After you have arranged the conditions of your stay with your host faculty, the Services for International Visiting Scholars and Staff (SISS) can help you organize the rest of your stay.

In order to give you the best support possible before and during your stay, SISS needs important information from you. Your host will forward your information to SISS via a Check-in form. 

There are several options to finance your stay as visiting scholar or staff at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, if you are not financed by your host faculty.

ERASMUS

ERASMUS+ is the European Union program for education, youth and sport. If you are employed at one of the partner universities of RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, you can apply for Erasmus+ funding at your own institution.

With Erasmus+ International Dimension, funding can now go to partner universities outside the EU. The program primarily promotes non-EU students and staff visiting German universities.

DAAD guest lecturer program

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) funds foreign scholars to teach at German universities. The minimum duration of the stays is three months. RheinMain University of Applied Sciences can apply for funding with you. Please contact siss(at)remove-this.hs-rm.de.

Other scholarship providers are, among others, the research funding organization DFG or the Humboldt Foundation.

Visiting scholars from an EU member state or the European Economic Area do not need a visa to enter Germany.

Short Stays (less than 90 days)
Visiting scholars from non-European states must apply for an entry visa at the German embassy or consulate in their home country. For stays shorter than 90 days, some countries are exempt from this rule. The Federal Foreign Office provides information on which countries are excempt and which are not.
Detailed information on visa and entry regulations can be found on the websites of the German embassy for your home country. Processing a visa application can take two months or more and varies from embassy to embassy. Please make sure to apply in due time.

Longer Stays (more than 90 days)
Non-EU nationals who want to stay in Germany for longer than three months and teach, work or conduct research at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, require a work visa. You must apply for this visa at the German embassy in your home country. Detailed information on visa and entry regulations can be found on the websites of the German embassy for your home country. Processing a visa application can take three months or more and varies from embassy to embassy. Please make sure to apply in due time.

The Federal Foreign Office provides information on the visa you need to enter and stay in Germany.

Please note the German customs regulations before you enter the country.

SISS is happy to help you find appropriate living arrangements.

For short-term stays, we recommend a hotel or guest house. For long-term stays, the private housing market is more appropriate. Prior to your stay, SISS can send you a list of current hotels and available apartments and can provide general information on rent agreements and electricity/gas registration.

For the duration of your stay in Germany, you will need health insurance.

EU citizens can keep using the health insurance from their home countries.

With non-EU nationals, regulations depend on the duration of your stay. Short-term stays (less than 90 days) require a travel health insurance. Long-term stays without an employment contract with RheinMain University of Applied Sciences require a private health insurance. If you have an employment contract during your stay, you will automatically be covered by state health insurance.
SISS can provide you with a list of insurance providers.

Additionally, it is recommended to get a personal liability insurance. The personal liability insurance covers the costs in case of accidents and is one of the most important insurances in Germany.

Wiesbaden is the capital of the state of Hesse and is located in the metropolitan region Rhein-Main. The closest airport is Frankfurt Airport. The train ride to Wiesbaden takes approximately 30 minutes. The connection to Wiesbaden Main Station is very good.
Train schedules and tickets.

Alternatively, SISS can organize a car service or taxi.

Campuses in Wiesbaden

You can take the bus to get to the three campuses in Wiesbaden.
For your first day, you can arrange a pick up with SISS that will take you from Wiesbaden main station to the campus you need.

Rüsselsheim is part of the Rhein-Main region and is located between Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.The closest airport is Frankfurt Airport. The train ride to Rüsselsheim takes approximately 15 minutes. The connection to Rüsselsheim main station is very good.
Train schedules and tickets.

Alternatively, SISS can organize a car service or taxi.

Campus in Rüsselsheim

It is a 20 minute walk from the train station to campus. Alternatively, you can take a bus.

Please let SISS know when you will be arriving and make sure to arrange a visit to the office during your first couple of days to get all organizational matters out of the way. It will be a nice welcome to RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and you will receive a welcome package with important information for your stay and life in Germany.

To arrange an appointment, send an email to siss(at)hs-rm.de.

Wiesbaden and Rüsselsheim have a great public bus system. It will take you to all parts of the city and other towns nearby. To get to cities like Frankfurt, Darmstadt or Mainz, you can easily take the train. Information about bus schedules are provided by the regional transport association RMV, Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, information about trains are provided by the German railway company Deutsche Bahn.

Another option to stay mobile in the city is renting a bike. You can rent bikes for a couple of hours or for longer periods of time. Ask SISS for help.

