What You Need to Know When You’re Moving to Augsburg

Relocating to Augsburg

About the City

Augsburg is located in the south-west region of the German state of Bavaria, and is the third largest city in the state, and the third oldest city in the whole of Germany. Up until the 18th century, Augsburg stood as a Free Imperial City for over 500 years. Augsburg is home to almost 272,699 (2013) people, the vast majority of whom are students that move to the city to undertake studies at one of its famous universities. Although its population is mostly made up of native Germans, there are also large groups of Turks, Italians, Croatians, Romanians, and Ukrainians living in Augsburg, some of whom are either international students or expatriates that come to study or work in the city. The official language of Augsburg is German, but due to its large international community you may find that many people also speak English, Russian, Turkish, or Italian as a second language; fluency in English is also common among young people.

The Climate in Augsburg

Like most of Germany, Augsburg has a humid continental climate, and as a result expatriates moving to Augsburg will need to adjust to warm, humid summers, and cold, wet winters. During the summer, which lasts from May to September, expatriates living in Augsburg can expect temperatures between 18°C and 24°C (64°F and 76°F), high humidity, and frequent rainfall. July is usually the hottest and wettest month of the year, with 99.7 mm (3.925 in) of rain falling on average throughout the month. In the winter months, the temperature drops considerably, to between 2.3°C (36.1°F) and 6.6°C (43.9°F), but it has been known to drop below zero. Although the city experiences much less precipitation during the winter months, rainfall is still very common.

Visas for Germany

Whether or not you will need a visa to move to Augsburg depends on your nationality. Although Germany is a member of the European Union, this does not mean that all EU citizens can move to Augsburg without a visa, as Germany has some regulations that require citizens of new EU member states and some Eastern European countries to apply for a visa before moving to Augsburg, or anywhere in Germany. You should check with your local embassy or consulate to see if this applies to you.

If it does not, then you are free to move to Augsburg and stay for an indefinite period of time, provided that you register with your local authority if you are staying for longer than three months. If this does apply to you, or you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country or Switzerland, then you will need a visa to move to Augsburg, which should be applied for before entering Germany through your local embassy or consulate. You can find detailed information on this topic in our dedicated articles on Visa and Administration in Germany.