Living and Daily Life
Here you will find information about insurances, taxes, and how to open a bank account.
Health Insurance
If you work and receive wages in Germany, you will need to register with a statutory health insurance company for your coverage to start. The payments come out of your wages as part of the taxes you pay. If you earn more than a certain amount a year, you are able to choose between public and private health insurance.
Statutory health insurance companies all provide the same basic coverage as required by law, but can differ in extras they offer their customers. Stop by the International Office to get more information about what kinds of insurance are possible.
Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)
Wilhelmstr. 44, 72074 Tübingen
(within Germany) 0800 2858585
https://www.tk.de/contact/tobias.hauser?tkcm=ab
Barmer
Eisenbahnstr. 3, 72072 Tübingen
https://www.barmer.de/en
AOK Baden-Württemberg
Europastr. 4, 72072 Tübingen
Wilhelmstr. 13, 72074 Tübingen
https://en.zuwanderer.aok.de/home/
Good to Have: Liability Insurance
While it isn’t mandatory, it’s very common and advisable to take out private (family) liability insurance to cover costs resulting from any damages that you caused inadvertently. At yearly rates of around 60 – 90 € for a single person, it’s also very affordable.
Please see the drop-down menu “Private liability insurance” (Haftpflichtversicherung) on the Tuebingen Research Campus website for more information:
https://tuebingenresearchcampus.com/en/tuebingen/paperwork/banks-insurance
There are many different providers, so asking your colleagues whether they’re happy with the company they’re with is often a good starting point before making your choice.
Bank Account
If you are going to live in Germany for a while, you will probably need to open a bank account.
There are many different banks with different offers, account fees and opening times. The International Office can help you to find the bank that works best for you while in Germany.
When opening a bank account, you will generally need to bring the following documents along to your appointment:
• Your passport
• An address in Tübingen or in Germany
• Your tax number(s) (bring your German tax number if you have already received one as well as your tax number or equivalent from your home country if you have one)
• Confirmation of your registration with the city
Banks with physical branches in Tübingen in alphabetical order (main branches are listed):
A Few Notes About Banking in Germany
Paying by card is not as widespread in Germany as it is elsewhere. For this reason it is generally a good idea to have cash with you, especially if you are planning on going to smaller shops, cafés or to open-air markets.
Though it is generally possible to withdraw money from all cashpoints, withdrawing money from cashpoints that do not belong to your bank or have a contract with your bank might cost you money. If you will be charged for withdrawing money, a warning will appear on the screen.
Additionally, there are banks that only or primarily exist online, though it is not always easy to open an account with these banks as a foreigner without having been resident in Germany before.
Some Items Will Arrive by Mail ...
Once you have registered with the city, you will automatically receive a few documents per post.
Tax ID
The first time you register as a resident in Germany, you will receive a Tax ID number (Steueridentifikationsnummer).
If you are receiving wages from the institute, please forward a copy of this letter to your contact person in the human resources department as soon as you receive it.
Rundfunkbeitrag (Broadcasting Fee)
A few weeks after registering with the city, you will also receive a letter from the ‘Rundfunkbeitrag’ or ‘broad-cast contribution’. This is a fee that helps pay for public television and radio within Germany and is required to be paid by every household.
You will be liable to pay for it starting on the first day you have moved into your first accommodation (NB: If you state you moved in on the last day of a month, you will have to pay for the entire month retroactively).
If you are living on your own, you will need to pay the contribution.
If you are living in a shared flat, all residents within the flat should share the cost of the contribution. If your flatmates have lived in the flat before you move in, ask if the fee is already being paid. When you receive a letter asking for your contribution, you can provide the number of the broadcast contribution account that is valid for the flat. Depending on how the utilities in your shared flat are divided, the cost might already be covered.
Please note: German postal employees only deliver mail if the name of the recipient is on the postbox, even if there is a single postbox for an entire house. Make sure to put your name on your postbox to receive your post!
Also: Germans like to send important messages by mail. It is therefore important that you read your mail. If you do not understand a letter and do not know who to contact, ask the International Office for help before you miss an important letter and possibly get into a difficult situation!
Taxes
Taxes In Germany, income tax is automatically deducted from every employee’s monthly paycheck. Many employees, especially single individuals with no other income, do not need to file a tax return—unless you want to claim deductions. Taxes are automatically withheld from your salary. Please read the following overview to understand the basics of how taxes work in Germany: https://tuebingenresearchcampus.com/en/tuebingen/paperwork/taxes