Step Five: Moving to Cologne

When I returned the following morning to apply for my Residence Permit, the office was open only from 8 until 12 pm. I made my way upstairs and found a hallway with no front desk but several people sitting alongside the narrow corridor. I began to ask around what I was supposed to do as there was no box to take a number. The best I could gather was that I was supposed to knock twice on the door marked with the first letter of my last name, enter, give my passport to the lady inside and then sit quietly and listen for my name to be called. I waited for nearly two hours and watched them close the office doors while promising to finish with the rest of the applicants inside. Finally, my name was called! I presented the lady with all of my documents and she paused a moment, looked at me apologetically and gently informed me,

“You live in Sülz. This is the department for the downtown area.”
“I didn’t realize that. I was sent here by the registration office downstairs. Can I still make it to the Sülz office?”
“Unfortunately they closed a half hour ago. However, they are open Monday morning at 8 am.”
“That’s in three days.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

So I had spent the night in Cologne for nothing, but I knew I couldn’t give up because I was fast approaching the end of my 90 days of travel in the EU. I took the train back into Cologne bright and early on the following Monday and went to the office in Lindenthal (which serves both the Sülz and Lindenthal districts). On the 4th floor I snagged a number and waited about 45 minutes before my turn finally arrived. You will need a lot of paperwork for this appointment so be sure to have everything in order! There is a copy machine available at 10 cents a copy but I suggest bringing your own copies beforehand if possible. The application itself is about 5 pages and fairly detailed concerning dates you’ve lived or visited the EU before, information on your family and any previous addresses you’ve had. These papers will all be filed and sent to the office in Berlin; you will receive a confirmation letter with a PIN for you to take back to the permit office at a later time where they will provide you with your permit papers and German ID card. This process takes about six weeks so you might have to get a temporary permit to stay in the country until your new one is processed. Unfortunately, I had only brought 100 € with me to the office as I expected the permit to cost around 40-60 €. Because of the temporary permit cost added on, my total was 120 € (temporary permit and a one year permit). There was no ATM in the office and they didn’t accept VISA cards; I had to come back the next morning again with the right amount of money to pay my bill because they had locked the doors for the day and I would have been locked out once I left.

The whole process is very specific, somewhat complicated and operates within a very limited time frame so be prepared, be flexible and bring copies of everything. That is the best advice that I can offer.

The following documents are needed to apply for a Residence Permit in Cologne:

-a valid passport (with your visa, if applicable)

-1 biometric passport photo (35x45 mm)

-application form (you can fill this out at the office)

-certificate of registration with the City of Cologne

-certificate of enrollment of Cologne University of Applied Sciences

-proof of health insurance

-proof of financial resources

Visit the city of Cologne’s website for more details and updates for your specific needs and requirements: http://www.stadt-koeln.de/en/1/administration/00085/
 
There is also a new “one-stop service for foreign students who would like to clarify issues with their residence permit as well as the formalities of registration.” The appointment hotlines are:
+49 (0)221 / 221-93339 for students from Germany or an EU state
+49 (0)221 / 221-93450 for students from a non-EU state

Step Four: Moving to Cologne

The next two pieces of information that I will give you are by far the most crucial factors according the city of Cologne. As an American student and according to laws as they stand in 2012, you must register with the city upon arrival (as soon as you have a physical address) and apply for a Residence Permit. Because the US and Germany have a fairly open border agreement, you can enter the country with only a passport and apply for your living permit from within their borders. You will not need a visa to live here or to enter, but if you plan on staying past your 90 day travel limit, then you will need a Residence Permit. Depending on the length of your program this information may or may not apply to you.

The next step is registering with the city; for this step it does not matter in which district you are living as you can register at any of the offices around the city. However, you must apply for your Residence Permit within your own district so I would recommend doing both at the same time in your own district to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I did not know this when I started the process so I hit several speed bumps along the way.


I made my way on that first day in Cologne to the Kundenzentrum-Innenstadt (Inner City Customer Center); because of its proximity to the Dom and the Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station). I thought I could pop in, get my papers and head back to Siegen without paying extra for a hotel as I wouldn’t be able to move in until the week after. I entered the building and found myself in a large room with no English signage and no one to greet me at the door. I have found that, in Germany at least, administration runs on self-initiative; this has been a valuable life lesson along the way, though a difficult one in terms of cultural assimilation. Thus, I presented myself to an official looking gentleman at a desk and kindly asked, “sprechen Sie Englisch?” His limited vocabulary soon had me standing alone in a waiting room full of people; I took a number and proceeded to wait for 90 minutes before my number popped onto the screen overhead. The process of registering was simple, quick and easy! Well, if the advisor spoke better English, it would have been. She asked questions by gesticulating and showing me examples through her broken English and slow, articulated German. After 15 minutes she had made copies and entered the necessary information. When you go to register, you will need:


-registration form (they fill this out with you)
-a valid passport
-the name and address of the landlord (the rental agreement/subtenancy agreement)

Afterward, I asked her where the office was to apply for my Residence Permit. She walked me to the door because she couldn’t explain in directions due to the language barrier; we both then discovered that the office had closed while I was sitting with her and would not take me even though I had been in their building for near two hours. She apologized and wrote down the opening hours for me to come in the morning.

