I’m having trouble translating it because of the handwriting, so just curious if someone could tell me exactly what it says please. Someone put this weird note along with my landlords name saying I was loud (I was literally in Vienna for the past couple weeks). Maybe they put it on everyone’s door but why would they put my landlords name? Is this common in Germany?

My partner lost his hoodie so popped into a charity shop and picked up this one.

I've been trying to find out what it means.

As far as I can tell it's a regional jumper and says something like "if you're drunk, go home!"

Google has also told me it says church on the front and we want to make sure we're not in a randomly religious hoodie 😂 🤦

I got the charges shown in the screenshot. I don’t remember requesting any top ups. The last charge I made was a 1 GB 28 days data pack.

Does anyone know why this was deducted and if it will be cancelled? I talked to a representative on O2 customer service team and they said they will check but have not heard back from them.

Edit: Turns out the 10 and 5 euros I topped up last time never got charged so the new charges were for those two top-ups. Thank you everyone who commented.

Been in Berlin for 2 weeks and I love it, people always say tourists should expect cold states or just outright rudeness; The thing is the whole time I’ve been here, I’ve just seen people minding their own business as for the rude part I haven’t had a single negative experience and that’s coming from someone that has reaaally broken German. I’d appreciate if I could get some underground/cool spots in Berlin before I leave:)

Me (23 Female) and my Fiance (28, also female) want to start our life in Germany. She already lives here, in Dusseldorf. I am a polish woman, who wants to move out due to crazy levels of homophobia and racism (my fiancé is a black Brazilian woman). Problem is, I still want to be close to my family, as they're very accepting and loving. Dusseldorf is a bit too far for me. Can anyone from Eastern Germany recommend some places (Besides Berlin i beg of you) we could go? Maybe somehow even some smaller cities where we could buy a house?

Im taking the ICE from Utrecht to Kufstein tomorrow, with transfers in Köln and München and I have a bike reservation 😪. I just got an email saying I could check in online and when I opened it I found out that the München stop is cancelled (if i read it correctly?)

I tried calling DB, but I don’t think you can call them this late. It’s my first time travelling by ICE alone so I have no idea what im supposed to do
I can’t just take another ICE because of my bike reservation. Am I fucked? Im stressing out

So basically my boss wants to pay my salary in cast but I don't want to carry all that money, I would prefer he sends it on my bank account but he seems like he doesn't like the idea, can he force me to take cash?

Hiiiiii!

I started my PhD today (structured PhD in bioengineering at a research institute), but honestly, not much happened apart from listening to a seminar in the morning and reading some articles in the afternoon. Since I expected the first day to be quite overwhelming, I actually ended up getting a bit worried that maybe I’m not doing everything I’m supposed to be doing 😭

So I was wondering what the first day of a PhD, as well as the first few weeks, usually looks like in Germany.

I have my first meeting with my Doktormutter tomorrow, so I’m also wondering what I should expect from that. Am I already expected to have some idea of what the plan for the whole project will look like? Or is it enough at this stage to have a general understanding of the research topic and where the project might be going?

Is there anything in particular I should prepare before the meeting?

Thank you for any tips or experiences! 😊

Hey guys and gals, Im sleeping on an older pillow that got simply harder over the years and is almost rubber like, doesn't cave in under pressure and is supporting my head well.

I tried in-store pillows and asked for hardest ones, but they still all give to much in where its restricting my breathing. Even stacking does not really help. You guys have any advice? im on taller side 1.9m and 110kg.

Would really appreciate any hints or suggestions!

Are there any pretty towns or cities near Düsseldorf?

I’ll be in Düsseldorf from Thursday through Sunday. Since I have to work in Duisburg on Friday, I’m looking for something to do all day Saturday—but not too far away; about 45 minutes to an hour by train or bus would be ideal.

My first idea was to go to Cologne—I’m not sure if there are any other options. I like both towns and cities.

P.S.: By the way, this Saturday is my anniversary, so I’d also like to do something a little different.

Hi All,

My wife just moved to Germany in end of July from Japan. I am Hungarian and living in Germany for the last 8 years or so.

We got an appointment for next week to the immigration office to file her residence card application. I just got the final call from my health insurance that she cant get into my family insurance yet due to her severence payment and she needs to get a private insurance for 6-8 months until she can be included into my family insurance.

We looked and seems like there is expat insurance which might help us to gap this period since private insurance is extremly expensive and she is unemployed.

I read multiple different things and the immigration office unfortunatelly not replying to our emails probably due to holiday season. So anyone can confirm if expat health insurance could work for the first application until she can get into my family insurance?

Thanks a lot for the informations!

Hello, does anyone have a contact for a translator (German <-> English)? I’m looking for one for a personal photojournalism project.

Ideally someone close to Neuschwanstein Castle, as the interviews will take place in the surrounding area (mostly in Füssen). I’d like someone that can understand the local accent as well.

Any leads are appreciated, thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m travelling full-time around Germany in my campervan. I’ll be here for another month or so and I’m currently heading from Otterndorf towards Frankfurt.

