Deregistration

Before you return to your home country, keep in mind to deregister at the registration office. For this, the citizens of Hanover go to the Bürgerämter, whereas the citizens of the region of Hanover head for their Gemeinde (= municipality).

Removal from the Register of Students

Before leaving, you definitely must deregister at your University.

Mind! With the removal from the register of students, your residence permit ends as well. Inform yourself in time about this topic, in regard to where you are living, at the Ausländerbehörde der Landeshauptstadt Hannover (= aliens department Hanover) or the Ausländerbehörde der Region Hannover (= aliens department Hanover region).

Cancellations

There are several cancellations that you must hand in early enough in order to save yourself trouble and financial disadvantages.

• In general you must cancel your contract of lease three months before moving out. View your contract: Do you have to renovate before leaving? Take into account the cost and time you will need for the renovation!

• When moving out, you must communicate the actual meter reading to the power suppliers. Don’t forget to leave behind your new address for the final invoice!

• Cancel your telephone in time. And as noted before: leave behind your new address for the final invoice.

• In general, mobile phone contracts must be cancelled 6 months prior to. Otherwise, most of these contracts are renewed automatically!

• Cancel your insurances.

• Sign off at the health insurance.

• Your bank account should be cancelled shortly before your departure. If you are awaiting further transfers, you should name an alternative account, e.g. of a person you trust who can give you the money later on.

• Have you subscribed to a newspaper? If so, you should cancel the subscription in time, as they tend to be renewed automatically, too.

• If you own a BahnCard, please keep in mind that this is a subscription which is also renewed. Cancel it in time!

Certificates

Do you have certificates from all the courses you've attended and exams you've taken in Germany? If this is not the case, you should acquire all certificates and notices in question before your departure! It is much harder to attain missing documents subsequently from abroad. Don’t forget to let times of practice be certificated, too. And mind: Certificates in your national language leave a better impression. That is why you should get the translation of your certificates authenticated, in order to make them airtight.

Authenticated translations must be paid and obtained at sworn translators, a list of whom you can find in the "Gelbe Seiten" (yellow pages): "Übersetzungen" (translations).

Pension Insurance

Graduates who have been liable to pay for the pension fund during their stay in Germany (refer to "Before the Study": Working), are under certain conditions entitled to get back their employee’s share of the paid sums 2 years after their departure. Here the crucial factor is amongst others, that they do not come from another country within the European Community or a country that has acquired a social insurance treaty with Germany. Before your departure, you should inform yourself about this possibility and obtain the forms in question. Further details can be found at the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (= German pension insurance) and at the Service-Hotline of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung in Hanover: +49 (0) 511 - 35 79 90.