After arrival

There are a couple of things that need to be taken care of during the first days after your arrival in Munich. Besides registration of your address and other formalities, there are also processes that you need to follow at the TUM. The most important issue is the application for the registration in the Doctoral Candidacy List of your respective department/school that includes the recognition of your foreign university degree. The Checklist for international doctoral candidates provides a first overview of all necessary steps.

Welcome Teatime

This is a special online networking and counseling option for new doctoral candidates who would like to familiarize themselves with the services and offers of the TUM and the TUM-GS. It is also designed as a platform for doctoral candidates to meet, chat and network with their peer-group.  

When? Every 2nd Thursday of the month, at 5p.m., starting on 15th October, 2020.
Where? Online via ZOOM.
Please register via email to welcomeoffice@gs.tum.de. Access information will be shared after registration (name, department/school/chair/institute).


Germany has a registration requirement. Anyone who stays in a city longer than 90 days must officially register his or her address. Registration must take place within two weeks of the move. This also applies to moves within the same city.

To register, you will need a valid ID/passport, a completed registration form as well as a confirmation from your landlord (“Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung”). All other information and forms can be found on the website of your local Residence Registration Office (responsibility varies according to your address). The most important Citizens Offices for most TUM doctoral candidates are:

For addresses in Munich: Munich Department of Public Order (“Kreisverwaltungsreferat”) – Citizens Office (“Bürgerbüro”)
For addresses in Garchin b. München: City of Garching b. München Town Hall (“Rathaus Stadt Garching b. München“) – Residence Registration Office (“Einwohnermeldeamt”)
For addresses in Freising: Citizens Office („Bürgerbüro“) Freising

Please note that many smaller towns have their own registration offices.

Citizens from non-EU/EEA countries must apply for a residence permit (“Aufenthaltserlaubnis”) at the local Foreigners Registration Authority (“Ausländerbehörde”) responsible for their respective area of residence (e.g. Munich Foreigners Office KVR, the District Office of Munich/Garching or Freising) within 90 days after arrival. Please note that you will need a residence permit for stays of 90 days and longer even if you do not need a visa to enter Germany and are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA member country.  

Please note that the residence permit is bound to a specific reason for your stay. In other words, if you are earning your doctorate at TUM, your residence permit is bound to your doctorate. It is no longer valid if you finish or leave your doctoral program. Please also note that you will need to extend your residence permit. Be sure to apply for an extension with the responsible Foreigners’ Office in a timely manner before your residence permit expires. The residence permit can only be granted or extended for two years at a time. However the validity of your residence permit is usually linked to your proof of sufficient funding (e.g. scholarship or employment contract). 

A detailed overview of the possible residence permits for doctoral candidates has been created by the German Rectors' Conference and can be found at https://www.hrk.de/hrk-international/mobility-and-mutual-recognition/mobility-of-researchers/.

Health insurance

Doctoral candidates must have a valid health insurance for their entire research stay/doctorate at TUM. Citizens of a EU/EEA member state may often use their existing health insurance coverage in Germany and apply for costs reimbursement by their insurance provider. If this applies to you, please contact your health insurance provider to inquire whether your current health insurance scheme is also valid in Germany.

If your health insurance is not valid in Germany, you need to conclude a new health insurance in Germany for your entire research duration. 

Personal liability insurance

If you have a personal liability insurance in your home country, check whether it covers you and your family during your stay or whether it is possible to upgrade it. Please note that the policy value may be higher in Germany than the maximum insured sum stipulated in your current insurance policy. In Germany, a total policy value of three million Euros is usually recommended.

Scholarship holders

Doctoral candidates with scholarship are usually exempt from social security. Therefore, they only need to take care of a valid health insurance for the entire duration of their doctoral research. Scholarship holder should also contact their scholarship providers to inquire whether there are already specific health insurance schemes linked with the scholarship.

It is highly recommended to all doctoral candidates to obtain a private liability insurance. This kind of insurance can already be obtained for a small yearly sum and covers high compensation demands in case of damages and accidents. Candidates who are working with expensive lab equipment or machines should also contact their liability insurance company to clarify whether lab-specific damages are included in their insurance scheme. If not, it is strongly recommended to also obtain a special lab liability insurance.  

Employment at TUM

Social insurance coverage is usually mandatory for all doctoral candidates who are employed as research associates at their TUM chair/research group. Social security covers health insurance, pension schemes, unemployment benefit, accident and long-term care insurance. The costs for social security will split in half (approximately) between your employer (the TUM) and yourself and will be deducted from your monthly salary automatically. The expenses for accident insurance will be entirely covered by your employer.

