Hello, Indians in Germany - Namaste
Yes, it's time to write about how to live, survive and enjoy in Germany.
I have compiled a list of all the important websites and information you (as an Indian and non-native speaker) will need to live in Germany.
I have tried to keep the list as comprehensive as possible and if there is one list you must bookmark is this page. It has links to all the sites you will need while living in Germany.
I have includes links which can help you save money in Germany.
I am sure you would have read a lot of posts on what to do and what not to do in Germany.
Some of the Quora posts are
1, 2, 3 and Living without knowing German 1 and . 2
I am an Indian and moved to Berlin from Bangalore in 2016. I too faced a lot of challenges especially as I moved with my family. From the last one year, I have been living in the beautiful city of Hamburg.
Learn German - Deutsch in Germany
First thing you notice is every sign board, every letter you get from authorities and all most every website is in German so you need good Translator (app and website)
These links will be really helpful for this purpose
Some important websites are - local centre for main cities are also included.
It is essential to register your house address within one month of arriving. This is called - Anmeldebestätigung
You will have to visit local Rathaus for house registration also called Anmeldebestätigung
A good post on how to handle this is here
You can download all the forms here.
You will need- rent agreement, passport, employment contract and completed and signed (by residents and house owner) registration form. There is also a form from the house owner which is kind of NOC (no objection certificate)
You also have an option to pay some money online and get it done by sending them print outs but it is much easier if you visit personally. Most of the officials are quite friendly and understand even if you don't understand Deutsche.
Remember always be 5 minutes before appointment time, if you miss the time you might get the next appointment after 3 months. So always be in time while you are in Germany (Italy is totally different).
How to open a Bank account in Germany
You will definitely need money to survive (either from parents, friends or from your company)
The preferred bank is Deutsche Bank - its like SBI of India, but unlike India, it costs here to have a normal bank account with all the banks, the cost range from 5 - 10 euro/month.
But there is a simple way to avoid this- open online bank accounts easily without a guarantee from your employer.
My favourite is Commerzbank.
1. N26 -
2. Commerzbank online
With N26 you can 10 euro opening balance and with Commerzbank ~150 euro and in both these accounts you have ZERO (yes you read it right) account maintenance charges. So just for opening a free bank account, you can earn up to 100 euros for a normal account and 150 euros for an online account. There is no problem if you have an existing account and you want to move from that contract, that is also possible and online all your existing contract providers (like electricity, Kita, telecom) will be notified in time and for 0 cost - yes free.
You may contact me for more details on how to move your account from existing bank to these services for free and with free balance.
How to find an apartment for rent in Germany
Another main challenge in Germany is to get a good apartment. Well, you can take help from an expensive neighbourhood property dealer or look online. Since you are reading this, I assume you will prefer to look the web sites.
Here is a complication of the websites
How to compare or buy Insurance in Germany
The next thing which should be in your to do list is to get an insurance.
a liability insurance - Haftpflichtversicherung is absolutely mandatory. It is cheap and you can get it online.
You can also take a legal insurance (second most important insurance)
I have not mentioned Health insurance because - you cant even enter Germany without health insurance and your university or employer will make sure you have the mandatory public health insurance (usually it is offered by TK insurance)
Some of the best websites to compare insurance prices are
Now, more tips to save money in Germany.
For grocery shopping - ALDI, Lidl, Netto, Penny Kaufland are cheaper than Real, REWE, Edeka.
For weekly offers and deals or to look for specific products on offer, you can visit these two portals for online brochure and prospectus.
Almost every grocery store has good weekly offers and if you want to save money in Germany, it is a good habit to visit these online portals.
One more topic which might be an interest of all Indians is shopping. For apparels and accessories (Six) all the stores have sale offers twice a year.
The cheapest stores are Primark, C&A, H&M- during sale season you must also check out other local stores and Kardstadt.
Well if you like brands and want to shop branded products for cheap and have some patience I have an alternate strategy.
Visit for price comparison websites and set price alerts. They crawl all web portals and then suggest you best offers via email.
BTW, Amazon still rocks in Germany and they have the best customer support (in English too). I have purchased Esprit, S Oliver Brooks for 70% off from Amazon using price comparison websites.
How to travel in Europe, How to travel in Germany
The best portals to plan trip across Europe and compare prices for travel are
How to send money online to India
After the house rent, grocery expense, home shopping and travel if you have some money and want to send money to India for cheap you should look at these websites for sending money at the lowest cost and minimum transfer fee. They are much cheaper than western union.
Well there is a cherry on the cake - you can have many transactions for free if you use the following links
Ohh, quite a long post and I promise yo keep it updated as I get more valuable information.
Yes, it's time to write about how to live, survive and enjoy in Germany.
I have compiled a list of all the important websites and information you (as an Indian and non-native speaker) will need to live in Germany.
I have tried to keep the list as comprehensive as possible and if there is one list you must bookmark is this page. It has links to all the sites you will need while living in Germany.
I have includes links which can help you save money in Germany.
I am sure you would have read a lot of posts on what to do and what not to do in Germany.
Some of the Quora posts are
1, 2, 3 and Living without knowing German 1 and . 2
I am an Indian and moved to Berlin from Bangalore in 2016. I too faced a lot of challenges especially as I moved with my family. From the last one year, I have been living in the beautiful city of Hamburg.