If you are staying in Germany for longer than 4 months, you must register as resident at the citizens’ office in the city you live within 14 days of your arrival. You can call the corresponding citizens’ office to arrange an appointment or try it online. SISS can help you with arranging an appointment and registration.

Citizens' Office Wiesbaden

Citizens' Office Rüsselsheim

You will need the following documents for registration:

• identification card or passport
• a lessor confirmation Wohnungsgeberbestätigung for Wiesbaden (PDF) or Wohnungsgeberbestätigung for Rüsselsheim (PDF)

If your family is coming along to Germany, you will need additional documents – as originals and as certified German translations:

• marriage certificate
• birth certificates of parents and children

After registration, you will receive a registration certificate, your social security number and your tax ID. Please keep these documents in a safe place. You can use the registration certificate to open a bank account in Germany.

If you are staying in Germany for longer than 3 months and have registered as resident at the citizens' office you will receive a letter from the respective foreigners' registration office. This letter will include an appointmet at the foreigners's office to apply for a residence permit. It will also list the documents you will need to bring to this appointment. 

In some cases (e.g. research stays) it is not necessary to apply for a residence permit because the requested visa already covers the entire stay. If this is the case, the foreigners' registration office will inform you.

Wiesbaden is the capital of the Land Hesse and one of the oldest spa cities in Europe. Apart from a myriad of hot springs, Wiesbaden offers a strikingly beautiful historicist old town.

The riverbanks of the Rhine and numerous parks, such as the Kurpark or Schlosspark, provide ample opportunity to relax and enjoy nature. A ride in Germany’s oldest water-powered funicular, the Nerobergbahn, will take you up the Neroberg hill where you can enjoy the beautiful view of Wiesbaden and a glass of wine from the region. One of Wiesbaden’s busiest shopping miles, the Kirchgasse, is perfect for a leisurely stroll. You will find anything you need.

Wiesbaden organizes numerous festivities throughout the year that put the city’s hospitality on display. It’s always worth a visit, alone or with family and friends. Among them are the street festival Wilhelmstraßenfest, the harbor festival Schiersteiner Hafenfest or the famous Christmas market Sternschnuppenweihnachtsmarkt.

Wiesbaden city website

Image film of Wiesbaden

Rüsselsheim

Rüsselsheim by the river Main is internationally known for its mobility industry and an important research and development site. The city is located in the heart of the Rhein-Main region between Wiesbaden, Frankfurt and Mainz. 

Apart from museums and a historical castle from 1399, the Verna park is a great place to relax and meander through beautiful English-style gardens. You can visit annual festivities, such as Mainfest or discover new artists at Jazz-Fabrik.

Official website of Rüsselsheim

The Library of RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and the Land Hesse has sites on all university campuses and in Rheinstraße, Wiesbaden. In order to rent library media, you need a library account. SISS can help you with the application.

There are dining halls at Kurt-Schumacher Ring Campus and Bleichstraße Campus in Wiesbaden and in Rüsselsheim. Run by the Studentenwerk Frankfurt, the dining halls offer a menu of fresh meals that varies daily. Please note changing service hours during the semester and semester breaks.

Service hours and current menus 

Germany has general emergency numbers to call an ambulance, the police, the fire department, a medical emergency service and a crisis line.

General practitioners and specialists

If you feel sick and need a doctor, make an appointment with one of the general practitioners near you. You might not get an appointment on the first try. Contact several practices. General practitioners can transfer you to specialists, if needed, and give you a referral.

Hospitals

List of hospitals in Wiesbaden

List of hospitals in Rüsselsheim

Pharmacies

German pharmacies provide nonprescription and prescription drugs. Prescription drugs require a prescription by a resident doctor. If you need medication outside service hours or during public holidays, there are always specific emergency pharmacies that are open outside regular hours.

There are numerous internet and landline providers offering different rates. You can compare different providers online or go to a shop downtown. SISS can help you find the right rate for you.

Please note:
Make sure to ask for the duration of the contract before signing. Phone and internet contracts usually have a minimum duration of 12 or 24 months. Please also note that the contract generally must be terminated 3 months before the minimum duration ends.

In general, cell phone contracts are either pre-paid or have a minimum duration. There are numerous providers with different rates for different needs. Several providers have shops downtown that will advise you on their rates. SISS can help you find the right rate for you.

When you registered a residence in Germany, you must de-register your residence one week before you leave. SISS can help you de-register.

You should also cancel other contracts that you signed before leaving, such as your cell phone plan. Please make sure to meet any cancelation periods.