I need to receive a small parcel from Portugal (around 2 kg), but I’m having a hard time finding a solution.

Things I’ve already looked into:

• Campsites/hostels/hotels: not an option since I’m only staying at free camping spots.
• DHL Packstation: I tried this, but I can’t register because I don’t have a German phone number or a German address. (hopefully I’m doing something wrong!)
• Postlagernd: I looked into this as well, but from what I found, it seems to be only for letters and not parcels.

Are there any pickup points, parcel shops, post offices, or other services where I can have a parcel sent and just collect it with my ID? Ideally somewhere along my route towards Frankfurt.

This is so frustrating, when I‘m actually home and work all day I end up collecting everything from pickup points anyway. Now that I’m travelling, suddenly everything requires a home address 😅

Thanks for any advice!

How does one pay the landlord after arriving in Germany ? Because one needs to pay the first month's rent plus security, so it's a lot for a student.

From what I have heard some landlords divide the Kaution in parts if you request for it , but some don't.

So should I wait for the blocked acc to open after city registration and then pay them plus the remaining additional charges with cash or is there any other way to pay them upon arriving.

Need your suggestions. Thank you.

I completed my studies and have been offered a full-time contract by a company.

After I sent all the necessary documents to Ausländerbehörde, they emailed me back and explained me that I am eligible to get a Blue card for which I will have to wait, or I can get a work permit if I want to start work immediately. They also explained me that Blue card is the fast track to PR.

I see that there are a lot of advantages in having a Blue card, but at the same time I dont want to wait too long to start my job. In the meantime, I am also trying to find out how long it takes in my city to get a Blue card.

I am currently on student visa, the fiktionbescheinigung for which expires in September end.

So my question is, is it possible to start working on a work permit now and then apply for a Blue card in a few months?

From what I read, it seems quite possible. However, if it was possible, then the Ausländerbehörde would have already offered that?

Sorry if its not the most well-thought out post, but I can still use advice.

Post:

Hey everyone,

I’m a student in Berlin trying to find the absolute cheapest way to buy protein powder right now. Standard retail prices seem crazy.

Where is everyone buying theirs?

• Local vs. Online: Are there any local physical shops with actually good prices, or is it always better to order online?
• Best Online Value: Between brands like HSN, Myprotein, Bulk, and Bodylab24, which one actually ends up being the cheapest per kg (factoring in shipping and stacking UNiDAYS/Student Beans discounts)?

Thanks for the tips!

Hi everyone,

I’m a non-EU citizen currently living and working in Germany, and I’m hoping someone here may have gone through a similar residence permit transition.

I am currently finishing my PhD at a German university and am employed there as a research associate. My current residence permit is under §18d AufenthG (research) and is valid until early 2027.

I have now received and accepted an offer for a permanent industry position in Germany, with a proposed start date of 1 December 2026. The position is a highly qualified STEM role and the salary is comfortably above the EU Blue Card threshold.

My understanding is that I cannot simply start the new job using my existing §18d permit, since it is tied to my current research employment, so I would need to change to an EU Blue Card (§18g) (or otherwise receive explicit authorization for the new employment) before starting.

There is one additional detail regarding the degree qualification. I expect to defend my PhD around November, so I don't want the Blue Card application to depend on the PhD being formally awarded. Instead, I already have an MSc in Physics from a well-known Canadian university. The university is listed as H+ in Anabin, but my exact MSc degree does not seem to have a sufficiently clear individual entry there. Because of this, I am planning to request a ZAB Statement of Comparability as soon as I receive the signed employment contract. From what I understand, ZAB has an expedited processing route for Statements of Comparability needed for EU Blue Card applications.

My current plan is therefore roughly:

September: receive signed employment contract → immediately submit ZAB application → contact my local Ausländerbehörde and initiate the Blue Card/change-of-purpose application.

October: hopefully provide the ZAB statement and any additional documents requested by the Ausländerbehörde.

Early November: assess whether authorization by 1 December still looks realistic. If there has been no meaningful progress by then, I would talk to the new employer about postponing/amending the start date rather than risking starting without the correct authorization.

I would also only terminate my current university employment once I have sufficient certainty that I will actually be authorized to start the new job. My current residence permit itself remains valid well beyond December, so the issue as I understand it is specifically authorization to work for the new employer, rather than my right to remain in Germany in the meantime.

A few questions for anyone familiar with this process:

Has anyone here changed from §18d to §18g while already living in Germany? How long did it take?

Is roughly three months (September → December 1) a realistic timeline if the application is submitted promptly?

Can the Ausländerbehörde authorize the new employment before the physical Blue Card/eAT has been produced? In other words, if the application is approved but the card is still being manufactured, is there normally some form of temporary documentation that explicitly permits starting the new job?

Does it make sense to contact the Ausländerbehörde at the same time as submitting the ZAB application, explaining that the Statement of Comparability is pending, or would you wait until the ZAB statement has arrived?

For people who have used the expedited ZAB procedure for an EU Blue Card, did the advertised faster processing time roughly match your experience?

