Part 4: Everything you need to know after arriving in Munich

By Aravindha Thiagarajan on October 8, 2020

You have touch downed in Munich. You think, “No what?”. If so, this blog will provide you with all the necessary information for the initial days and will give you a head start to your life here in Germany. I will be careful not to be a spoilsport as some are best suited for you to explore and experience personally.

1. Semester ticket

On top of your basic student ticket which you will be getting, a semester ticket called ISAR ticket would be a good investment if you plan on travelling frequently and/or live in the outskirts of Munich. By paying around 195 EUR, you will be able to travel throughout the Munich transportation network throughout the various zones in all the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams, buses, express buses and so on. If you don’t think you will be travelling a lot, the basic student ticket (a.k.a your identification card) itself should serve the purpose. Also, you have already paid for your basic student ticket along with the semester contribution fees, so you don’t need to buy the basic semester ticket again! Detailed guide to buy a semester ticket can be found here.

Meme Source and Credits.

Things to keep in mind

1) For ISAR ticket- non-transferable, no validation of the ticket is necessary, your registration number will be printed on the ticket. Carry your identity card (a.k.a basic student ticket) always while using this ISAR ticket, without which you are liable for fines.

2)For basic student ticket - your identity card is the ticket, travel time-limited from 6 pm - 6 am and no restrictions on weekends. Please refer this link for further information.

2. Student card/identification card/identity card

Rather than me explaining it, our university has put up this awesome piece of information which should serve you with all the queries you have with the identity card. The link can be found here.

3. SIM card

One of your most trustworthy friends you will ever have in Munich is going to be your mobile internet and sim card. They are also essential for the various forms which you will be filling routinely from now on. Please be careful here as there are multiple options available with some contracts going up to 24 months straight. Almost all of the sim card providers require you to verify your identity with your passports. If your passport has a biometric chip, then your verification process is a piece of cake. If not, there are many options available for you to verify. Also, the data here is not as cheap as in some countries (read India). Calls are almost unlimited in most of the plans and the operators put a tab on the data limit.

Personally, I use Alditalk. The network is good, works most of the times, even on the underground trains too and there are no contract obligations. There are many plans they offer. Alternatively, winsim is also good. Vodafone, I heard offers an unlimited plan at around 20 EUR. The triad of the supermarket chains - Aldi, Edeka, Lidl and also Penny and Rewe has their own offerings. Some useful links:

4. Bank account

Opening an account with a (European) bank is paramount for unblocking your blocked account. Also, it is one of the essential things required for activating your health insurance. As soon as possible, try to get an account from the nearest bank. Banking here works quite differently and you might need to get an appointment for almost all the tasks.

Asking for your seniors would be really helpful as they have already travelled the same path and they might be able to refer you to the particular branch.

There are various types of banks: public sector commercial banks ( Private Geschäftsbanken ), savings banks ( Sparkassen ), credit cooperatives ( Kreditgenossenschaften ), the Postbank and the online bank being the latest. Most of them offer free student account or at least free accounts till the age of 25.

For opening your account, usually, you might need the following:

Your passport
Your visa/residence permit
Maybe also your city registration (If you don’t have this and that’s the reason why you can’t open an account, please contact me, I had the same problem and I know a solution)

Check the following w.r.t your account (non-exhaustive list)

If the transactions by SEPA-direct debit is free.
If they provide you with a free debit/ATM card and a credit card.
If there are any charges for online banking.
If there are monthly charges for maintaining an account.
If the ATM transactions are free with the home network/partner network banks.
If they have a minimum monthly incoming amount for maintaining the account.
Availability of the branch/ATM.

5. Stores

These are the names and symbols which you would be regularly seeing every day if your German life. So, it’s good to know a little about them. Shopping being really obvious, I will just point out the differences between the major supermarket chains and give you some tips. Lidl, Netto and Aldi are the so-called discounted stores where you might find reasonably priced stuff. Edeka and Rewe fall into the more premium segment of the stores. Penny is somewhere in-between but more towards the discounted price category. Also, please note that discount ≠ bad quality, it’s just the right price for the good. Even in Edeka, you will find reasonably priced goods called “ gut und günstig” meaning the best price for that particular quality, these categories are sometimes even lower than the prices offered by Lidl and Aldi. So, it’s all about your perception.

Good to know tips:

Carry a bag for your groceries. Otherwise, you will find carry bags for some cost near the billing counter.
Usually, it is better to go with a trolley/cart because of the quickness and the speed with which they bill your goods, you need to manage that speed and it is easier with a trolley rather than directly stuffing them into a bag. These trolleys require 1 EUR/ 50 cent coins.
For some bottles, there would be a caution deposit called Pfand or Pfandflasche which you would get back in the form of a coupon upon depositing the bottle into the machine.
Stores are closed during Sundays and public holidays and usually, the timings are 7-7.30 am till 8 pm during the other days.

6. Further steps after your initial days

Germany has a lot of bureaucratic processes. So, don’t fret and try tackling things one at a time. Some of these processes which you might need to complete are-

Anmeldung/city registration
Health insurance activation
Residence permit
Getting your tax ID
Getting around the radio tax /ARD tax

7. Some general rules and final words

It is illegal to film/take a pic of a German without their consent. Please don’t without their permission. If not, you will be facing civil liabilities and fines.
It is illegal to download with Torrentz or otherwise. Get all those movies/music/etc. from your country itself :P
Sundays are absolutely for family time and relaxation here in Germany. No drillers, no mowing, no piano tuning, no construction works on Sundays, thank you very much.Failure could, as you might have guessed, result in liabilities and fines.
Don’t try to break the traffic rules here like crossing/jumping the red light, etc. If you are having “the time of your life”, then you might be caught in some good fines. So, always adhere to and respect the rules of the place.
Speaking of traffic, while walking, you can and are allowed to use the pathway for walking and have right of the way while doing so. Other traffic has to wait for you.
Cycles should not and are not permitted to use the walking pathways except at places where it is a shared pathway.
Buses might not stop at every stop unless you press the stop buttons being put in various places inside the bus.
Explore the Studentenwerk Munechen webpages. They offer some really good events/workshops and provide support to a lot of different things.
With the covid situation in place, explore responsibly and always follow the local rules and regulations. You live just right around the corner from the Alps, so there are a lot of places to hike/explore/see/experience.

I have provided these based on what I feel is important. Last but not the least, enjoy your time here and have fun responsibly. Once again, a warm welcome aboard and congratulation on your admits!

Wishing you the best!! Aravindha.

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