Usually, the TUM HR department will ask you about your existing health insurance scheme during the employment preparations. In case you do not have a valid health insurance in Germany, TUM will contact the statutory health insurance provider (e.g. TK, AOK) of your choice for health insurance coverage. The health insurance provider will then take care of further social insurances. You will receive your social insurance number after the conclusion of this registration process. Please remember to inform the TUM HR department of your social security number.

Similar to scholarship holders, it is highly recommended for doctoral candidates employed by TUM to obtain a private (lab) liability insurance.

Further information about health insurance and social security can be found on the website of EURAXESS Germanyas well as DAAD.

If you are planning an extended research stay at TUM and/or will receive a monthly salary or doctroal scholarship, you should consider opening a bank account in Germany. To do so, you'll need your passport/ID, your registration confirmation (Meldebescheinigung) from the Residents' Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt/Bürgerbüro) as well as your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) issued by the local Foreigners Office (Ausländerbehörde). 

No matter whether they have a TV (or radio), all persons living in Germany must pay a contribution to finance public broadcasting stations. The current fee is 17.50 EUR per month and must be paid per apartment- regardless of the actual number of persons living in the apartment. In other words, if you are moving to Munich with your family, only one of your family members (living in the same apartment) has to pay the licence fee. The same rule applies to shared apartments. The local Residents' Registration Office will notify the contribution service of your registration and you are due to pay the fee proactively without official notification. Please visit the website https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/welcome/index_ger.html for further information on the Licence Fee. 

In case you have not already done so, now is the time to register in the online-platform DocGS and start your application for the entry into the doctoral candidacy list of the respective department/school. The doctoral admission process will only be completed after your entry into the doctoral list! The recognition process of foreign university degrees is part of the application of entry into the doctoral list. Please note that the entire admission process may take several weeks. However, you may start your doctoral research and register for the mandatory onboarding event “TUM-GS Kick-off seminar” in the meantime.

TUM Graduate School (TUM-GS) is a central academic institution at TUM. It promotes structured training for doctoral candidates, and collaborates with the degree-awarding institutions at TUM to provide the best possible supervision. The TUM Graduate School is organized into a central Managing Office, Graduate Centers for degree-awarding institutions (Departmental Graduate Center) and interdisciplinary, interdepartmental Thematic Graduate Centers. These Graduate Centers are the first point of contact for graduate students with questions about, among other things: administrative steps for doctoral programs (e.g. a supervision agreement, feedback meeting), the requirements of the TUM Graduate School (required courses), specialized and discipline-related qualification programs, internationalization support and much more. Each Graduate Center has its own webpage, where you can find extensive information about the program it offers and its services, information sheets and guidelines, as well as contact information for the respective contact person.

All doctoral candidates at TUM will become members of a suitable Departmental Graduate Center or Thematic Graduate Center after their successful doctoral admission (entry into the doctoral candidacy list of the respective department/school). As the TUM Graduate School is an umbrella organization of all Graduate Centers at TUM, you do not need to apply for membership in the “TUM Graduate School” additionally. Please ask your doctoral supervisor about which Graduate Center is the most suitable one for you. 

TUM distinguishes between entry into the doctoral candidacy list and enrollment as a doctoral student. Entry into the doctoral candidacy list is obligatory for all doctoral candidates, while enrollment is voluntary. Enrolled doctoral candidates have to pay a base fee per semester that includes the Student Union fee and the required solidarity fee for the basic public transportation card, valid throughout the entire Munich transit network, except for Campus Heilbronn and Straubing! 

Doctoral candidates can enroll anytime after the sucessful entry into the doctoral candidacy list. Further information about enrollment and the application process can be found in the section "Doctoral Candidates" under "Administrative Matters" -> "Enrollment".

TUM ID
After registration in TUMonline, all students, employees or guests will receive a TUM ID. Usually, Doctoral candidates may receive their TUM ID based on three different models:

  • Doctoral candidates employed at TUM will automatically be assigned a TUM ID.
  • Doctoral candidates enrolled at TUM will receive a student account and TUM ID after enrollment.
  • External doctoral candidates who are not enrolled at TUM, may contact the TUMonline guest administrator of their respective chair/research group for the creation of a TUMonline guest account with a guest ID.   

If you are employed at TUM and are enrolled as doctoral student at the same time, you will only receive one TUM ID. The TUM ID format is a combination of letters and numbers (e.g. tu20tum) and is unchangeable. Further information can be found at https://www.it.tum.de/en/faq/it-services/account-login-tum-id-mwnid-tumcard/tum-id/what-is-the-tum-id-tum-kennung/.

TUMonline
TUMonline (https://campus.tum.de/tumonline) is the the central campus management system of the TUM. To log in, you will need your TUM e-mail address or TUM ID. TUMonline is the central platform for study application as well as application for enrollment as doctoral student. Using its search function, you can also search for TUM staff and offices.

