Before Your Stay Abroad

March 15 for the winter semester and/or summer semester /
October 15 only in exceptional cases of late registration for stays in the summer semester:
Complete the information in your Mobility-Online Account!

You will receive further information from the International Office by e-mail approximately 4 weeks after the deadlines mentioned above.

The Erasmus checklist gives you an overview of the main organizational steps and deadlines.

• For long-term stays from winter semester 2024/ 2025 onward: Erasmus checklist 2024/ 25  (PDF)

The Learning Agreement is the main Erasmus document that you are required to fill in together with the person responsible in your department in Bonn and at your partner university before you leave to go abroad. You should enter the courses that you would like to take at your partner university as well as the modules from Bonn that these courses are intended to replace (not required for doctoral students).

The Learning Agreement must be drawn up electronically as an Online Learning Agreement (OLA) using a database.

The International Office can provide general instructions on completing the OLA (PDF). If your Departmental Coordinator gives you their own set of instructions, however, you should use these instead and take note of the department-specific information that they contain.

Please read the overview of Erasmus/ISCED subject codes (PDF).

You will be given access to the “Online Language Support” (OLS) language learning platform, where you can take tests in all EU languages plus a few others and then complete language courses free of charge. Although the tests and courses are not compulsory, they will be very helpful as you prepare to go abroad. These instructions (PDF) ktell you how to create an account.

If you eschew planes and travel to your host country by train, bus, carsharing or bike instead, you will be able to obtain subsidies for any additional days’ travel at the standard daily rate in your destination country.

More information is available in the Erasmus+ information sheet on “green” travel.

We need your details on “green” travel and your chosen means of transport in order to draw up the Erasmus Grant Agreement even if you are not planning any “green” travel. Please therefore provide this information as soon as you receive the respective email but no later than one month before your stay starts.

If you state when you register online that you are qualified to receive additional funding for equal opportunity, a sworn statement will be made available for download in your Mobility-Online account. You will need to download this, sign it and upload it again before we can issue your Grant Agreement.

The Grant Agreement is the funding contract that you conclude with the International Office in order to receive your Erasmus grant. Among other things, it stipulates the maximum amount of this grant. As a contract under German law, it is the only Erasmus document that you will need to sign wet two original copies of and submit them in hardcopy form.

The Grant Agreement will be made available for you to download from your Mobility-Online account in July (if you are starting in the winter semester) or December (if you are starting in the summer semester). If you are planning “green” travel and/ or are eligible for additional funding, you will need to upload the relevant sworn statement(s) before your Grant Agreement can be issued.

When the International Office has received the Grant Agreement and Learning Agreement, you will have done all you need in order to receive the first of two Erasmus installments (70% of your total funding).

Payments will be made from mid July onward (if you are starting in the winter semester) or mid-December onward (if you are starting in the summer semester). However, it may take a few weeks for the money to reach your account.

If you fail to submit the documents requested by the stated deadlines without good reason, you will be barred from receiving any more funding and will be required to return all of the mobility grant you have already been paid.

The Erasmus regulations state that only students who have submitted all required documents can receive a grant.

Even though you will be studying abroad with Erasmus, you will still need to re-register at the University of Bonn as usual for this period by paying your semester fee.

Although you can take a leave of absence while studying abroad for one to two semesters as a basic principle, not every subject will allow or would recommend it. Before making a decision, please consult your Erasmus Departmental Coordinator regarding the specific rules in your department. Please note that you will not be able to take any examinations at the University of Bonn during a leave of absence. This does not affect any credits you will obtain for study achievements abroad, which will usually be recognized for your study program in Bonn in the semester following your stay abroad.

Submit your application for a leave of absence to the Student Registry by the re-registration deadline. You will then only need to pay a much lower semester fee, and the time you spend abroad will not count toward your total number of program-related semesters.

In justified exceptional cases (if your reason for taking a leave of absence only came about after the re-registration deadline), you can have until November 15 (winter semester) or May 15 (summer semester) to submit your application for a leave of absence.

If you are not considering a leave of absence, you can be reimbursed for the cost of your student transit pass (pro rata) provided that you will be abroad for at least three months. You can get information on this from the General Students’ Committee (only available in German; application deadline for the winter semester: November 10; for the summer semester: May 10).

Health insurance

Before you leave, ask your health insurer whether and to what extent your health insurance will also cover you abroad. Students and doctoral cindidates with statutory health insurance can obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from their health insurer for stays in other EU member states and countries with which Germany has signed a social insurance treaty ((only available in German). This card will usually ensure the same level of insurance cover in your European host country as is provided to students from that country, This may differ from what you are used to in Germany, though.

