Living at the MDC and Berlin-Buch

2 Living in Germany Seite 5 von 36
2 Living in Germany
2.1 Preparations at Home
Contact a German embassy or consulate in your home country
regarding any current entry and residence requirements. You can also
contact the German Embassy in the country you are working at the
moment. 1 As a rule it takes several weeks for a visa to be issued, and
therefore should be applied for in a timely manner.
Foreign scientists require a multiple entry visa for the Federal Republic of Germany.
Exceptions are citizens from EU countries, the EWR countries Iceland, Norway,
Liechtenstein, from Switzerland, and Japan, Canada and the USA. They do not require a visa
to enter Germany, but they must apply for a residence permit from the foreigner registration
office after arriving in Berlin (3.1.) and register with the local authorities (see Ch. 3). It is
important not to apply for a tourist visa but for a multiple entry visa which enables you and,
if necessary, your family to stay for a longer period of time. A visa for Germany normally
also includes free travelling to the other EU-countries.
Your scientific host will help you with all internal MDC procedures. You should check in
time with the staff administration of the MDC to find out whether they need any specific
documents from you so that you may bring these papers along with you. These can include
the obvious documents such as your residence permit or income tax card (see chapter 3), but
also include other ones such as your university diplomas. The administrative offices usually
ask for German translations of your university diploma, birth and marriage certificates.
Therefore it is best to bring a certified translated copy of these documents with you rather
than have translations done on the spot.
We advise you to contact Mrs. Sibilak who is responsible for all new foreign guests at
our institute beforehand. She can help and assist you and answer all the questions you
might have before departing.
00 49-30-94 06-33 49 / e-mail: sibilak@mdc-berlin.de
2.2 What to do first in Germany
Here is a checklist for the most important things you should do after arrival:
1. Go to the MDC administration (contact person in the personnel department: Sylvia
Sibilak, room 4029 in Max-Delbrück-House, building 31.1.) to be registered (either by
contract or guest registration) (see 3.1.)
2. Go to the residents' registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) to receive a Berlin
registration (address see 3.1.)
3. Open a bank account (see 2.4)
4. Organize a health insurance (see 5.1)
5. Go to the foreigners’ registration office (Ausländerbehörde) to receive a residence permit
(Aufenthaltsgenehmigung) (address see 3.1.) or have this organized by our contact person
in the personnel department, Mrs. Sibilak
6. Go to the tax office to obtain a tax card.
1 Example: As a Chinese citizen working in the USA at the moment you do not have to go back to China to
contact the German embassy. You can contact the German embassy in the States as well.
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