Please do not confuse TUMonline with the platform “DocGS” for the management of all doctorate related issues- most importantly your entry into the doctoral candidacy list, application for the Kick-off seminar and transferable skills training or the submission of your thesis.  

TUM Dienstleistungskompass
The TUM Dienstleistungskompass (“service compass”, https://portal.mytum.de/kompass/index_html) comprises important information, documents, forms etc. related to employment issues, finances, regulations from the Legal Office, IT, research and third-party funding etc. Some of the documents are publicly available, other information and documents can only be accessed after the login (with TUM ID).  Unfortunately, the majority of information provided is only available in German.

TUMCard
The TUMCard is a multifunctional chip card and has various specifications. Doctoral candidates who are employed at TUM may apply for a PersonalCard that identifies them as TUM staff but can also be used as library card and card for cash-free payments at the student canteens (“Mensa”) and StuCafés of the Munich Student Union. Doctoral candidates who wish to enroll as doctoral students at TUM will receive a StudentCard after the completion of the enrollment process. Besides library access and cash-free payments, the StudentCard can also be used as basis semester ticket for the MVV. Doctoral candidates without TUM employment and enrollment can apply for a TUM GuestCard that also enables them to use the library or for cash-free payments at the Mensa etc. Further information can be found at https://www.it.tum.de/en/faq/it-services/account-login-tum-id-mwnid-tumcard/tumcard/how-can-i-get-a-tumcard-chip-card-tum-identification-card/

TUM IT Support
The TUM IT Support is the first point of contact for all TUM members for questions and problems related to the university's centralized IT services and applications. The website of the IT Support (https://www.it.tum.de/en/home/) provides very useful information and tutorials for how to set up your TUM account, the purchase of IT products and services, Moodle any much more.

Eduroam
eduroam is an international initiative of the higher educational institutions, to provide a uniform way for academics and students to connect to the internet via WLAN/Wi-Fi, even whilst they are traveling. In Munich eduroam can be used at the university locations (e.g. TUM, LMU) and at several public spaces in the city center, e.g. main train station or Marienplatz. You can register with your 7-digit TUM ID (e.g. tu20tum) in combination with @eduroam.mwn.de. Further information on eduroam and how to register can be found at  https://www.it.tum.de/eduroam/.

Campus tour
Get familiar with your new research environment and participate in a (virtual) campus tour. At https://www.explore.tum.de/campustour/ you can find various campus tours in German as well as in English.

Get involved in the Graduate Council and shape the qualification program and overall situation of doctoral candidates in your department/school and beyond. Elections for the Graduate Council take place once a year. Each summer, the Graduate Council organizes “TUMBlue” – the largest networking event (and party) for doctoral candidates at TUM.

The TUM Family Service (https://www.chancengleichheit.tum.de/en/family/) offers a comprehensive range of information, advice and services relating to the compatibility of work/research and family at all three major TUM locations. The Family Service supports you in finding suitable childcare – from nurseries to afterschool care and also offers a school holiday program (Bewegte TUM-Ferien) for your children. Furthermore, the TUM Family Service also helps you to make arrangements for family members in need of care. 

All doctoral candidates have access to the vast services and resources of the TUM university library (https://www.ub.tum.de/en). In addition to an extensive range of (e-) literature, journals and other media, it also offers library tours as well as various training courses like database search strategies, reference management as well as how to cite right etc. The TUM university library and its 9 branch libraries also offer fully equipped work places that can be used by doctoral candidates. Candidates with a TUM Guest ID like guest doctoral candidates or external doctoral candidates without TUM enrollment can only access the e-resources from a work place directly in the (branch) libraries. 

The TUM Language Center offer students, staff and doctoral candidates diverse opportunities to develop competence in a foreign language in addition to professional communication skills. The program strongly emphasizes intercultural communication in the context of scientific research. A special offer for international researchers and doctoral candidates, the TUM Language Center offers German as a foreign language evening-courses lasting 8-weeks. Further information can be found at https://www.sprachenzentrum.tum.de/en/for-phd-candidates/

Doctoral candidates and TUM staff have access to the courses and offerings of the University Sports Center Munich (ZHS, https://www.zhs-muenchen.de/en/home/). The offers include classes in team sports, climbing, fitness and health, martial arts, dance, new and intramural activities, gymnastics and track and field, as well as water and winter sports.

There are various leisure time possibilities on all TUM campuses, including different orchestras, choirs and bands, various student initiatives/research groups etc. The main TUM website (section “Campus life”, https://www.tum.de/en/studies/campus-life/) provides further information on this topic.

A great way to network and to get/stay connected with your fellow TUM researchers, staff, students and alumni by joining the TUM Community (https://www.community.tum.de/en/).

Please also have a look at the TUM-GS cultural program. Each semester we offer a different program including excursions, city tours, hiking trips and much more.