# Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia: a guide for international students

Germany's westernmost city, pressed against the Dutch and Belgian borders at the three-country point - day trips to Maastricht and Liège are ordinary weekend fare, and the bundled semester ticket even covers buses and trains into Dutch Zuid-Limburg. Aachen is compact and unusually student-dense (RWTH plus FH Aachen), with rents roughly half of Munich's, and it holds a genuine bureaucratic advantage: a branch of the immigration office sits inside RWTH's SuperC building on campus, serving only students and researchers.

HTML page: https://studygermany.dev/cities/aachen/

## Universities here

- RWTH Aachen: https://studygermany.dev/universities/rwth-aachen.md

## Your first 30 days (bureaucracy sequencer)

Verified dependency order · full step-by-step walkthrough planned. Aachen holds a genuine advantage here: a branch of the immigration office sits inside RWTH's SuperC building on campus, serving only students and researchers. The order still matters, because each step gates the next:

1. Anmeldung at the BürgerService (Bahnhofplatz or Katschhof): register within 14 days of move-in - book the slot online early, it unlocks everything else
2. Opening or unfreezing a bank account - possible once you have the Meldebescheinigung
3. Health insurance enrolment: needed for both enrolment and the residence permit
4. RWTH enrolment: electronic insurance notification (M10), semester-contribution payment, certified hard copies; enter a German address in RWTHonline by ~March so the BlueCard student ID can be posted
5. Residence permit (non-EU) at the RWTH branch in the SuperC - Anmeldung must be done first
6. Semester ticket activation in the naveo app (register with your RWTH email)
7. RWTHonline and RWTHmoodle setup

## Bureaucracy offices

### BürgerService / Bürger*innenbüro Aachen (Anmeldung)

- Purpose: Address registration (Anmeldung) - the step that unlocks everything else
- Address: Central offices at Bahnhofplatz and Katschhof, plus district offices
- Service page: https://serviceportal.aachen.de
- Appointment booking: https://serviceportal.aachen.de
- Documents: Registration form (Meldeschein An-/Ummeldung); Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord's confirmation of move-in); Passport / ID
- Timing: Register within 14 days of moving in. Book the appointment online via the Serviceportal - the slot must be after your move-in date, but book within the 14 days even if the actual slot is later (waits can be long).
- Note: First move from abroad: select 'Zuzug aus dem Ausland'. Aachen's fully-online eWA registration exists but needs a German eID plus BundID, so first-time arrivals from abroad must attend in person. Output: the Meldebescheinigung - required for the residence permit and to open or unfreeze a bank account.

### Ausländerbehörde - RWTH branch in the SuperC (residence permit)

- Purpose: Residence permit for studies (§16b AufenthG) - a dedicated on-campus branch serving only RWTH students, researchers and their families
- Address: SuperC building, RWTH campus (city centre); main office at Hackländerstraße 1 (near Hauptbahnhof)
- Service page: https://www.staedteregion-aachen.de
- Appointment booking: https://www.staedteregion-aachen.de
- Walk-in: Appointment-based; hours Mon-Thu 08:00-12:15, Wed also 14:00-16:45, Fri 08:00-12:00
- Documents: Studienbescheinigung (enrolment certificate, from RWTHonline); Biometric photo (taken on the day in the SuperC); Notenspiegel (transcript, from RWTHonline); Proof of health insurance; Proof of funds: at least €992/month (€11,904/year) via blocked account (Sperrkonto), scholarship, or a §68 parental guarantee
- Timing: Anmeldung must be done FIRST. The decision letter can take up to 6 weeks; you then book a separate 'Abholung' (collection) appointment. A Fiktionsbescheinigung covers you if your permit lapses while waiting. Apply for extensions about 3 months before expiry.
- Note: Aachen's standout bureaucratic advantage: because this branch serves only the RWTH community, you get direct face-to-face service without competing with the general public - a real contrast to the appointment queues of larger cities like Munich. Book under the category 'Aufenthaltsangelegenheiten / RWTH - Außenstelle SuperC / RWTH-Studenten'. One nuance: if you lived in another German city before Aachen, your first Aachen permit goes through the main office at Hackländerstraße 1, not the SuperC. Post-study: an 18-month job-seeker permit exists, and the EU Blue Card for qualified graduates above the income threshold.

