Please note the first day back to school for all Grade 6-12 students is Thursday, 14 August 2025
Police: Emergency number 110
Fire department: Emergency number 112
Ambulance: Emergency number 112
Out-of-hours medical service (non-emergencies): 116117 or online
Out-of-hours dental service for Hessen: 01805 60 70 11
Outside of opening hours pharmacies are available on a rotating basis. To find an open pharmacy on a given day in your area check here.
Mail should be checked regularly. There are many German-speaking colleagues who will be happy to assist you with reviewing paperwork and bills, especially during your first months here.
In Germany, taxes are generated on three levels: national, federal, and municipal level. Income tax is progressive, so the more you earn, the higher the tax rate. Church tax is paid by church members only.
It is recommended that you keep a record of salary statements, moving expenses, investments, bank statements, and receipts that may be required when filing taxes in Germany or other countries. A useful website for Americans abroad is Taxes for Expats. Some teachers use an English online service for German taxes called Wundertax.
It is necessary to open a local bank account for making (and receiving) your regular payments, like utility bills, rent and salary.
The choice of bank is up to you. Here are a few suggestions:
Deutsche Bank
As an employee of FIS you can benefit from special conditions and services at Deutsche Bank.
Commerzbank
This major, traditional German bank has a local offices, but an account needs to be set up online (in German only). It takes 2-3 days to receive your account information in the mail and you need to be registered or already have legal status in Germany. Check out Commerzbank rates. Commerzbank can make sense if you are looking for additional services and face-face advice, but is generally more expensive than the online banking options. For personal service, please contact the Private Banking team in Bad Homburg at +49 6172 804 267 / privatebanking.bad-homburg@commerzbank.com.
N26
N26 is a virtual bank which is popular with expats and the younger generation. Setting up an account takes a few minutes and is very easy, ánd it’s all in English. Depending on your nationality, it’s even possible to open an account from abroad before you arrive. The basic free account can be upgraded with more services, like getting a physical card. Check out N26s plans
REVOLUT
Revolut is a large virtual bank, similar to N26. You need to download an app in order to create an account, which is very smooth. Check out Revolut’s plans
Many doctors and dentists speak English well and may have attended English-speaking universities. Receptionists may be less fluent and making appointments can be difficult over the phone. You may wish to ask a German-speaking colleague to help you the first time you call. A number of practices are offering online appointment systems, which are easier to use. Depending on your type of insurance (public or private), waiting times can vary.
Occasionally practices are not accepting new patients. It is therefore advantageous to get some referrals before you actually need a physician. It is typical to be registered with a general practitioner (Hausarzt or Allgemeineartz) and if you have children, with a pediatrician (Kinderarzt). You might also want to research specialist doctors such as gynecologists (Frauenarzt). Pediatric dentists (Kinderzahnarzt) are available but most general dentists (Zahnarzt) also see children. Your Hausarzt can refer you to a specialized physician for more in-depth consultations and treatment.
FIS maintains a list of medical providers (including which languages they speak) in the health office. Former FIS parent and Board member, Dr. Stephan Falk, has generously served as a source of guidance in the past, and has now formalized this service to our community. The newly-founded FIS Health Network, jointly run by FIS and OptiPath Frankfurt, provides free, quick, and reliable medical referrals by email or telephone to members of the FIS community.
This service will be of great assistance to FIS families in finding the relevant doctor to deal with a particular medical issue. It is not intended for emergencies or trivial complaints, or as a tool for patient acquisition for doctors or hospitals. Please contact Dr. Falk at fishealth@sf-uf.de, if you require assistance with a medical referral.
There are numerous veterinarian practices in the area. The FIS community has made recommendations for a number of vets close to the various campuses:
Kleintierpraxis-oberursel (close to the FIS Oberursel campus)
Tierklinik Hofheim (close to FIS Wiesbaden campus)
Dr. Gerd van Heukelum (Kronberg)
Veterinary practice Andrea Reinhardt (Bad Soden)
Felmo is a mobile vet service. They will come to your house for a visit: www.felmo.de
To drive in Germany, in principle, you need a driving licence issued in Germany or another EU country. Driving licenses from non-EU countries are only valid for six months in Germany. At the end of these six months, you need to transfer your driving licence (Umschreibung) if you wish to continue driving.
