reimburse accommodation costs up to 120 €/night in Munich and for smaller cities (below 300.000 inhabitants) up to 90 €/night. In case prices exceed this maximum amount due to fairs, exhibitions (e.g. Oktoberfest), please consult with TUM Global & Alumni Office before making any bookings.
You are welcome to rent a flat instead of booking a hotel if you stay for a longer period.
In this case, instead of an invoice, please provide a copy of your rental agreement.
You are welcome to come to Munich with your family, but please be aware that we can only reimburse the cost of the visiting professor.
If you have an accommodation for multiple people, we must divide the total cost per head (we grant exceptions for children).
For example, if you submit a 2.000€ monthly hotel invoice for two adults, we will reimburse 1.000€.
A teaching assignment (Lehrauftrag) is not possible, but we can reimburse a keynote speech or a public lecture per-approved with the TUM Host.
In general, we compensate around 150€/hour for guests with a doctorate and up to 200€/hour for professors. The fee includes preparation and follow-up work.
In this case, please send:
- the invitation letter (example) from the host chair, stating location, date & time, title of the event and the lecture/speech, and agreed upon honorarium (with the amount in Euros)
- the visting professor's invoice to the TUM chair, stating location, date & time, title of the event and the lecture/speech, agreed upon honorarium (with the amount in Euros), and bank details (example)
- in case of an event (not relevant for open events): a signed list of participants
- the completed Tax Declaration (PDF, 510 KB) (example)
- for external project members with a residence in Germany and/or staying longer than six months: the completed Declaration on Tax Confidentiality (PDF, 399 KB)
Yes, visa fees are reimbursed, if necessary for your stay at TUM.
In accordance with § 13b of the VAT Act, value added tax for services and work performed within Germany by international service providers (e.g. visiting professors) is payable to the tax authority by the recipient of those services (TUM; so called “reverse charge”). This law applies to services brought to the Technical University of Munich by international providers within the scope of visiting professorships/guest lectures.
- This form is required as soon as TUM covers any costs for the international service provider or remunerates the visiting researcher for any services.
- In order to determine his or her tax liability, the visiting professor must complete a tax declaration form. The key purpose of this form is to determine if the visiting professor is to be considered self-employed (i.e. taxable, person), in which case VAT for his or her services must be collected, or not (i.e. non-taxable person).
- In case the international service provider is to be considered as taxable person, it is the Technical University of Munich (NOT the visiting professor), which is eventually obliged to transfer VAT to the German tax office.
- This Tax Declaration document has no implications to any tax obligation of the visiting professor in his/her home country/country of residence.
In principle, transfers must be made to the authorized person. This person is also the recipient of the money under tax law.
If the visiting professor has a bank limitation (e.g. no international transfer accepted), please contact TUM Global & Alumni to ask for an exception. If it is approved, we would require (in addition to the usual documents):
- a confirmation from the visiting professor (with signature) that payment may be made to the other person with discharging effect
- the recipient of the transfer confirms that he/she will pass on the amount received to the visiting professor
If you wish to acknowledge this funding in your paper(s), please use the below sentence:
"… was funded as part of the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments."
Receiving the grant
To facilitate the refund process, we recommend that you keep all original tickets and bills incurred during your stay.
- Project financing is provided by reimbursement of costs (either to the TUM chair or directly to the visiting professor)
- Advance payments and the payment of lump sums is not possible
- If the actual project costs are below the maximum approved budget, only the actual costs incurred will be reimbursed
- Costs must be directly related to the objectives/purpose described in the submitted application. Without obvious link, a written explanation will be asked
For costs paid directly by the visiting professor: please use our online Reimbursement form.
You will need to upload the below documents:
- Reimbursement form (PDF, 162 KB) completed
- Tax declaration (PDF, 510 KB) completed (example)
- All original invoices / tickets*
- Proof of payment (example: bank statement (PNG, 69 KB)
- Only for guests with a residence in Germany and/or staying longer than six months: Declaration on tax confidentiality (PDF, 400 KB) completed
*Original invoices or tickets (which were not in digital format) have to be send by post to:
Technical University of Munich
TUM Global & Alumni Office
Camille Piton
Arcisstraße 21
80333 München
For costs paid by the TUM Chair: please use this online Reimbursement Form.
You will need to upload the below documents:
- Kassenanordnung MU 65 completed - example (PDF, 280 KB)
- Tax declaration (PDF, 510 KB) completed by the visiting professor (example)
- All copies of invoices / tickets
- Proof of payment (SAP Statement and if applicable: bank statement from the original payer)
Once approved, the original documents have to be send by post to:
Camille Piton
TUM Global & Alumni
Technical University of Munich
Arcisstraße 21
80333 München
Please use this online Reimbursement Form.
You will need to upload the below documents for travel costs paid directly or reimbursed to you by the partner university:
- Reimbursement form (PDF, 162 KB) completed by the university
- All copies of invoices / tickets
- Proof of payment (university’s bank statement)
Experience report
In addition to the reimbursement process, the TUM host has to submit a report at the end of the visit, within four weeks maximum. This is a short summary of the activities and results obtained, with the possibility to submit feedback or improvement ideas.
Please use this form.