Guide · First week · 4 min read
Your first week abroad: what to do on each day, country by country.
The first week decides how the first term goes. On day 1, get a SIM, tell home you've arrived and rest. Over the next days, enrol and get your student card, open a bank account, register your address where the country asks, apply for a tax number so you can work, and register with a doctor. In Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordics, registering your address comes first, because the bank and tax number depend on it.
The short version
- Day 1: SIM, a message home, the room, rest. Nothing official.
- Australia: enrol, apply online for a tax file number, open a bank account, get a transport card.
- UK: enrol, check your eVisa shows the right course dates, register with a GP, apply for a National Insurance number when you start work.
- Germany and most of Europe: register your address first (Anmeldung, BSN, CPR, personnummer); the bank and tax number follow.
- Your counsellor calls on day 1 and after week 1. Tell us if the room isn't what you were promised.
Day by day
| Day | Do | Why now |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SIM, a message home, check the room, rest | You’ll need a local number for everything after |
| 2 | Register your address (Europe); collect a transport card | The bank and tax number depend on the address |
| 3 | Enrol at the university; collect the student card | Some services need proof of enrolment |
| 4 | Open a bank account | Rent, pay and money from home |
| 5 | Apply for a tax number | You can’t be paid properly without one |
| 6 | Register with a doctor; find the supermarket and the cheapest route to campus | Before you need either |
| 7 | Orientation events; meet other students | The people you meet now help all year |
Country by country
| Country | Register your address | Tax or ID number | Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Not required | Tax file number (TFN), online with the ATO | OSHC from day 1; find a nearby clinic |
| United Kingdom | Not required; check your eVisa shows the right dates | National Insurance number, online, when you start work | Register with a GP |
| Germany | Anmeldung at the Bürgeramt, within 2 weeks | Tax ID comes by post after the Anmeldung | Health insurance for enrolment |
| Netherlands | At the municipality (gemeente), to get your BSN | The BSN is your tax number | Dutch basic insurance if you work |
| Belgium | At the commune, usually within 8 working days | National register number with the residence card | Join a health fund (mutualité) |
| Finland | Register with the local registry (DVV) if not done by Migri | A personal identity code | Your insurance; ask whether the student health service covers you |
| Sweden | At the Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for a personnummer, if staying a year or more | The personnummer | Register at a health centre |
| Denmark | At the International Citizen Service or Borgerservice, for your CPR number | The CPR number | The yellow health card follows |
| Norway | Police registration, then the Tax Administration for an ID number | National ID or D-number | Get a GP (fastlege) |
| Cyprus | Apply for your residence permit at the migration department | Through the permit | Your insurance |
Bring your passport, visa or permit, admission letter and housing contract to every appointment. In Europe, book the registration appointment online before you fly if the city allows it; slots go fast in September.
Australia, in more detail
- Enrol and collect your student card in orientation week.
- TFN: apply online with the ATO after you arrive. Without it your employer must tax you at the top rate.
- Bank account: many banks let you open one online before you arrive and verify in a branch.
- VEVO: check your visa conditions online. Employers may ask.
- Transport card: student concession rules differ by state.
The UK, in more detail
- eVisa: log in to your UKVI account and check the course dates and conditions are right. Report errors straight away.
- Enrol and collect your student card.
- GP: register near your home; it’s covered by the health surcharge you paid.
- National Insurance number: apply online when you have a job offer, or before.
- Bank account: you’ll need proof of address, often a letter from the university.
Germany, in more detail
- Anmeldung at the Bürgeramt with your landlord’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung).
- Activate your blocked account payouts and open a current account.
- Health insurance confirmation for enrolment.
- Enrol at the university.
- Residence permit appointment at the foreigners’ office (Ausländerbehörde) before your entry visa expires.
What goes wrong in week 1
| Problem | Do this |
|---|---|
| The room isn’t what you were promised | Photograph it, tell your counsellor the same day, don’t sign anything new |
| No registration appointment for weeks | Book the first one, and ask the university’s international office; many help |
| The bank wants an address you don’t have yet | Use your registered short stay, or a university letter where accepted |
| You feel homesick and alone | It’s normal in week 1 and 2. Go to every orientation event, and call one of our graduates in your city |
From our files. Our counsellors call every student on day 1 and again after week 1, with parents on the same updates. The questions are the same each time: is the room what you were promised, did enrolment work, is the money lasting. Most problems we hear about in week 1 are fixable in a day. The ones we hear about in month 3 aren’t.
Our view
Do the official things in the first five days, in the right order, and then stop. Week 1 is also for sleep, finding the cheapest supermarket and meeting people. When you’re ready for work, read part-time jobs abroad.
