Useful Facts

Driver's license:

Your foreign driver's license is usually valid for the first six months of your stay in Germany. Non-EU licenses have to be converted in due time.

Health insurance:

You are required to have health insurance coverage for the duration of your stay in Germany. Please contact the personnel department or your department's secretary at the MPI EVA or LU for more information.

Medical practitioner:

Please contact your department secretary for a list of medical practitioners in Leipzig who speak English (and/or other foreign languages).

Opening hours of shops:

Normal opening hours of shops in Germany are from 9 am to 8 pm while smaller shops may vary in their opening times. In Leipzig, the main train station offers full shopping opportunities from the morning until 10 pm each day, including on Sundays and bank holidays. Although slightly more expensive, petrol stations are an alternative, as they are open 24/7.

Phone calls:

Germany's country code for international telephone calls is +49; Leipzig's city code is (0)341 - when dialing a Leipzig telephone number from abroad, omit the "0", when dialing within Germany, dial 0341 prior to the local telephone number.

Student discounts:

Student card holders benefit from reduced prices when travelling by tram, bus, train, plane, or when going to the opera, theater, cinema and museum. In order to obtain a student card PhD students need to register e.g. at Leipzig University, or apply for an International Student Identity Card.