## Health insurance (mandatory before enrolment)

Public statutory insurance is mandatory; private insurance is not an option for standard
international students. Monthly contributions are set nationally and vary slightly by each
insurer's Zusatzbeitrag; check the current rate on the insurer's site.

- TK (Techniker Krankenkasse) (https://www.tk.de): English support yes; online enrolment yes. Most popular choice among international students; strong English service, app and fast online enrolment.
- AOK Rheinland/Hamburg (https://www.aok.de): English support partial; online enrolment yes. In Aachen the relevant regional AOK is AOK Rheinland/Hamburg specifically (not AOK Nordwest); local offices in the city.
- Barmer (https://www.barmer.de): English support partial; online enrolment yes. Big national insurer with student-focused content.
- DAK-Gesundheit (https://www.dak.de): English support partial; online enrolment yes. Comparable student offer and a strong app.

## Banking

- N26 (https://n26.com): Fully app-based bank with an English UI. Free: Free tier. Can be opened before you have a German address, in English throughout. Confirm current free-tier terms before applying, as conditions change.
- DKB (https://www.dkb.de): Free online current account (Girokonto) widely used by students. Free: Yes. Interface is primarily German; opening generally needs a registered German address plus ID verification.
- ING (https://www.ing.de): Free online current account with no account fee. Free: Yes. German-language service; widely accepted; needs a German address to open.
- Commerzbank (https://www.commerzbank.de): Traditional bank with a free account option including a student variant. Free: Free variant. Physical branches in Aachen, useful if a landlord or office wants a traditional bank. Check the current student-account conditions.
- Sparkasse Aachen (https://www.sparkasse-aachen.de): Aachen's local Sparkasse; some landlords and offices prefer a local account. Free: Varies. Branches across the city; German-language service. Sparkassen usually charge account fees, so confirm the current giro conditions. RWTH's own tip: an account can be opened or unblocked once you have your Meldebescheinigung - if funds are frozen at first, a relative or friend can cover the first payment.

Bank terms change; verify on the official bank website before opening an account.

## Housing

- Studierendenwerk Aachen (dorms) (https://bewerberportal.stw.rwth-aachen.de): Official student halls - the cheapest option; all-inclusive rents. Free: Application free; rooms €250-500/mo all-inclusive (most under €300). Allocation is strictly chronological (first-come) and you can apply BEFORE enrolment - apply the day you are admitted. Only ~10% of Aachen students get a dorm place. Enrolment certificate or admission notification is needed at lease signing; deposit due at least 10 days before the lease starts; deposit refunds take 12-14 weeks after move-out. RWTH itself owns no dorms.
- WG-Gesucht (https://www.wg-gesucht.de): Shared-flat (WG) listings - how most Aachen students live. Free: Free to browse. Budget €350-450/month for a WG room (usually unfurnished) - roughly half Munich. WG casting applies: a strong, authentic first message matters. Have ready: Selbstauskunft, three months of income proof, SCHUFA, liability insurance. Deposits run 2-3x rent; termination notice is usually 3 months.
- ImmoScout24 (https://www.immobilienscout24.de): Germany's largest property portal - single apartments and WGs. Free: Free tier. Single apartments in Aachen run about €550-700/month plus utilities (€100-200), Rundfunkbeitrag (€18.36) and internet (€20-30). Cheaper districts to search: Brand, Haaren, Laurensberg.
- Poha House (https://www.pohahouse.com): Private all-inclusive student housing in Aachen. Free: No - premium all-inclusive rents. Private provider option when Studierendenwerk waitlists are long; compare the all-inclusive price against a WG plus utilities before committing.
- AStA housing board (https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de): Student-union housing listings and housing advice. Free: Yes. Also check physical bulletin boards in the Mensas and Audimax. Scam shield (RWTH's own warning): scammers target internationals on Facebook, WG-Gesucht and Kleinanzeigen - never transfer money or send sensitive documents without proof a listing is legitimate.

