First Steps
Home is where you’re welcome.
The Welcome Center for International Researchers offers support
in all non-academic matters to international professors, PhD
candidates and postdocs coming to Siegen. This includes support
before their stay, after arrival, while living in Siegen and
before leaving. We want all international researchers to get
settled and feel at home in Siegen as quickly as possible. As soon
as you enter the preparation stage of your stay, we invite you to get in touch with
us via our contact form.
What are the different steps?
Finding a place as a researcher
You are interested in doing your PhD or being a researcher
at the University of Siegen? We can help you with all
non-academic matters. But before you register with us, you
should make sure you do the following:
» Finding a supervisor or
a host
» Financing your stay
Registering with the Welcome Center
The decision to become an international researcher brings a lot of opportunities but, at the same time,
some challenges. In Germany, which is well-known for
its bureaucracy, this includes many regulations and visits
to authorities, to which we can accompany you. This is why
you should register with us at an early stage so there is
still plenty of time to plan and organize everything. You
can find our contact form
here.
Preparations
Before your stay you should deal with the following points:
» If
applicable: Registration as PhD student
» Visa and entry regulations
» Accommodation
» If
applicable: Planning family matters
» How
to get here
On our website you can find more information and we are
always happy to give you some advice. Feel free to contact
us via or email or
Phone.
Registration and getting settled in
Once you have arrived in Siegen, you will need to take a number of administrative steps:
» Registering at the town hall
» Taking out health insurance
» Opening a bank account
» Getting your residence permit
The Welcome Center is also happy to help you with that. We will advise and accompany you to the appointments where needed and provide you with linguistic support.
Life, Research and networking
On our website we offer you information on activities and services offered by the university as well as
cultural activities and local culture.
Additionally, we are looking forward to getting to know you at our monthly organized events where you can also meet other international researchers from the university in a fun and informal setting. Events are usually family-friendly, low or no cost, and are a great opportunity to see places in Siegen or take part in new activities. You can subscribe to our mailing list via our
contact form.
Departure und "See you soon!"
Your stay in Siegen is already coming to an end? Depending on the duration of your stay different pre-departure matters have to be taken care of:
» Canceling your (inurance) contracts
» Contacting your bank
» Deregistering at the town hall
Together we can check what has to been done in your particular case. You can also
register as a an alumnus/ae in order to stay in touch and we kindly ask you to fill out our feedback form
.