Is there anything else in this plan that I am misunderstanding or should be particularly careful about?

I realize processing times vary enormously between Ausländerbehörden, so I'm not expecting anyone to predict whether mine will finish by December 1. I'm mainly interested in experiences with the §18d → §18g transition, especially for people who were already legally resident and employed in Germany when they applied.

Thanks!

My wife and I are traveling to Berlin for 10 days in mid December. We are trying to plan as much as possible while there. Some things we know we are gonna do are go to the Christmas markets and do a night club tour experience. What are other must go to’s, must see, food to try, anything and everything!

My wife is much more into the club scene, so give some club recommendations.

I am a huge food person, what are the best places to eat at?

Thank you in advance!!

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate some legal input and personal experiences regarding a specific clause in my German rental contract (unlimited contract for a furnished WG room in Munich, started May 2026).

I am planning to give notice and move out soon, but the standard pre-formulated contract (Formularmietvertrag) contains the following clauses:

• 1. Unilateral termination exclusion (§ 3.4 vs. § 3.2):
  • § 3.4 states: “The notice period is 3 months to the end of the month and can be exercised for the first time with effect at the end of 24 full rental months.”
  • However, in § 3.2, the landlord explicitly reserves their standard statutory right to terminate under § 573 BGB.
  • This means the 24-month lock-in applies exclusively to me as the tenant, while the landlord faces no equivalent restriction.
• 2. Immediate termination for payment default (§ 3.5):
  • The landlord reserves the right to terminate without notice (fristlos) if rent is delayed by more than 3 calendar days followed by a 7-day grace period (effectively allowing eviction over roughly 10 days of default for a single month's rent).

My understanding of the legal situation:

• Under established Federal Court of Justice (BGH) case law and § 307 BGB, a pre-formulated termination exclusion (Kündigungsausschluss) in a residential lease is legally invalid (unwirksam) if it unilaterally disadvantages the tenant without mutual commitment.
• Because this clause is invalid, statutory regulations should automatically apply, giving me the right to terminate under § 573c BGB with the standard 3-month notice period.
• Clause § 3.5 also contradicts mandatory statutory protections (§§ 543 para. 2 no. 3, 569 para. 3, 5 BGB), which require at least two months of unpaid rent for termination without notice.

Questions for the community:

1. Can you confirm that this one-sided 24-month restriction is completely void under § 307 BGB, allowing me to terminate with 3 months' statutory notice?
2. Should I explicitly point out the legal invalidity of the clause in my termination letter, or simply submit a regular written notice for the earliest statutory date ("zum nächstmöglichen Termin, hilfsweise zum...")?
3. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? Did the landlord cause difficulties afterward (such as unlawfully withholding the security deposit)?

Thanks in advance for your insights and advice!

Hi folks,
We are planning to rent a car for 2 days and do 2 day trips from Munich around September end

We are confused between the options and would love to get some input from the community members here

Options we considered:
1) Neuschwanstein Castle
2) Alpine Coaster Oberammergau
3) Königssee
3) Zugspitze summit (on the edge for this one because it costs a lot for the cable car)
4) Eibsee (Garmisch-Partenkirchen)

We made this itinerary for now:
Day 1: Go to the castle and then alpine coaster in Oberammergau and probably have some food in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and come back to Munich

Day 2: Drive to Konigssee, preferably do a trek to get a top view of the lake or do boating there.
Then have food at Berchtesgaden, then take a drive through Rossfeld Panorama Strasse and come back to Munich

Is there anything we should add/remove from this plan. Also we want a good experience of alpine roads, is the Rossfeld road good for that?

Any sort of suggestions are welcome :)

Hello people, has someone already worked with DT Zeitarbeit company from Frankfurt as assistant of quality safety? I somehow got the minijob offer there only by sending the documents, no interview, nothing and now they are asking me for tax ID, health insurance and bank IBAN..

Hello, please help!

I contacted mawsita to cancel 3 months policy that should start on october 1st, yet they debited 124euro oj 16th of August, I contacted my EDUBAO agent first but they said I need to contact mawsita directly, I submitted a cancellation request last week yet they didn't respond yet.

Do they just refund with a delay or should I be prepared to not get my money back ?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 36 years old German citizen who worked around 7 years in Digital Marketing. Due to economical reasons my company let me go around a year ago and since then I'm not able to find a suitable job for myself. I'm currently on ALG1.

That's why I was thinking about a new career path which is something I enjoy, IT (not software development but IT support & security).

I wanted to ask if there is a big difference between an Ausbildung and Umschulung when it comes to job prospects? I read about very bad Umschulung experiences and that's why I'm a bit cautious about the Umschulung. However, I also know that Ausbildung is for young people with no previous experience.

(I know Umschulung should be approved by the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter and I'll discuss this with them when I decide.)

And finally do you think "It System Elektroniker" has a good future in this economy and country? I am also open to other fields but really don't know much about the possibilities. So feel free to suggest other fields as well if you think that makes sense.