You have arrived. Now these four things, in this order
Four procedures follow the flight, and for a degree student each one unlocks the next: without address registration the foreigners office will not take you, without the insurance notification the university will not enrol you. If you came for a language course or a Studienkolleg your route differs a little; it is shown separately. Below: the order, the legal deadlines, and what Essen and Düsseldorf ask for.
On this page
The most practical order for a degree student at Duisburg-Essen: address registration (Anmeldung) within 14 days of moving in, then health insurance and the electronic M10 notification the insurer sends to the university, enrolment with that, and last, strictly before your visa expires, the residence permit application at the foreigners office. Düsseldorf treats an application without registration as outside its jurisdiction; the university does not enrol without the M10. A language-course student cannot join statutory insurance, takes out private cover and gets the permit by a separate route. The permit is as a rule two years, one year with a 12-month blocked account; if you applied and the card is not out yet, a Fiktionsbescheinigung documents your provisional right to stay.
If you came on a student visa for a degree. Four steps in the order above. The one surprise document for enrolment is the M10; sort out insurance in week one and the rest flows.
If you came on a language-course visa. The route differs: you cannot join statutory student insurance, private cover is compulsory. Essen runs a separate service, a residence permit for a study-preparatory language course; it asks for proof of course registration and, if you have it, the conditional admission. Confirm before applying that the course meets the permit's own conditions.
If you came on a tourist visa. The University of Duisburg-Essen says it plainly: a tourist visa expires after three months, cannot be extended and cannot be converted into a student visa. Enrolment needs entry on the right visa first.
Who it applies to
Anyone newly arrived in Germany on a student or language-course visa who wants the first three months in the right order; the examples are Essen and Düsseldorf.
Key facts
Address registration
14 days
after actually moving in, not the lease date; free if on time [1]
Residence permit
Before visa expiry
Düsseldorf: online, mandatory; Essen: online appointment only [7][4]
Degree enrolment
With M10
the statutory insurer's electronic notification; language-course students take private insurance [9][8]
Work
140 days
full days a year; student assistant work at the university does not count [7]
Rules from the cities of Essen and Düsseldorf and the University of Duisburg-Essen; checked on 10 September 2026.
The first 90 days
Rows labelled "legal deadline" and "requirement" are the institutions' own rules; weeks labelled "our suggestion" are our sequencing. The order is not arbitrary: each step produces the document for the next.
Day 1-14 · legal deadline
Address registration (Anmeldung). The landlord-signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is mandatory, bring your passport, at least one person in person. Free if on time. Essen's electronic registration is for holders of a German ID or an EU eID; the electronic residence card is not supported yet, so new arrivals from abroad book at the Welcome Center. [1][2][3]
Week 1 · our suggestion
Health insurance. A degree student joins statutory insurance and the insurer sends the M10 notification to the university electronically (UDE's recipient number H0000277); TK student tariff example 141.16 to 146.29 EUR a month. A language-course student cannot join statutory insurance and takes out private cover. [9][8][12]
Before enrolment · UDE requirement
Enrolment (Einschreibung) only after entering Germany and, for a degree, after the M10 has arrived; admission letter, passport, insurance proof, certificates, language certificates. The semester contribution is paid AFTER enrolment: 367.80 EUR, Germany ticket included. [8][9][10]
Before the visa expires · mandatory
In Düsseldorf applying before the visa runs out is "zwingend", mandatory; for nationalities that enter without a visa the limit is three months after entry. Even where the city sends the appointment, applying in time is your responsibility. If no decision has been made, a Fiktionsbescheinigung documents your provisional right to stay. [7][6]
First month · our suggestion
Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag): 18.36 EUR per dwelling a month. In a shared flat one person registers and pays; in a dorm, a room opening directly onto a common corridor counts per room, while several rooms behind one flat door count as a shared flat with one fee. [11]
Other cities may differ; your own city's and foreigners office's page is the reference.
Registration: two weeks and the landlord's form
Essen's rule is clear: register "within 2 weeks of actually moving into the new dwelling"; the lease date does not count. No registration without the landlord-completed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, downloadable from the city site. Registering on time is free. Arrivals from abroad book by phone through the Welcome Center and are registered on the spot; the electronic registration is for German and EU IDs with the online function, and the electronic residence card is not supported yet.
That form is small but it is the gate: per Düsseldorf's FAQ, if you are not registered in the city the foreigners office has no jurisdiction, so no residence permit application. Ask your landlord for it in week one. [1][2][7]
No enrolment without the insurance notification
The University of Duisburg-Essen's sentence: "Enrolment is only possible once the statutory health insurer's notification of insurance status has arrived." The notification is called M10 and you request it from your insurer; the university's recipient number is H0000277. If you are privately insured or exempt you still need an M10, this time stating that you are not subject to statutory insurance; the university asks you to check the legal consequences of an exemption with the insurer.
For language-course students the rule is the reverse: per UDE, students in the German course are not subject to insurance under the social code, cannot join statutory insurance and "zwingend" choose private health insurance. Enrolment documents at UDE go by email: admission letter, passport copy, insurance proof (private cover for a language course, the M10 for a degree), certificates with grades, language certificates, the APS for China, India and Vietnam. The contribution is paid after enrolment succeeds. [9][8]
Residence permit: what Essen and Düsseldorf ask for
Essen's Welcome Center gives students online appointments only. Bring: valid passport, current visa or permit, the insurer's confirmation, proof of financing, bank statements for the last three months, a certificate of enrolment for degree students, the language-course certificate and conditional admission for those in preparation. At every extension you prove living costs for the whole academic year: blocked account, declaration of commitment or scholarship. Administrative fee up to 100 EUR.