Step Three: Moving to Cologne

Fachhochschule Köln
Cologne University of Applied Sciences

Though you may be unclear on the different terms associated with your exchange, as I was at first, there is a major difference between acceptance and enrollment at a university. The city of Cologne demanded my matriculation paper which is a specific document from my host university that details my enrollment at their institution. In order to obtain this piece, I needed to seek out the international office which is a short walk through a park filled with large, aging trees that stretch upward toward the sky and outward to greet the small children running through their shaded gaze. The building itself is majestic in its age and stature with three sets of iron clad doors that both beckon and prohibit entry; her back faces the long and wide stretch of the river Rhine that wanders with a wink toward the cluster of students filing in and out of the doors. I made my way into the quiet gut of this stone-cold building and sought the directory which was helpful for all who spoke the native tongue of Deutschland. For me, however, it became a riddle of numbers, letters and hallways. After a bit of confused wandering, which had not gone unnoticed by an older gentleman behind a desk on the opposite side of the lobby who offered a corner of a smile to me, I made my way down a sunken hallway and sought out the esteemed coordinator from whom I had received so many cordial communications.

The architecture of Cologne has
 a character of its own

The process itself, after having finally found the lady who was much more vibrant than I had imagined, was fairly straightforward and proved to offer few speed bumps. I had arrived more than a month earlier than expected and was greeted with surprise but not with refusal. It seemed to be that I was on my own until September when the student benefits would start to kick in, though I had mentally prepared myself for such a case. My passport and insurance exemption form were requested with a smile and a well-prepared, well-accented English tongue. Just a few moments, simple questions and colorful, welcoming brochures later, I was on my way to picnic under the convivial trees with a sandwich and many forms through which to rifle. With another step completed, I paused to breathe in the delicious Cologne air before running off to find the registration office and the infamous “Laurenplatz” with just a notebook of address and a good head for maps.

The International Office of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences is located at Claudiusstrasse 1, room 56. They are open from 9 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. Be sure to ask about the ‘Karibu’ program for incoming international students. 

Step Two: Moving to Cologne

The second component in the moving to Cologne on exchange was that of insurance papers. I was required to take the insurance policy offered by the international office at my home university, so I applied for those papers in March of 2012. Because I was planning to be abroad for 15 months in total, my coordinator somehow ran across some speed bumps in the paperwork process. Despite my requests, continuous reminders and pleas for coverage, my insurance policy arrived not only more than 3 months after I requested it but after I had been abroad for one month already. Going abroad without insurance coverage is extremely risky and I would not advise it. Paranoia can grip you, trust me. Though it’s always important to be careful when traveling, the risk of being uncovered is not worth it and I advise you to take matters into your own, capable hands when it comes to this. Every coordinator has a supervisor. Don’t let one person’s apathy or refusals discourage you from pursuing your new adventure and dreams (in more cases than just this one).

Being in Cologne on business
yields interesting discoveries

Once you receive your policy from your home institution or if you have coverage from a parent’s policy that reaches the borders of your new home, you will need to file with the city of Cologne (or wherever you’re going in Germany) to receive an exemption form. This form is required to enroll in your host university. I tried to organize the last four components to be on one day trip to Cologne, in order of their required papers. I made my way to the office with the first train from Siegen at 5 am and arrived as soon as their doors opened 8 am. Be sure to check the address, opening hours, required documents and directions to the office you seek. Having all of this information with you will make your journey so much easier.

I emailed the office ahead of time to make sure that there would be someone who spoke English, to verify the hours and address, and to make sure that they could fulfill my needs accordingly. Check. The process itself was not so complicated. The secretary was very helpful and sought someone who understood my language better than he; the new girl input all of my information from my lease agreement as proof of address, my passport as proof of identity, and my policy papers as proof of insurance. They then printed two documents for me: one for my host university in order to enroll and the other for the city of Cologne in order to apply for my residence permit. Graciously, they offered me a free planner to help with my studies and reviewed all the information that I would need to know.

A stroll through Cologne from office to office

You can use a few different offices around the city to complete this task, but the one I used was the AOK Rheinland on Zulpicher Strasse 58. They are open from 8 am to 4 pm and you can visit their website at www.aok.de/rh

Next stop, running to my new university to enroll! I was wearing a nice, business casual outfit with a backpack full of papers, snacks and a train ticket. Don’t mess with this girl, she’s got an agenda. 