If you hold private health insurance, you should obtain a health insurance certificate in the language of your host country, or at the very least in English (potentially in addition to an insurance card).

The cover provided by the EHIC or private insurance will often be insufficient, however, especially if repatriation or particular medical interventions become necessary. You should take out supplementary private health insurance, particularly to cover repatriation (if you are embarking on a short-term stay of 5 to 30 days, you may want to consider an equivalent travel health insurance policy). You should also clarify your cover if you are traveling to areas subject to a travel warning or experiencing a pandemic.

It is therefore a good idea to ask your German health insurance provider about the benefits offered by their partners in your host country and to take out additional health insurance for your time abroad if you are in any doubt.

Turkey has special rules on health insurance, so please read this information on insurance in Turkey for Erasmus students.

Some insurance rules in the United Kingdom have changed following Brexit

Holders of statutory health insurance should continue to enjoy the same minimum level of health insurance cover as British nationals provided they are staying no longer than six months. Nevertheless, you must still ask your health insurer whether this might lead to gaps in your cover.

You will need to apply for a student visa if you will be studying for more than six months in the country. You can find more information on this in the “Visas and residence permits” section on this page. When applying for a visa, you undertake to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge in order to access public healthcare under the NHS. You can get the fee reimbursed on presentation of your EHIC, although the process can take up to a year. Please ask your German health insurance provider for more details.

More information on statutory health insurance for students is available from the Germany’s liaison office for health insurance abroad (only available in German)

Health insurance if you work or do a paid traineeship

From the moment you start a job (even just a very small one) alongside your studies or receive a wage as part of a traineeship, you will be subject to the social insurance law of your host country. This means that you will need to take out health insurance in your new country.

Please ask your host university or host company for information. Contact your (statutory) health insurance provider in Germany and tell the social security providers responsible for you in your country of residence that you have entered (self-)employment.

Other types of insurance (liability and accident)

Please note that, for the duration of your stay abroad, you will not be covered via the University of Bonn for accidents that occur when traveling to your host university from your accommodation and back or on the premises of your host university. Please therefore ask your host university whether you have accident insurance cover there. If you do not have accident insurance via your host university, you should ensure sufficient insurance cover by taking out a personal policy.

As a general principle, we recommend the following cover in addition to health insurance:

• Liability insurance with cover abroad
• Accident insurance with cover abroad

As an Erasmus student or doctoral candidate, you will be able to take out a combined health, accident and personal liability insurance policy via the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

It may be advisable to take out additional insurance policies for your host country. In France, for instance, landlords usually require proof of home contents insurance. The DAAD’s country information pages (only available in German) will tell you more about your host country.

Many Erasmus host universities—although not all—will find their Erasmus students a room in a dormitory.

Use your host university’s website to find out the application deadline for a dormitory place in good time so you don’t miss it! If your search draws a blank, please contact your Erasmus Departmental Coordinator or your host university directly in order to learn about the necessary registration forms and deadlines, making sure you leave yourself enough time. If your host university is unable to find you a room, you should start looking for accommodation as soon as possible.

Two good places to find tips on this are the personal reports by former Erasmus students on our search portal for exchange programs portal and the website of your host university. You should also take the opportunity to meet with current Erasmus students from your host country or former Erasmus students from Bonn and ask them for some handy hints. For instance, you could attend one of the many events organized by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) during the semester. ESN is made up of (often former Erasmus) students who arrange events and excursions for international students on a voluntary basis. Almost every university in Europe has an ESN or other local Erasmus initiatives, and the local ESN groups at your host university may be able to give you ideas for finding somewhere to live. Of course, social media is another good place to look when searching for accommodation. However, please make sure that you never transfer any money without having seen your apartment or signed a contract.

To make it easier for you to find your feet when studying abroad, you should devote regular attention to your future language of instruction—and the language spoken in your destination country, if it is different—during the semester prior to your departure, if not before.

There are various ways to learn foreign languages at the University of Bonn. You can find a list of options within and outside the University in the “Linguistic preparation and language certificates” section of the Organization and Planning website.

For their part, many partner universities will offer preparatory courses to improve your knowledge of the local language, although you may need to pay. You should ask your host university what the situation is.