Learn German - Deutsch in Germany
First thing you notice is every sign board, every letter you get from authorities and all most every website is in German so you need good Translator (app and website)
These links will be really helpful for this purpose
- GoogleTranslate -they also have a feature to translate documents
- http://www.systransoft.com/lp/german-translation/
- http://www.lexilogos.com/english/german_translation.htm
- http://www.dict.cc/english-german/smug.html
- Duolingo
Some important websites are - local centre for main cities are also included.
- https://www.deutsch-lernen.com/
- http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/fer/enindex.htm
- http://www.hoou.de/p/
- HH https://www.vhs-hamburg.de/sprachen-5
- https://www.vhs-aktuell.de/programm/german/german-as-a-foreign-language.html
- MH - https://www.mvhs.de/sprachen/english/learning-german/
- Berlin - https://www.berlin.de/vhs/kurse/
It is essential to register your house address within one month of arriving. This is called - Anmeldebestätigung
You will have to visit local Rathaus for house registration also called Anmeldebestätigung
A good post on how to handle this is here
You can download all the forms here.
You will need- rent agreement, passport, employment contract and completed and signed (by residents and house owner) registration form. There is also a form from the house owner which is kind of NOC (no objection certificate)
You also have an option to pay some money online and get it done by sending them print outs but it is much easier if you visit personally. Most of the officials are quite friendly and understand even if you don't understand Deutsche.
Remember always be 5 minutes before appointment time, if you miss the time you might get the next appointment after 3 months. So always be in time while you are in Germany (Italy is totally different).
How to open a Bank account in Germany
You will definitely need money to survive (either from parents, friends or from your company)
The preferred bank is Deutsche Bank - its like SBI of India, but unlike India, it costs here to have a normal bank account with all the banks, the cost range from 5 - 10 euro/month.
But there is a simple way to avoid this- open online bank accounts easily without a guarantee from your employer.
My favourite is Commerzbank.
1. N26 -
2. Commerzbank online
With N26 you can 10 euro opening balance and with Commerzbank ~150 euro and in both these accounts you have ZERO (yes you read it right) account maintenance charges. So just for opening a free bank account, you can earn up to 100 euros for a normal account and 150 euros for an online account. There is no problem if you have an existing account and you want to move from that contract, that is also possible and online all your existing contract providers (like electricity, Kita, telecom) will be notified in time and for 0 cost - yes free.
You may contact me for more details on how to move your account from existing bank to these services for free and with free balance.
How to find an apartment for rent in Germany
Another main challenge in Germany is to get a good apartment. Well, you can take help from an expensive neighbourhood property dealer or look online. Since you are reading this, I assume you will prefer to look the web sites.
Here is a complication of the websites
- Immonet
- Wohnungsborse
- WG-GESUCHT - especially for short term, furnished apartments. You also get info on shared rooms and apartments
- 9Flats
- Immowelt
- Immobillienscout24
- City-wohnen - only furnished apartments
- Nestpick
- Urbanground - started by an Indian friend in Berlin
How to compare or buy Insurance in Germany
The next thing which should be in your to do list is to get an insurance.
a liability insurance - Haftpflichtversicherung is absolutely mandatory. It is cheap and you can get it online.
You can also take a legal insurance (second most important insurance)
I have not mentioned Health insurance because - you cant even enter Germany without health insurance and your university or employer will make sure you have the mandatory public health insurance (usually it is offered by TK insurance)
Some of the best websites to compare insurance prices are
- Check24
- Verivox
- WeFox - a new service where a dedicated person will not just suggest you the best plan but also help you in case you have to claim an insurance. This is helpful when you do not speak German. I took AXA insurance plan from wefox.de
Now, more tips to save money in Germany.
For grocery shopping - ALDI, Lidl, Netto, Penny Kaufland are cheaper than Real, REWE, Edeka.
For weekly offers and deals or to look for specific products on offer, you can visit these two portals for online brochure and prospectus.
Almost every grocery store has good weekly offers and if you want to save money in Germany, it is a good habit to visit these online portals.
One more topic which might be an interest of all Indians is shopping. For apparels and accessories (Six) all the stores have sale offers twice a year.
The cheapest stores are Primark, C&A, H&M- during sale season you must also check out other local stores and Kardstadt.
Well if you like brands and want to shop branded products for cheap and have some patience I have an alternate strategy.
Visit for price comparison websites and set price alerts. They crawl all web portals and then suggest you best offers via email.
BTW, Amazon still rocks in Germany and they have the best customer support (in English too). I have purchased Esprit, S Oliver Brooks for 70% off from Amazon using price comparison websites.
How to travel in Europe, How to travel in Germany
The best portals to plan trip across Europe and compare prices for travel are
- Goeuro
- Rome2Rio
- Kayak Compare Flight prices -
- Skyscanner Compare flight prices -
- Hotel_Scanner Compare hotel cost -
- Book_online_hotel_for_cheap Compare hotel prices in Europe -
- Compare_hotel_Europe Compare hotels in Europe -
How to send money online to India
After the house rent, grocery expense, home shopping and travel if you have some money and want to send money to India for cheap you should look at these websites for sending money at the lowest cost and minimum transfer fee. They are much cheaper than western union.
Well there is a cherry on the cake - you can have many transactions for free if you use the following links
- TransferGo -
- TransferWise -
- Moneytis - They also have a bot on Facebook Messenger which keeps you updated of the exchange rate and also suggests what is the best time to send money to India.
Ohh, quite a long post and I promise yo keep it updated as I get more valuable information.
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