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Coming to Vechta
Studies, research, short-term stay: We support you on your way to the University of Vechta and during your stay or studies.

Registration and residence permit

Registration

Two Passports

After arriving in Vechta, one of your first steps should be to register your new address at the registration office of the city of Vechta within the first two weeks of your stay. In fact, in Germany it is obligatory for anyone moving into a new apartment to register the new address at the competent local authorities (§ 17 Abs. 1 BMG). Only if you are staying for less than three months in the new residence, you are not required to register. This means that even foreign visitors are required to register their new address, if they plan to stay more than three months.

Upon registering your new address, you will receive a registration card (Meldebescheinigung). This is a very important document, which you will have to present e.g. in order to obtain a library card or to open a bank account. Please preserve it carefully until the end of your stay!

How do I register my new address in Vechta?

You can make an appointment online or by phone (04441/886-100), or also directly at the registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) in Burgstraße 6, in the Vechta city centre. In order to make an appointment online, you can go to the website of the city of Vechta, to the section for online appointments. On the drop-down menu "AMT" on the right side, please select "Bürgerbüro". Then click on "Take an appointment ticket". A list of services will appear on the left, please go to "Meldeangelegenheiten sonstige Staatsangehörigkeit" and select your status ("Student" if you are a student, or "kein Student" if you are not a student). Scroll down the page and click on "accept". At this point, you will be able to pick a day/time for your appointment.

Please bring the following documents to your registration appointment:

  • Passport or valid ID
  • Your address in Vechta
  • A confirmation of your landlord that you reside at that address ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung"- please ask your landlord)
  • If you are a student: proof of your matriculation

The registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) is located in the city centre, in Burgstraße 6, 49377 Vechta.

The opening hours are the following:

Monday to Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm

Friday from 8 am to 1 pm

Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm

Registration of family members

Your family members will have to get registered as well within the first two weeks of their stay, if they remain in Germany for more than three months.

Please make an additional appointment for your family members. They should come to the registration in person, or they should award you a formal authorization (Vollmacht) to register them on their behalf.

They should bring the following documents to the registration appointment:

  • Passport or valid ID
  • Their address in Vechta
  • A confirmation of the landlord that they reside at that address ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung"- please ask the landlord)
  • For children: a child document or birth certificate with German translation
  • For married partners: a marriage certificate

If you need any assistance with the registration (e.g. making an appointment online or by phone, navigating the website of the registration office, getting more information on the necessary documents), we at the Welcome Centre will be happy to help you!

Residence Permit

If you are a EU or EEA citizen, you will neither need a visa nor a residence permit to stay in Germany (please see Visa page). In all other cases, you will have to apply for a residence permit before your visa expires or, if you are allowed to travel to Germany without a visa, within 90 days upon your arrival in Germany.

In order to apply for a residence permit, you will need the following documents:

  • filled in application ("Auftrag auf Erteilung eines befristeten Aufenthaltstitels", which you can download at the website of the Landkreis Vechta
  • Confirmation of registration in Vechta ("Meldebescheinigung", see section on registration above) (Copy)
  • Proof that you possess a recognized health insurance (not all health insurances are recognized for purposes of residence permit in Germany!) (Copy)
  • Biometric passport photo
  • Proof of sufficient income (e.g. confirmation of stipend/frozen account/sponsor confirmation/extract of bank account/confirmation of Erasmus support/confirmation of employment, etc.) (Copy)
  • Admission to the University of Vechta
  • Valid passport (original and copy) (please note that the passport needs to be valid for the whole period of your stay in Vechta!)

Since it might take some time (and generally at least 6 weeks) to process your application, we suggest you to submit your application well in advance and not just before the expiration date of your visa!

It is not possible to submit your application at the diplomatic representations in your country: you will need to do it after your arrival at the competent local agency in Germany.

In Vechta, the competent agency ("Ausländeramt") is located in the Landkreis Vechta, in the Ravensburgerstraße 20.

The opening hours of the competent department  are the following:

Monday to Friday: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Thursday: 2:30 pm - 6:00 pm

If you are PhD student, you can either apply for a residence permit for study purposes (if you receive a stipend or you have a max. 50% part-time employment), or for a residence permit for work or research purposes, or finally the blue card EU (if you have concluded an agreement - Aufnahmevereinbarung - with a research institute in Germany).

Researchers may usually apply for any of the three types of residence permit (a residence permit for study purposes, for research purposes, or a blue card EU), depending on the reason of stay in Germany. Please consult the Ausländeramt if you are unsure of which resident permit applies to you. 

If you have questions concerning the application for a resident permit, please get in touch with us!