Unfortunately, there is no additional financial support to subsidize participation in preparatory language courses. You may be able to receive the standard monthly amount of Erasmus funding (up to the maximum funding period) for the duration of an intensive language course (up to four weeks, at least 15 hours of teaching per week) held in your destination country immediately before you actually start studying. However, this does not apply to short-term stays and blended mobilites.

For more information, see the information sheet for Erasmus students that applies to your academic year, which can be found at the top of the section entitled “What do I need to do in order to get my Erasmus grant?” above.

You should also consider your own safety and security when planning a stay abroad, something that was important even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abonnieren Sie sich daher unbedingt die travel information provided by the Federal Foreign Office (only available in German) for your destination country or install the travel app “Sicher Reisen” (“Safe Travels”) on your smartphone.

Please also add yourself to the Elefand” list of German nationals currently resident abroad (only available in German). Don’t forget to deregister once you get back home!

Other useful tips

• List of German Missions abroad
• Information medical care for travelers (only available in German)

Although you will have freedom of movement within the EU and EFTA as a basic principle, you must make sure that your personal ID is valid for at least the length of your planned stay abroad.

Turkey

Students and doctoral candidates who are German nationals can enter Turkey without a visa and obtain a residence permit locally within the first few weeks of their stay. If you have any specific queries about visas or residence permits, you can contact VfT GmbH in Essen, the sole official service provider commissioned by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and accredited to accept visa applications.

VfT GmbH (Authorized visa application center for Turkey)
Am Zehnthof 7, 45139 Essen (Germany)
Phone: +49 221 67057870 (Vft Europe Call Center)
Email: essen@visaft.com
www.visaft.com

If you are a national of a non-EU/-EFTA member state, please note the following:

The procedure for obtaining a residence permit for study purposes or traineeships at a university (i.e. involving enrollment at that university) in Europe (excluding Denmark, Ireland and the UK) changed in 2018.

Students from non-EU countries with a residence permit for Germany are now granted a residence permit for studying in another European country under the EU’s so-called REST Directive. Please ask the international office at your host university for more details. If you are certain that you do not hold resident status under the REST Directive, make sure that you apply for a visa in good time.

Please note that, depending on your residence permit, you might also be required to notify the Immigration Office of your upcoming Erasmus placement prior to your departure. Otherwise, your German residence permit will lapse if you are away for a lengthy period (more than six months). If you need confirmation of your place on the Erasmus Programme to submit to the Immigration Office before it is available to download from your Mobility-Online account, the International Office will be happy to issue it to you earlier.

UK (post-Brexit)

Although you will not need a visa if you are only staying up to six months in the UK, you will not be permitted to engage in any gainful employment while studying abroad. You will need a valid passport in order to enter the country. You must also ask your host university about any other requirements that might apply.

If you will be spending more than six months studying, you will need to apply for a student visa:

Applications can be submitted up to six months before you begin studying abroad and generally take three weeks to process. You will not be able to enter the country until a month before you start studying.

Der visa application can be completed online and costs £490.

You will also need to pay the “Immigration Health Surcharge,” which you may be able to get reimbursed later on. See the section on insurance cover and health insurance on this page for more details.

You will have to provide evidence of your English language skills in order to obtain a visa. Your host university decides what form this evidence should take, so make sure to ask them about it before signing up for a language test that charges a fee.

If you hold German nationality, you will not need to submit any proof of your financial background.

Wenn Sie eine deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit besitzen, müssen Sie keine Belege über Ihren financial background einreichen. The GOV.UK website has a list of other countries that are also exempt from this requirement.

Besides the many organizational hoops you will need to jump through when getting ready, you should also devote sufficient time to learning about your host country.

Die DAAD’s country information page (only available in German) are a good place to start. You should also go on your host university’s website. Many universities provide welcome guides for their visiting students. These brochures are often available online, too, and contain handy hints about living and studying at the host university.

You should also draw on the experiences that other University of Bonn students have had who have already spent a semester or year at your host university. Our search portal for exchange programs contains the personal reports written in the last few years about every partner university. Students have put together some useful tips for getting started at the partner university and in the town or city where it is located. The Erasmus Student Network Bonn can share more tips from former Erasmus students and put you in touch with current visiting Erasmus students, some of whom might even be from your host country, of course. The Europe-wide Erasmus+ App is another way in which you can network with other Erasmus participants. More features are gradually being added to the app, so do not be surprised if you cannot access all the options.

The “Intercultural preparation and follow-up” section on the Organization and Planning page of the University of Bonn website lists other services available within and outside the University.