All citizens living in Germany must be registered in the city they live in. You must do it at the Citizen Services usually called in Germany Bürgerbüro or Bürgeramt within 2 weeks after moving to that particular city.
In the city of Dortmund you must do it at Bürgerdienste (EU-Citizens) or Bürgerdienste International (NON-EU-Citizens).
After moving to Dortmund you should register with the Citizens Services (Bürgerdienste). European citizens simply contact the Bürgerdienste in the city centre as written below. Students from Non-EU-Countries have to contact International Citizen Services - Bürgerdienste International which is the name of the Citizen Services and Immigration Office of Dortmund in one. The administration and immigration issues will be both carried out there.
Please note:
- If you live in a different city than Dortmund you should register there - even if you are studying in Dortmund (E.g. Essen, Bochum, Witten etc.)!
- In case you change your apartment within one city you must re-register with the new address (Ummeldung). In case you move to another city you must register there and will be automatically de-register in the former one.
- Remember that it is also compulsory to de-register with the Citizens Services when you leave Germany permanently and want to go back to your home country or move to any other foreign country!
Important to know as well for NON-EU-Students:
- The official purpose of your stay in Germany as a student of FH Dortmund is „study (visit)“. As such you have to study according to the regulations, meaning you must not exceed the official average length of study plus three semesters. In general you are not allowed to stay in Germany for your studies for more than ten years. You can read more about you residence and extension of your visa/ residence permit below.