Travel arrangements

Working in the EU

As an EU citizen, you are entitled to stay in other EU countries and to study or work there. If the stay abroad is shorter than three months, you only need a valid identity card. If your stay abroad is longer than three months, you usually have to register with the local authorities. You must provide proof of:

• having a contract for an internship in the country,
• being able to support yourself financially and having an income that exceeds the local rate of social security benefit.
• having a health insurance.

You need a visa outside of Europe

To enter all countries outside Europe in order to do an internship, you need a work visa. This also applies if your internship is not paid. The German Federal Foreign Office and the respective embassies or consulates provide information about the exact regulations. You must apply for a work permit at least two months before the start of your stay abroad. You need an official confirmation from your employer that you will be doing an internship. We strongly advise against a tourist visa for internships!

Foreign embassies and consulates in Germany [in German only]

Visa application service (CIBTvisas)

Work visas for internships in the USA

For internships in the USA, you need a so-called J1 visa including a work permit. This can only be obtained through intermediary organisations. They are the official contacts of the embassy and have an allotment of work visas with which internships can be carried out. The visa service is expensive, but usually the only legal way to complete an internship in the USA. Visas must be applied for 4 months in advance, for example through:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Travelworks[in German only]

Work visas for internships in Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand

For internships in these countries, it is possible to apply for a “Working Holiday Visa” directly at the embassies. There is a limit to the allocation of visas, however, and for Canada it is often already exceeded by the beginning of the year. If you are not successful in obtaining a visa this way, you can also apply through an intermediary organisation. These intermediaries cost money, but can usually issue additional visas.

Travelworks[in German only]

Work visas for internships in Brazil

In order to get an internship visa in Brazil, you must be enrolled at one of our partner universities for the respective period! Please apply in time for our exchange programmes.

Exchange programmes with Brazil[in German only]

Work visas for internships in China

There have been no internship visas in China since 2014. Therefore, interns must now apply for a work visa (Z visa), which is very time-consuming. Alternatively, a non-commercial visit visa (F visa) can be applied for, but this does not allow any remuneration for the internship. The F visa is valid for 3 months and can then be extended once for another 3 months.

When applying for the F visa, please note that it can only be issued upon a so-called “invitation”. This means that you need an employer who invites you and officially states the visa type and length of stay. You should use a visa agency for the application:

Chinese visa services compared[in German only]

Internships in the EU

If you want to do an internship within the EU, you are insured through your statutory German health insurance on condition that you continue to be enrolled at TU Braunschweig during your stay abroad. You pay your contributions as usual. If you are insured under a non-contributory dependents’ co-insurance policy, you don’t have to pay any contributions.

What is covered depends on the legal provisions in your host country. In most countries, co-payments are customary. You will have to pay these yourself. If you have to pay for a treatment in full, ask for a detailed invoice. Your health insurance provider in Germany will usually reimburse you up to the amount of the German contractual rates. If the actual costs are higher, you will have to pay the remaining amount yourself. If you want to exclude this residual risk, you should take out additional private health insurance abroad.

In order to avoid problems with covering costs in the event of illness, you should always ask your health insurance provider to issue a European Health Insurance Card

More information on the European Health Insurance Card

Internships outside of the EU

In most countries outside the EU, you will not receive any benefits from your statutory German health insurance. You will have to take out private insurance for this time, although your insurance in Germany will continue. The private insurance should cover about the same as your statutory insurance. Please seek professional advice. Proof of health insurance must often already be presented upon entry or when applying for a visa.

Advice

You can get individual advice from your health insurance provider.

Health insurance provider near the University campus (you will be redirected to Google Maps)

In any case, you need a valid private liability insurance for your stay abroad. As a rule, you are covered by family insurance until you complete your first vocational training. Please find out whether this insurance is valid in your target country without restrictions and for the entire duration of your stay abroad.

What do I have to insure?

An important criterion is the sum insured: the standard of the host country is decisive here. In countries such as the USA, for example, this is far higher than the German average! The insurance should always cover damage to rented property. Since you will probably receive your own keys or key card for your workplace, the loss of keys should also be insured.

Personal accident insurance protects you from the financial consequences in the event of an accident. Unlike in Germany, many companies abroad do not have occupational accident insurance, so you may not be covered either at or outside the workplace. Therefore, when taking out insurance, make sure that the insurance also covers accidents at work.

If you are going abroad for a longer period of time, it is important that you can do your banking online and have cash at your disposal at all times. For stays in other European countries, a debit card will generally suffice, but for all other countries you will need a credit card. It also makes sense to make arrangements for a certain line of credit so that you don't suddenly find yourself without money in the event of unforeseen circumstances.

If your internship is paid, you may need to open an account abroad to which your salary can be transferred.

In the case of internships abroad, the employer often helps you find accommodation. They will at least be able to find you a place to stay for the first few weeks. Contacting students who have already been to the host country can also be helpful. If you don’t know anyone yourself, ask the Mobility Office of TU Braunschweig; sometimes we can put you in touch with someone.

Searching for accommodation on your own

If your employer does not find you a room, you will have to look for one yourself. You should allow some time for this. The Internet is usually the best place to find a room. Ask your employer about the best platforms. A hostel might be the best option for the first few days while searching for a more permanent place to stay. Renting a room in a hostel is relatively inexpensive.

It is possible to take a leave of absence from TU Braunschweig in order to spend time abroad. This reduces your semester contribution, saves you the semester ticket and the administrative fee. The leave of absence has no influence on your health insurance status. You are still enroled at TU Braunschweig and remain covered by student health insurance. Please note, however, that despite your leave of absence, the semesters abroad will be counted as study semesters if you complete more than 30 ECTS credits abroad and transfer them to Braunschweig.

For stays abroad of no more than three months, it is usually not worth taking a leave of absence, as you will forfeit your semester ticket and other student benefits for the entire duration of the semester. You can also usually only take exams at TU Braunschweig if you are not on leave of absence.

If you do a mandatory internship abroad that you would like to have recognised at TU Braunschweig afterwards you must also not take a leave of absence, otherwise recognition is not possible.