Understand
Plain-language orientation around common newcomer situations.
For International Offices
Practical support for international students settling into Berlin
A free newcomer resource universities can review and optionally share with international students.
Prepared by SettlyGo — a Berlin-based marketplace connecting newcomers with independent helpers for clearly scoped practical tasks.
Arriving in Berlin involves more than university enrollment
Most international students settle into their academic program without difficulty. What catches people off guard is everything around it — the practical, everyday side of living in a German city.
- Understanding what to bring to an existing appointment.
- Communicating in German with a landlord or service provider.
- Attending a Bürgeramt appointment when language is a barrier.
- Making a practical German-language phone call.
What the Welcome Kit provides
Find official information
Links to Berlin and German authorities and other relevant official services.
Get practical support if needed
Students may independently book a SettlyGo helper for appropriate practical tasks.
SettlyGo does not provide legal or immigration advice and does not replace universities, German authorities, lawyers or relocation companies.
Who handles what
Clear boundaries are part of what makes this resource safe to share — nobody has to guess where university responsibility ends and where SettlyGo's practical support begins.
University / International Office
- University enrollment
- Academic processes
- University-specific requirements
- Campus and student services
Official authorities / qualified advisers
- Immigration decisions
- Residence-status questions
- Legal advice
- Official eligibility and regulatory requirements
SettlyGo helpers
- Practical appointment accompaniment
- German-language communication
- German phone calls
- Practical preparation
- Apartment-related appointments and viewings
- Clearly scoped administrative tasks
No integration or referral process required
Sharing this resource does not create any obligation, workflow, or ongoing commitment for the university.
1. Review
University reviews the resource.
2. Share (optional)
University optionally shares it with students.
3. Student decides
Students decide independently whether SettlyGo is relevant to their situation.
4. Direct booking
Students book and pay SettlyGo directly, without university involvement.
- No university payment required.
- No student data needs to be sent to SettlyGo by the university.
- No operational integration required.
- No university booking administration required.
- Sharing the resource must not be presented as endorsement.
Trust and transparency
Students can review helper profiles, supported languages, and pricing before they ever pay for anything.
- Helper profiles are visible before booking, including supported languages.
- Pricing is shown before payment — there is no surprise cost after booking.
- Booking and cancellation information is available in the normal booking flow.
Would this be useful for your international students?
Take a look at the student guide, and reach out if you have questions or feedback. University-specific branding or co-branded pages will only be created with explicit permission. University-specific branding, logos, or co-branded pages are only created with explicit permission — nothing here implies an existing partnership.