Step One: Moving to Cologne

Moving to a new city can be daunting, but I’ve done it several times now in three different countries, so I want to share the process for the future ease of those to follow me. I am the first student from the University of Northern Colorado to embark on an exchange to the Cologne University of Applied Sciences so I take my ambassadorship very seriously. I will document it, so take notes before you jump on the plane to follow me. My mistakes shall become your successes and my successes shall become your triumphs.

The riverbank of the Rhine river in
Cologne, Germany as I awaited my bus to the airport.

There are five major components (lease, insurance, enrollment, registration, and residence permit) that I have discovered must be solved in moving to Germany. I will cover each of these separately.


The first of these is finding somewhere to live because proof of housing is a requirement for each of the next steps. As an exchange student, it is very valuable to check with your university, fellow students and blogs for advice as to what types of housing are both available to you and would best fit your needs. In France, I lived with a host family and it was the perfect link for me to learn French as well as study the daily home life and culture of true French citizens. For others, living in a host home may equal loss of freedom or too similar an image of that which awaits them in their home country. Since I have already experienced a homestay, I decided to seek other options as I embarked on my newest adventure. I used a site called www.housinganywhere.com which is a network for both interns and exchange students to sublease housing. I first had to contact my host university in Cologne for the password to this site, and then I flipped through the ads based on their geographical location, price and duration of availability. After having sent several brief messages of introduction and inquiry, I received only one in return after replying to each offer twice. I offered to immediately come to Cologne to look at the place and discuss a contract. Housing is hard to find in a big city and, when it becomes available, it is generally very quickly snatched up. Being flexible and making consistent communication with your landlord or lease-holder is pertinent to obtaining a contract.

I was setting off for Cyprus via Cologne with Björn, my German boyfriend, on the afternoon of a Wednesday in July, so we took an earlier train to Cologne and met David, a German student who would be spending a year abroad on internship.  The apartment was beautiful, spacious and very cheap for only 280 euro a month, including water, electricity and internet. Most leases do not include the utilities, so make sure to check before signing anything. Rent in Cologne can be anywhere from 250-400 euro per month for a place close to the university so be sure to also know what you can afford and make a list of your expectations as you search for a place. I had asked David to prepare a contract before my arrival and we discussed all aspects of the exchange in English. The contract, however, was in German so I asked Björn to look over it before I signed.

With everything settled, I had a receipt of my down payment on the apartment (this can be anywhere between 400 and 900 euro depending on the length of the contract and request of the leaseholder), and a contract for 11 months; David and I each held copies of all pertinent documents. You will need copies of your lease or sublease contract to show during the next very important steps of your exchange, so hang on to it!

The famous Dom in Cologne, Germany.
Many people sit on her steps to wait for
trains at the HBF across the plaza.

After that was settled, I walked down the streets of my soon to be home with my first lease tucked safely in my bag and the firm hold of my handsome translator leading the way to a plane en route to paradise. Step one, nailed it. Move in date: August 21^st. The excitement was building in my gut; with each step I came closer to my new life. I knew that something big was in the air, just whispering at me to keep climbing the difficult steps to my future.  

For housing in Cologne, I searched with the following that may be helpful for you:
www.housinganywhere.com
http://germany.accommodationforstudents.com/Koln.asp
http://www.kstw.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315&Itemid=11&lang=en (This is the Student Housing site that operates for the universities in Cologne)

Changing Expectations

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
Siegen, Germany

Expected: Wandering around the city center, eating a quick dinner and buying a scarf at the market.

Experienced:   Björn took me wandering around the city center to buy a scarf and then led me to H&M to pick out some summer clothes for both of us. Following, he took me out for delicious, home-made ice cream, famous at a cafe on the main square, then dinner on the plaza (noodles and chicken) to people-watch and converse. Then we walked some more; I thought we were going home because we had taken the bus toward his apartment. I kept trying to head in the direction of home, showing that I had learned my way around, but Björn kept stopping me; at one point, he took my hand and said, "Bethany, just trust me. Let go. I'm going to show you something and it involves you not being in control. Let go and enjoy, okay?"

So I did. I let go. We went to the movie store and he let me pick out a movie for tonight because on Sundays everything is closed so we try to plan the day beforehand. Then we started walking. And walking. Higher and higher we climbed this steep hill. I inquired repetitively and constantly a multitude of questions like, "is it something touristy? Is it a castle? Dinner? Shopping? Friends?" On and on I continued but he just smiled and held my hand as we kept going up, up, up. Eventually this large, beautiful church rose up on the top of the hill where tons of people were gathered. The sun was setting at this point, and he walked me to the church and we stood next to a fountain. I looked onto the plaza to find hundreds of white balloons floating in the air and candles all along the sidewalks. Organ music was cheerfully emanating from the church. He turned to me with a blushing grin and announced, "Tonight in the 'Night of a Thousand Lights.' I wanted you to see it. It only happens once a year."