In order to start the transfer process, you need to apply to the local Driving Licence Office (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde or Führerscheinstelle). The Driving Licence Office then decides whether your driving licence can be transferred without a test or you first have to take part in the theory and practical exams. Find out which situation applies to you.
Some FIS community members would like to employ cleaners, gardeners and other domestic help. Asking for recommendations the FIS community Facebook groups is a great way to connect with English speakers. Using the Search function to look back through old posts can save you time.
While the English-speaking school environment makes it possible to live much of your life without needing to speak German and many of the local people you encounter will speak some English, you may want to learn German or improve your fluency.
There are several options for learning German:
REAL German Classes at FIS: New course offerings are published each term on the REAL Program’s webpage, where you can also find the registration details.
Other options
We have some options here: Volkshochschule (VHS) Hochtaunus - Volkshochschule Wiesbaden - Volkshochschule Frankfurt - Goethe Institute Frankfurt
You can easily translate German websites by using Google Chrome as your default browser.
On your computer, click Translate at the top right of the address bar.
Using a mobile device, touch Translate at the bottom of the page.
You can download the Google Translate app for instant translations of images (like menus in restaurants) using your mobile device.
Google Translate can also be accessed directly from any browser.
When booking trips during the FIS school holidays it is often worthwhile cross-checking with the school holiday dates in the state of Hesse as this can influence prices. Popular holiday locations within driving distance can get booked up quickly. This is especially true during the February ski break when resorts and roads can get very busy. Holidays in Germany are staggered and every state (Bundesland) has different timeframes for their main season holidays.
Mobile phones (Handys) are available with a range of plans, from basic pre-paid options to comprehensive smartphone packages. You may initially need assistance to get your phone set up on a contract as you need to provide identification and visa documentation. You may choose your own product preference and data needs.
On Sundays and public holidays, shops (except for bakeries, restaurants & emergency pharmacies) are closed. Instead you will see many people/families taking walks or bike rides after a leisurely brunch. The noise rules for the State of Hesse can be found here but essentially you must avoid any noisy activities such as using electrical equipment, power tools, mowing the lawn or playing loud music on a Sunday or public holiday.
This also applies during "Quiet Hours" from 22:00 to 08:00 on weekdays and Saturdays.
Yellow Bins: For plastic packaging (see poster for details). if you are living in an apartment building, large yellow bins are located in a designated area outside of the building, if you live in a single dwelling, you will need to place your recyclables in an official yellow bag if you want it collected from the sidewalk. You can pick up the yellow bags for free at the town hall (Rathaus) or various other locations.
Green/Blue Bins: For paper products and cardboard (e.g. envelopes, paper bags, newspapers, catalogs, magazines, writing paper, cartons).
Brown Bins: uncooked food waste and garden waste (e.g. coffee and tea bags, fruit and vegetables, eggshells, leaves, napkins).
Black/Grey Bins: For all other trash and household waste that cannot be recycled (e.g. porcelain, hygiene articles, dirty packaging, shoes, clothing items, household items, vacuum cleaner bags, etc.).
Cans and bottles
Cans and bottles with the logo of the German Deposit System (Deutsche Pfand-System GmbH) (below right) can be returned at an automatic recycling machine in most supermarkets.
Glass or plastic returnable bottles sometimes have a blue angel sign or the word "reusable" (Mehrweg) (below left). You will receive money back on each item returned that can be claimed at the cashier.
Not refundable glass bottles should be recycled in one of three outdoor recycling bins, sorted by glass color; one for white glass, one for brown glass, and one for stained glass (blue or green).
