Packing for Germany
Use the packing list to prepare your suitcase. Food, sweets and many familiar products are available in German supermarkets and speciality shops.
Checklist: weeks 1 & 2 Checklist: weeks 3 to 8
Checklist: weeks 1 & 2
- Register at the local town hall and keep the registration confirmation.
- Ask your host family to add your name to the letterbox so you can receive mail.
- Arrange a German SIM card for your phone.
- Open a bank account and have your registration confirmation ready.
- Discuss house rules with your host family and agree on a weekly work plan.
- Learn how local public transport works and how to buy tickets.
- Learn the important routes: school and kindergarten, friends and relatives, supermarkets and drugstores.
Checklist: weeks 3 to 8
- If applicable, contact the local immigration office in good time about the next steps for your visa or residence permit.
- Give your German bank your tax identification number when it arrives by post.
- Book a German course and obtain the books you need.
- Have a short feedback conversation with your host family: what is going well and what could you improve?