Night of a Thousand Lights; Siegen, Germany

I giddily grabbed a brochure from the bar and read that the whole city center would light little candles along the roads and in the store windows to celebrate this event. It was so beautiful and magical. A little while later, he bought us"currywurst mit pommes," which is my favorite German dish, and we shared it on the steps of the church. After wiping the German delight from our fingers, we tiptoed into the church to catch a concert; the band was actually fairly good and performed pieces from a variety of eras. Soon after the concert, we meandered down the path that the city had set up as a lit walkway. Pure magic. There was music drifting from every street and people wandering around, all with smiles on.The biggest smile of all, however, was painted on my own visage.

The Newest Adventure: Deutschland

May 21, 2012

Siegen, Germany

Once again, here I find myself in the enchanting land of Europe. I believe that some people would term this repetition as addiction, but I prefer to call it passion. Just over one month ago, I received a final word from the international office in Berlin that I had not made the final cut for the DAAD Study and Internship Program; I was devastated. My world whirled for only a few minutes as I struggled to find my list of plans B through E; I had prepared for this moment just in case but the rejection hit me hard nonetheless. Within an hour, I had filled out an application to Sejong University in Jochiwon, South Korea, created a list of programming ideas to keep me excited for being a Resident Assistant at my own University in case I needed to stay, filled out a budget for a French school in case I could gain acceptance for the fall and had called my mother. I marched into the Center for International Exchange at my home university the very next morning and presented my circumstances to the coordinator. She looked at me confusedly and inquired, “I thought you wanted to go to Germany?” 

Well, that IS what I thought. I wanted to go to Germany because of so many reasons really: I wanted to expand my language repertoire, I wanted to study at one of their top international business schools, I wanted to be back in Europe and I wanted to be near my boyfriend, Björn. We had decided in February of 2012 when he came to sweep me back off my feet that we couldn’t possibly continue living without the other in our lives. Strangely, I had applied to the SIP in Germany before he even came back because I was so taken with the idea of this competitive program and prestigious university in Cologne. Now, here I sat in the international office with love back in my life but no ticket to Germany.

My coordinator pondered for several very long minutes between my anxious eyes and my application and then quickly turned to her computer, murmuring something under her breath. Typing quickly and dragging a file with my name into the attachment box of an email, she smiled, “What if we sent you to Cologne anyway?” Here’s the part where my heart stopped. No, there were no romantic beat-skippings taking place; my heart just took a brief vacation from pumping my blood in order to wander around the room for a minute. “Seriously? Was that ever an option? It’s not on any of the catalogues or website and I talked to everyone in the office and…” She stopped me short. “I know, Bethany. Let’s make an exception.”

I walked out of the study abroad office that day with all of my other applications and plan Bs still in my hand and a soaring heart (it had graciously decided to return to my chest). The University of Northern Colorado had decided to send me to my university of choice as an ambassador and hoped to create a solid exchange program with them following the success of my exchange. There was the possibility of scholarships, I had already filled out my course lists and glanced over living accommodations and area transportation because I had applied to their school through the SIP earlier that month. It was all in place. My family was a bit shocked that everything was happening so quickly and, admittedly, so was I. Björn’s jaw dropped when I told him the news that I would be living in Germany, at a school only 90 minutes from him, for 15 months. We planned to start our time together in June and I would stay with him and his hilarious roommate, Miki, over the summer.

On the 14^th of May, 2012, less than a month later, I was on a morning plane to Deutschland to surprise my adoring boyfriend for his 23^rd birthday. I had coordinated with several of his friends and the surprise went down with few hitches; he was shocked for several hours, kept kissing me and wouldn’t dare let me go. That night, he whispered to me while his arms were lovingly wrapped around me, “Baby, I can’t believe you’re here. Please still be here when I wake up.” 

Now the 21^st of May, I’m still here, completely relaxed, absolutely blessed by the Lord, totally in love and I couldn’t be happier with the way life has changed. I have an extensive list of wonderful things, ancient places and lovely people to visit this summer. Björn will finish his semester in July and then we’ll take a vacation to someplace exotic, romantic and new (maybe Croatia) with my best friend Gena, her Czech boyfriend David and perhaps Miki and his girlfriend as well. I will move to Cologne in August or September and then begin my studies until the end of July 2013. 

This is me. This is my life: always on an adventure.