✈️ Before You Move to Germany

Everyone talks about packing clothes, vessels and masala — but no one mentions the subscriptions that are far cheaper in India than in Germany. Get these before you travel:

• LinkedIn Premium — around ₹5,000 for a year. A big help for your job search and career.
• Udemy (annual plan) — around ₹5,000 for a year. Upskill with thousands of courses.
• Duolingo Super — around ₹1,800 for a year. Start learning German before you land.

All three cost much more once you're in Germany, so buy them before you fly and start your journey ready for better career growth.

Carry originals plus several photocopies of your passport, degree and mark sheets, birth certificate and recent biometric passport photos. Where a document isn't in English or German, get a certified translation before you travel. Also keep digital scans of everything in your email and cloud storage, you'll be asked for these documents again and again in your first months.

For a student visa you'll usually need a blocked account (Sperrkonto) showing roughly a year of living costs, the required amount is set each year, so check the current figure. Tell your Indian bank you're moving abroad, get a forex or travel card with low foreign-transaction fees, and carry some euros in cash for your first few days before a German bank account is set up.

You need valid health insurance for your visa and from the day you arrive. Many newcomers take incoming/travel health insurance to cover the gap until public student insurance (TK, AOK, Barmer and similar, roughly €130 a month at a student rate) starts after you enrol. Carry your insurance confirmation, you'll need it for the visa and for Anmeldung.

Long-term shared rooms (WG) are very hard to secure from abroad, landlords want to meet you first. Book a hostel, short stay or serviced apartment for your first 2 to 4 weeks, then search properly once you're on the ground. You can browse rooms and short-stay options on AllesHere: https://www.alleshere.de/

Make sure your phone is unlocked so you can use a German SIM. On arrival, a cheap prepaid SIM (Aldi Talk, congstar) is easiest to start with. Before you fly, download offline Google Maps for your city, a translation app, and your airline and banking apps. Pack a Type C/F plug adapter, Germany uses the two-round-pin socket.

Never check in the documents you'll need on landing. Keep your passport with visa, admission or enrolment letter, blocked-account and insurance proof, accommodation booking and spare passport photos in your carry-on. Immigration and your first appointments will ask for them.