Guest postdoctoral researcher

The first step on your way to a research stay in Jena is the acceptance and confirmation of a professor or research group leader to host you and supervise your research stay. If you have not yet found a supervisor for your research stay, you will get information here on how to find one.

In order to provide the best advice and individual support, please let us know about the details of your stay as early as possible, using our registration portalExternal link. Via the portal, you will also receive the guest researcher contract, which your supervisor must sign.

Information on entry requirements can be found on the websites of the German missions abroad in your home countryExternal link. If you need a letter of invitation for your research stay, please contact the institute with which you have arranged the stay.

For the duration of your stay in Germany, an adequate health insurance is required. Please note that you must have insurance coverage from your first day in Germany. If your stay will not exceed a period of 90 days, a travel insurance might be sufficient. If you are planning to stay longer than 90 days, we recommend choosing an insurance with broader coverage. Please find more information about the German health care system hereExternal link. Furthermore, the German diplomatic missions abroadExternal link can inform you about which health insurance must be provided to enter Germany.

If you have health insurance in another EU or EEA country, you can use it upon arrival in Germany.

Due to limited capacities, please make sure to find a room for your stay as early as possible. International researchers have the possibility of applying for a place in one of the three university guesthouses. Information about the guest houses can be found hereExternal link.

You can find more information about "Accomodations in Jena" here.

Once you have arrived in Jena, please contact us. Thus, we can help you to deal with all the formalities that are connected with your arrival. You can visit us at Welcome Point at Planetarium 8.

For stays in Germany that are longer than three months, you are required to register your address with the city administrationExternal link within 14 days upon arrival. You will need an identity document and a confirmation from your landlord ("Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung"), which you will receive from your landlord once you sign the renting contract. For registering your address, you will need to make an appointmentExternal link.

If you have an employment contract with social insurance (monthly salary > 450,- EUR), you can choose which statutory health insurance you want to be insured with (e.g. TKExternal link, AOKExternal link or BarmerExternal link).

If you do not have an employment contract with social insurance, we recommend that you take out a statutory health insurance as a voluntary member. Alternatively, you can choose a private health insurance instead of a statutory one. If you prefer to have private health insurance, please note that there are significant differences in the services covered. For more information, please see the information on this websiteExternal link.

If you have health insurance in another EU or EEA country, your health insurance is also valid in Germany. Please contact the health insurance company in your home country for information on necessary formalities and how services can be reimbursed.

If you stay in Jena for a couple of months or more, it might be useful to open a German bank account. There are many different banks in Jena where you can open an account, each with different offers, services and account management fees. To open an account, you need an identity document and the registration certificate of the city (see „Registering your address in Jena“). Non-EU citizens also need a residence permit or visa.

International postdocs who do not come from the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland and whose entry visa does not cover the complete period of stay must apply for a residence permit at the Foreigners' Registration Office („Ausländerbehörde“)External link. You will need to make an appointmentExternal link for this. While waiting for the set appointment, you will receive a preliminary certificate from the Foreigners' Registration Office.

There are several childcare options for guest researchers with children: daycare centres, child minders, the flexible childcare centre on campusExternal link, or babysitters. If you need more information about child care in Jena, do not hesitate to contact the University's Family Office.

Guest researchers can have an account with the university computer centre. This account contains:

• a university e-mail address (name@uni-jena.de)
• Wifi access at Jena university and at many university locations worldwide via EduroamExternal link
• External access de to subject-specific databases of the university network
• Access to computer poolsExternal link

You will receive this account after your registration.

The Thuringian university identity card, or thoska, is a multifunction campus card, which allows you to identify yourself as a guest researcher of Jena University, use the library, photocopy or scan documents, and pay by card in the canteens and cafeterias. You will receive the thoska after your registration.

As a postdoc, you will have the opportunity to take part in various qualification workshops and classes on various topics like writing and publishing, academic teaching, or good scientific practise. You may find all offered workshops of Graduate Academy, LehreLernen and other university institutions hereExternal link.

If you wish to receive regular updates on the latest announcements of scholarships, offers for advanced education and training or events at the University of Jena, subscribe to our information for postdocs. This information includes the postdoc newsletter which is published via e-mail about four times a year in German and English.

Please register here.