## Transport

- Deutschlandsemesterticket (bundled) (https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de/en/semester-contribution/): Nationwide semester ticket included in the RWTH semester contribution. Free: Included in the semester contribution (priced at 60% of the Deutschlandticket, solidarity model). Aachen is a border city - check current coverage for cross-border routes before relying on them. Confirmed: the ticket is valid on German regional transport nationwide PLUS Zuid-Limburg in the Netherlands (Maastricht, Parkstad, Sittard-Geleen via Arriva rail and buses - show the naveo QR code together with your BlueCard or enrolment certificate). Belgium is different: only specific AVV cross-border lines (e.g. line 24 to Kelmis) are covered, so trips to Liège may require a separate ticket. Delivered digitally in the naveo app (optional AVV chip card, switchable once per semester); not valid before the semester starts (1 Oct / 1 Apr); bikes need a supplement and are allowed on ASEAG buses only from 7 p.m.
- ASEAG (https://www.aseag.de): Aachen's bus operator; issues the semester ticket (semesterticket@aseag.de). Free: App free. Runs the city bus network, including the cross-border lines to Vaals (25/33/350), Kerkrade (34) and Kelmis, Belgium (24).
- AVV (Aachener Verkehrsverbund) (https://www.avv.de): Regional network authority; journey planning across the Aachen region. Free: App free. Covers regional trains and buses in the StädteRegion, including the SB3 to Sittard (NL).
- DB Navigator (https://www.bahn.de): National trains and journey planning. Free: App free; tickets paid. Essential for any travel beyond the region; Cologne is an easy, largely ticket-covered day trip.

## Essential apps

- naveo (https://www.aseag.de, iOS / Android): Your Deutschlandsemesterticket lives here as a QR code. Not optional: the semester ticket is delivered digitally via naveo. Register with your RWTH email in firstname.surname@rwth-aachen.de format. You can switch to an AVV chip card once per semester by form.
- AVV app (https://www.avv.de, iOS / Android): Regional journey planning across the Aachen network incl. cross-border lines. Plans the Dutch and Belgian cross-border connections the semester ticket partially covers.
- DB Navigator (https://www.bahn.de, iOS / Android): National train tickets and journey planning. For everything beyond regional transport - the semester ticket is not valid on ICE/IC.
- Stadt Aachen Serviceportal (https://serviceportal.aachen.de, Web): Book Anmeldung and other city appointments online. Book your Anmeldung slot within 14 days of moving in, even if the actual appointment lands later.

## Student life

- RWTH Hochschulsport (HSZ) (https://hochschulsport.rwth-aachen.de): Large subsidised university sports programme (Sportkarte-based). Free: Subsidised; Sportkarte required. One of the cheapest ways to meet people; register early each semester as popular courses fill fast.
- Studierendenwerk Aachen (Mensa) (https://www.studierendenwerk-aachen.de): Subsidised student canteens across campus. Free: Subsidised student prices. Menus published online; also runs housing and BAföG services.
- AStA RWTH Aachen (https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de): Student union: housing advice, semester-ticket support, counselling, events. Free: Yes. First stop for semester-ticket refunds (study abroad, hardship, duplicate ticket - apply by 31 March for winter / 30 September for summer) and housing problems. Each faculty also has its own Fachschaft.
- ESN Aachen (Erasmus Student Network) (https://www.esn-germany.de): International-student events, trips and buddy activities. Free: Yes (small event fees). Find the Aachen section via the national ESN Germany site. The tripoint location makes for easy group day trips to Maastricht and Liège.

## Office navigation guide

Verified notes · full first-hand guide planned. Aachen's immigration setup is friendlier than most German cities: the SuperC branch serves only the RWTH community, so you are not competing with the general public for appointments the way you would at a big-city Ausländerbehörde. What we can already tell you: book under the category 'Aufenthaltsangelegenheiten / RWTH - Außenstelle SuperC / RWTH-Studenten'; your biometric photo is taken on the day; bring proof of funds of at least €992/month; and if you lived in another German city before Aachen, your first Aachen permit goes through the main office at Hackländerstraße 1 instead.

City resource data last verified July 2026. Office details, fees, and service URLs change;
check official sources before visiting.

## Provenance

Last checked: 2026-07-10

- AStA RWTH Aachen - semester contribution and ticket: https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de/en/semester-contribution/
- Studierendenwerk Aachen - housing, Mensa, BAföG: https://www.studierendenwerk-aachen.de
- StädteRegion Aachen - immigration office (incl. RWTH SuperC branch): https://www.staedteregion-aachen.de
- Stadt Aachen - Serviceportal (Anmeldung appointments): https://serviceportal.aachen.de
- RWTH Aachen - accommodation and living costs guidance: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/zielgruppenportale/~uzn/internationale/?lidx=1