Stay in Braunschweig

Moving to a university in another country can be both an exciting and a challenging experience. To help you settle in quickly and make the most of your time in Braunschweig, we offer you a broad range of support programmes for all administrative, academic, social and personal questions and challenges. You will find all the information and contact points on our International Student Support webpages.

International Student Support

Braunschweig is a city of short distances and the best means of transport is the bicycle. All the main streets have cycle lanes and you can reach the city centre from anywhere in Braunschweig in under 20 minutes. If you want to buy a second-hand bike, there are several options:

• There are regular flea markets in various locations.
• Bike auctions are held twice a year at Braunschweig's lost property office.
• At Ebay-Kleinanzeigen you will find a large choice of used bicycles.
• Ask your fellow students if someone has an old bike that is no longer needed.

You can also rent a bicycle. You pay a fixed amount per month, repairs are included in the price. If you do not need the bike anymore, you simply return it and end your contract.

Traveling with the semester ticket

Your student card is also your semester ticket. It allows you to use all buses and trams in the Braunschweig region and all local trains in Lower Saxony free of charge. Your semester ticket is only valid with your identity card or passport!

Route network of the semester ticket

Timetable information for Braunschweig

Timetable information für Braunschweig and Lower Saxony

Train travel for reasonable prices

Travelling by train in Germany can be quite expensive. However, the Deutsche Bahn offers many savings prices and discounts that you can use:

• With the My BahnCard, all students under the age of 27 receive a 25% or 50% discount on every train journey.
• With the Super Sparpreis, you can travel all over Germany from 17.90 €. The earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets will be. Attention: The tickets cannot be refunded or returned!
• With the Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket you can travel with up to 5 persons through Germany at a reasonable price, but you may only use local trains.

If you become ill, your first point of contact for all health issues is a general practitioner (Allgemeinmediziner or Hausarzt). The best way to find a good doctor is to ask your acquaintances or friends for a recommendation. Unfortunately, many doctors' offices are very busy and therefore no longer accept new patients. We are happy to support you in your search for a doctor. Please contact us if you need support: exchange(at)tu-braunschweig.de

Please also note our information under "Emergencies" if you need a doctor very urgently.

If necessary, the general practitioner will refer you to a specialist (Facharzt). Ask your doctor to recommend somebody and to make an appointment for you directly. General practitioners and specialists can be found here:

local telephone directory

Medical Directory of the State of Lower Saxony 

The Medical Directory also lists the foreign language skills of the respective doctors. So you can find a doctor who speaks good English or even your mother tongue.

Unfortunately, the database is currently only available in German. You can find an English manual for use here:

Manual for the Medical Directory (PDF, 118 KB)

Seeing a doctor

Most doctors expect you to make an appointment by telephone. If you are seriously ill, make it clear that you would like to see the doctor that same day. Please remember to take your health insurance card (EHIC card or German health insurance card) with you.

• If you have statutory health insurance, the doctor will invoice all costs directly to your insurance company.
• If you have private health insurance, you will receive an invoice, which you will have to pay. You will then submit that invoice to your health insurance company, which will reimburse your expenses.

Medication

Medication in Germany is only available at pharmacies.

• Medication for minor illnesses such as headaches or colds can be bought without a prescription in the pharmacy.
• Many medicines require a doctors's prescription which you will have to take to the pharmacy.
• If you have statutory health insurance, you will have to pay between € 5 and € 10 for most medicines. The rest is covered by your health insurance.
• If you have private health insurance, you will have to pay the cost of the medication at the time of purchase, then submit the receipt to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Medical emergency service and emergency rooms

If you fall ill in the evening or at the weekend, call the medical emergency service at the hospital Salzdahlumer Straße.

☎  116 117

If you have an accident or are very seriously ill, go to an emergency room. Call an ambulance if necessary!

Emergency room Salzdahlumer Straße
Focus on internal medicine
Salzdahlumer Straße 90, 38126 Braunschweig

Emergency room Holwedestraße
Focus on surgery
Holwedestraße 16, 38118 Braunschweig

Medical emergency service and emergency rooms

Pharmacy emergency service

Pharmacies offer a pharmacy emergency service on weekends and at night, thus ensuring that you can obtain any urgently needed medicines at all times.

☎ 0800/ 00 22 08 33 (free of charge from landline, mobile costs may apply)

Pharmacy emergency service in Braunschweig

Do you plan to take a part-time job in order to supplement your funds and gain work experience? Yes, but please be realistic. Your studies will take up a great deal of time and you cannot and must not fund your studies entirely through part-time work.

German labour law regulations

If you want to get a part-time job in Germany, you must observe the German labour law regulations for international students.

• Students from non-EU countries are not allowed to work for more than 120 full days or 240 half days per year.
• Students who earn more than € 450 per month must pay contributions toward the German pension fund. These contributions are transferable within the EU; students from non-EU countries can apply for a refund.
• The conditions of your visa must not contradict a commencement of work.

Disregarding these regulations may lead to your expulsion!

For more information on working in Germany, please contact the Foreigners' Registration Office.

Foreigners' Registration Office

Necessary documents

For most jobs, you will need a German tax card and a social security card.

• The income tax card is available from the local tax office (Finanzamt).
• The social insurance card is available from the German pension fund (Deutsche Rentenversicherung).

To apply, you need to bring your passport or identity card and your residence title.

Your residence permit for study purposes is always issued for a limited period and must then be extended.

• For this purpose, your immigration officer from the Foreigners' Registration Office will send you an e-mail about 8 weeks before your residence permit expires containing a date for applying for the extension.
• If you do not receive an invitation, you should contact your immigration officer yourself, if possible also by e-mail.
• In the e-mail from the Foreigners' Registration Office you will find a list of all the documents you will need to renew your residence permit. Please compile the documents in good time and bring them with you to your appointment.

Change of address

If you move within the city of Braunschweig, you will need to inform the Department of Citizen Affairs (Abteilung Bürgerangelegenheiten) of the City of Braunschweig of your new address.

Remember also to inform the university, your bank and your insurance companies about your new address. Place a change-of-address order at the post office.

You must renew your enrolment for every new semester! To do so, you will need to pay your semester fee for the new semester. We will inform you of the amount for the coming semester in good time by e-mail. By these dates the money must have been received on the account of TU Braunschweig 

If you are late in paying your semester contribution, an additional € 15 fee will be charged. If you have not paid by the beginning of the semester, your enrolment at TU braunschweig will be cancelled!

End your enrolment

When you finish your studies at TU Braunschweig, you have to end your enrolment. This is the official deregistration from TU Braunschweig and it is particularly important if you want to study at another German university.

There are a large number of student clubs at TU Braunschweig with a wide range of different topics: From music and theater to research, politics, intercultural exchange, cinema, or gliding there is something for everyone. Joining in is one of the best ways to meet people with common interests and make new friends.

Click here to see an overview of all student clubs at TU Braunschweig(German)

Some societies, such as the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), also offer support with settling in in Braunschweig and with questions and problems related to your studies. Just write an email or drop by at the open office hours!

Got to ESN