Düsseldorf takes applications online and sends the document list after a first check. The permit is granted only for studies at a state or state-recognised institution. Fees: 100 EUR for the first permit, 93 for an extension, EC card only; publicly funded scholarship holders are exempt. For extensions the city sends a written appointment 6 to 8 weeks before expiry, but, as the FAQ underlines, applying in time is your responsibility. The financing threshold is there too: at least 11,904 EUR in a blocked account, 992 EUR a month. So is the duration: the permit is as a rule two years at first issue and extension, not less than one year; a blocked account for twelve months justifies only twelve months. If the visa has expired and no decision is out, Düsseldorf issues a Fiktionsbescheinigung: the paper that documents your provisional right to stay when your application cannot be decided yet, for example because documents are missing or the card (eAT) cannot be handed over in time. [4][6][7]
Small items that surprise people
The broadcasting fee is 18.36 EUR per dwelling a month; in a shared flat only one adult registers and pays, and a dorm floor behind one door counts the same way. BAföG recipients not living with their parents can apply for exemption; for an international student that door is usually closed, so budget the fee.
Work: students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland may work 140 full days a year; student assistant work at the university does not count and is unlimited. Changing subject is free within the first 18 months (orientation phase); later it depends on finishing within a reasonable time. [11][7]
Two things nobody can tell you for certain today
How many days does the residence permit take?
Not in the official source ·
Essen says processing time "can vary due to the high number of applications"; Düsseldorf ties it to the permit type, the documents and the authorities involved. Neither city gives a number of days. [5][6]
What we tell applicants
Apply before the visa expires and keep the application record; while the duration is unknown, the application date is your only protection.
Will my permit be for one year or two?
Not in the official source ·
Essen's student page states no duration, only that a year of living costs is proven at every extension. Düsseldorf states the rule but not your personal answer: as a rule two years, at least one, and only twelve months with a twelve-month blocked account. [4][7]
What we tell applicants
If you want a two-year permit, show two years of financing; learn the decision at the appointment and put the expiry date in your calendar.
Keep your German going after you land, with us
Our courses run online or in class in Essen and Düsseldorf, open to students from anywhere in the world, and prepare for the DSH and telc C1 Hochschule. Essen asks for a course registration in the language-course residence permit; the course must also meet the permit's own conditions, so confirm with your advisor before applying. The placement test is free, and the Studienkolleg or university application goes into the same calendar.
- Online or in-person German from A1 to C1, dates on the course page
- Registration certificate and a check of the permit conditions, before you apply
- Studienkolleg and university application with an advisor
The placement test is free, so you find out which course you start in before paying anything.
Permit, enrolment and insurance decisions belong to the authorities; we prepare the documents and the order.
How can you apply to Germany?
About 2 minutes · No password required
What to have in the suitcase
- Wohnungsgeberbestätigung from the landlord (week one)
- Insurance: policy and the M10 request to the university
- Admission letter, passport, certificates and language certificates (for enrolment)
- Proof of financing: blocked account, declaration of commitment or scholarship
- Bank statements for the last three months (for the Essen appointment)
- Visa expiry date in the calendar; residence application before it
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I have for the Anmeldung?
Two weeks after actually moving in. The landlord-signed Wohnungsgeberbestätigung is mandatory; registering on time is free.
Enrol first or residence permit first?
For a degree student: registration and insurance first, then enrolment, residence permit last. The foreigners office asks for the certificate of enrolment and the insurer's letter; the certificate comes from enrolment, the insurer's letter and the M10 from the insurer.
What is the M10?
The electronic notification of insurance status the statutory insurer sends to the university; the privately insured and the exempt need an M10 stating they are not subject to statutory insurance. The University of Duisburg-Essen does not enrol degree students without it; recipient number H0000277. Language-course students take private insurance instead.
My visa is about to expire and the permit is not out. Am I illegal?
Not if you applied before the visa expired. Düsseldorf then issues a Fiktionsbescheinigung, the paper that documents your provisional right to stay until the decision or the card. Neither city gives a processing time, so apply early.
How much can I work as a student?
Non-EU students 140 full days a year; student assistant work at the university does not count.
Sources
- [1]City of Essen, Address registration (Anmeldung) · Last reviewed:
- [2]Essen Welcome Center, Registration for foreign nationals · Last reviewed:
- [3]City of Essen, Electronic address registration (eWA) · Last reviewed:
- [4]Essen Welcome Center, Students from abroad (residence permit) · Last reviewed:
- [5]Essen Welcome Center, Residence for a study-preparatory language course · Last reviewed:
- [6]Düsseldorf Foreigners Office, Residence permit for studies · Last reviewed:
- [7]Düsseldorf Foreigners Office, Student FAQ · Last reviewed:
- [8]University of Duisburg-Essen, After admission (non-EU) · Last reviewed:
- [9]University of Duisburg-Essen, Health insurance for students · Last reviewed:
- [10]University of Duisburg-Essen, Semester contribution (WS 2026/27) · Last reviewed:
- [11]Rundfunkbeitrag, Information for students · Last reviewed:
- [12]Techniker Krankenkasse, Student tariff (2026) · Last reviewed:
Not sure which level to start at?
The placement test is free, so you find out which course you start in before paying anything.
See levels and datesGet my next stepWinter 2026/27 arrivals. Fees and appointment procedures differ by city.