New in Town?

We have you covered. You will find questions here that people frequently ask from us.

We welcome you to Düsseldorf. Whether you moved from another city in Germany or from another country altogether, you would need to register yourself at the citizen’s office (Bürgeramt) behind the Düsseldorf train station, which is easily googled and easily located. However, you always need to make an online appointment here and make sure you bring complete documentation before stepping into the office. Do use online translators if you need to.

We welcome you to Düsseldorf. As an international, expatriate, foreigner, immigrant, and asylum seeker in Germany, you would need to do an additional step of registering in the local foreign office (Auslanderamt or Auslanderbehörde) to request a residence permit to remain in Germany longer than three months. However, the foreign office is always overwhelmed with requests, and it is almost impossible to make an appointment immediately. Patience is key.

You would first need to fill in the form here. The foreign office will reply to you via email to give you an appointment. We found that the most responsive email from the foreign office is servicepointamt54@duesseldorf.de.

On the day of the appointment, please bring the complete documents and a debit or EC card for payment.

With our after-work meet-ups, we meet every second as well as the last Friday of the month. Other than that, we meet on different events as well as spontaneously for drinks and food. Check our page https://lgbtqduss.com/gevents/

In most cases, you would need to see a family doctor or a general practitioner (Hausarzt). To do so, we recommend using the Doctolib platform and searching for Hausarzt that is most convenient for you. If you need a specialist examination or treatment, the Hausarzt would probably refer you to the specialist with a referral letter.

However, if you need emergency medical attention, call an ambulance at 112 or visit the nearest emergency department immediately.

 For HIV and STI test:

  • Sexuelle Gesundheit Düsseldorf in Kölner Straße 180, online appointment or Monday from 13-14 without appoitment.  Free and anonymous testing. Results in a week or so.

  • Aidshilfe Dusseldorf: HIV free testing without Appointment on every Tuesday from 7 to 9pm.  For STI test cost, check website

Advitam Gesundheitszentrum – they have a few English speaking ones.  Administrative-wise quite efficient and clinical-wise also very good.  

  • Every second and last Friday of the month at Rubi Luna Hotel (Benrather Straße U-Bahn Station) with the possibility to join the dinner together afterwards.
  • K1 Karaoke on Friday night -> we had great memorable nights here singing together!
If you are interested to know more about our events, check out our events page and join our WhatsApp group(s). There are variety of events that may interest you.

Indeed, LinkedIn, Stepstone and Xing are good places to look for job opportunities and open positions in Germany. To get an effective job searching experience, we recommend that you do what you can, for example:

  • Find out what you can contribute to the organization, which is usually written in the job description, and preferably it is something that you are already good at.
  • Contact a person in the organization you want to work with to find insider information
  • Brush up your CV, and cover letter as well as prepare your documents & certificates
  • Practice your interviewing skills when you get invited for interviews – tell me about yourself, why are you interested in our organization and why should we hire you are always the three questions you should learn to express.
  • Learn German and brush up on the required skills.

  • Flatsharing can be a good start. There are also other platforms such as Kleinanzeige, immoscout, immowelt, housinganywhere, etc.

    To find a rental place in Düsseldorf, patience is key. It’s hard to guarantee that you will find housing in Düsseldorf city, but from observation, here are the things that would increase your chance to get your dream housing:

    •        If you speak German
    •         If you have a German friend who can translate or speak for you
    •         If you can pay the asking price
    •         If you have a good credit score
    •         If you have a stable income
    •         If you look for housing a bit farther than the city center
    •         If you are willing to take over or purchase the furniture from the previous renter, usually at a cost.

    … and so on. The list is not exhaustive; however, we do not want to discourage you from looking for housing in this very cool city.

We wish you well. Moving to a new city or a new country is a major life experience and no small feat. Sometimes it comes not only at financial costs, but also mental well-being costs. The people are different, the culture is different, the food is different, the language is different and just about everything can be different. But we are all only humans. Despite our resilience, we need to acknowledge our struggle.

We welcome you to join us at our gatherings and events, and if you can find a buddy to support you through this adjustment period, that is great! However, there are signs to seek professional help from counselors, psychologists, or psychiatrists:

  •        When your stress is too much to bear
  •        When your anxiety becomes debilitating that you cannot function anymore
  •        When feeling sad, poor sleep, social withdrawal, frequent fatigue or lack of energy, and loss of enjoyment become your new normal.
  •        When you become increasingly aggressive, verbally, or physically.
  •        When your mood swings between highs and lows are becoming more uncontrollable
  •        When you find yourself consuming drugs and alcohol increasingly frequently
  •        When you have thoughts of self-harm and suicide
  •        When you become paranoid that people are out to get you
  •        When you are hallucinating

 

… and so on. The list is not exhaustive. Please arrange for a psychiatric consultation and check your insurance coverage.

  • Absolutely, it is celebrated even! As with other big cities, Düsseldorf has a progressive view toward the LGBTQIA+ communities. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017. However, it’s important to research and be aware of the local cultural attitudes.

Support local LGBTQ+ businesses, venues, and organizations. Engage with the community, attend events, and educate yourself about local LGBTQ+ issues. Consider making donations to local LGBTQ+ communities if possible.

Internet:

  • Deutsche Telekom.  
  • O2

Mobile company:

Check24 or Verivox as a comparison of companies