Information adapted from Waste separation in Germany
More details on recycling above, but essentially you are required to separate your trash as follows:
Blue bin for paper & cardboard
Brown bin for raw vegetables, uncooked food items
Yellow bin / yellow bag for plastics & metal (cans). Yellow bags can be picked up, free of charge, from the Rathaus Oberursel during opening hours
Grey/black bin for non-recyclable waste
Garbage is collected on specific days which are listed in a calendar (Abfallkalender) and distributed every year. Here are the calendars for Frankfurt, Oberursel and Wiesbaden.
You can order bulk garbage pick up (Sperrmüll) by completing an online form.
You can also drop off excess waste yourself at the recycling centre. Be prepared to show proof of residence.
Soon after you have moved into your new house or apartment, you will receive a letter from ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio for the Rundfunkbeitrag. The Rundfunkbeitrag is the license fee or broadcasting contribution for public German TV and radio. Every household needs to pay a monthly fee of 18,36 euros to support independent public broadcasting in Germany.
Find out more about the Rundfunkbeitrag (in English). Here is a translation of the letter you will receive. Once you have filled it in you have to mail it back to the Beitragsservice, or opt for the online form.
Make it in Germany is a website operated by the Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology. It provides information about living and working in Germany.
The Federal Government website in English.
The Local is an English-language online newspaper.
Further information on life in Germany can be found on Expatica and Toy Town Germany and Simple Germany.
All Things German is a locally-run English website, and has a tab just for Oberursel.
Find the cheapest provider with Check24
Zip code / city code finder (in English)
Prices for sending international letters
Prices for sending parcels with Deutsche Post (in English)
Deutsche Telekom number to switch your voicemail box to English:
0800-3302424 (press 3 for dashboard / 4 for settings / 2 for language / 1 for English)
0800 4402424 to access voice box
Keep your US or UK number in Germany with Vonage
Sky TV, Unity media and Slingbox
You must register and pay a broadcasting fee even if you do not use public broadcasting.
During snow and ice season cities in the state of Hesse are required to clear main & connecting roads only. While road salt is used for this purpose private persons are not allowed to use salt on their walkways and sidewalks for environmental reasons. You can buy sand & gravel at any Home Improvement Store (Baumarkt). Cat litter may serve as a good alternative.
There are two important jobs YOU need to remember during winter season:
If you do not have all-weather tires on your vehicle you will need to get your tires changed from summer to winter tires before the first snow and ice. Driving with the wrong tires is unsafe and may invalidate your insurance. A good rule of thumb is to change the tires to summer tires during the Easter season and switch to winter tires sometime in October.
In snowy or icy weather, it is your responsibility to maintain a clear and safe path from your front door to the sidewalk and along the sidewalk outside your house. If you live in an apartment building it is likely a service company is employed to do this. Otherwise, a schedule for all renters is posted publicly at the entrance of the building.
It is recommended that you protect expensive and sensitive equipment during thunderstorms. Even if the lightning does not strike your building directly, overvoltage can cause interference in the power and telephone network. Connected devices such as routers, telephone systems or smart home applications can be damaged.
Protect your electrical connections/devices with surge protection devices. These can be installed in the meter cabinet and in front of the device. Sockets with integrated surge protection also offer additional protection. Without measures for surge protection, you should remove all devices from the power and telephone network during thunderstorms. To do this, simply pull out all plugs (switching off the toggle on multiple sockets does not protect against lightning and surge damage). Surge protectors can be bought at every Home Improvement Store (Baumarkt).
Excited as you will be to experience a new culture and country, take a moment to consider if there are any "essential" items you may want to bring with you that might not be available here.
Whether it is a special blend of Earl Grey tea from the UK, 100% Canadian maple syrup, or Tim Tams from down under, stock up to give yourself time to figure out how to get them delivered. You can also check on German Amazon before you come. It is possible to set the language to English.
On a more serious note, some medications that you may be able to get over-the-counter in your home country may only be available by prescription in Germany.