Users Meeting 2005

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Users Meeting 2005

• DESY International Office

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Users Meeting Topics

• Changes to the AXA Medical Insurance as of 1
  January 2006
• Retirement Planning Pension Rights
• Taxation of Stipends
• Experiences with the new Immigration Act 2005
• Driving with a Foreign Driving Licence

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Changes to the AXA Medical Insurance as of 1
January 2006
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• The insurance rate for the long-term insurance is
  90 including 9 administration effort, or
  2,70 per day.
• Accident insurance is included free of charge.

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• Further changes
• No additional packages

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• Pregnancy and childbirth diagnosed during the
  stay in Germany are included in the basic
  coverage
• No paid health checks-ups for children and
  adults. For free vaccinations for children please
  inquire at the International Office

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• No orthodontic treatment and no additional dental
  treatment as bridges and crowns. The basic
  coverage covers expenses for the immediate relief
  of pain up to a maximum of 520 per year. Crowns
  and bridges are paid only as a result of an
  accident (50 cost participation, max. up to 1000
  )
• No private hospitalisation

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• The contribution for each prescription is 8,00
• The costs of the personal service of a doctor
  will be reimbursed up to 2,3 times the base
  Medical Tariff Regulation fee.

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Retirement Planning

• For German citizens,
• for European citizens
• and for all other countries

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The German Social Security System covers

• Health Insurance
• Pension Scheme (Rentenversicherung)
• Unemployment Benefits
• Other Benefits (Unfallversicherung)

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Health Insurance

• Is mandatory in Germany.
• There are different types of health insurance
• For employees, depends on their income
• Statutory health insurance (gesetzliche
  Krankenversicherung) or private
• For DESY guests who are receiving a monthly
  allowance from DESY
• AXA health insurance or E 111/European Health
  Insurance Card
• For DESY guests who are not paid by DESY
• Health insurance from their home country, home
  institute

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Pension Scheme (Rentenversicherung)

• There different types of retirement plans
• Statutory (gesetzliche)
• Compulsory contributions
• Pension rights / Benefit eligibility
• Private, includes also the government supported
  Riester Rente

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The Statutory Pension System (paying in)

• Applies only to employees
• Contributions are deducted from salaries
• Usually exempt from these compulsory
  contributions are
• Fellows
• Guests who receive a monthly allowance from DESY

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Pension Rights / Benefit Eligibility (getting
your money out)

• For employees who have contributed to the German
  Statutory Pension System
• Either you are eligible for retirement benefits
  depending on your nationality and your place of
  residence at retirement age.
• Or you can be reimbursed

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Countries of Eligibility

• There are two major groups of countries regarding
  the recognition of pension rights
• 1. Member States of the EU
• 2. Partners to the Social Security Agreement with
  Germany

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List of the Member States of the EU

• Austria
• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy

• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• The Netherlands
• United Kingdom

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List of Partners to the Social Security Agreement
with Germany

• Australia
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Chile
• China (Entsendeabkommen)
• Israel
• Japan

• Canada und Quebec
• Republic of Korea
• Croatia
• Morocco
• Macedonia
• Serbia and Montenegro
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United States

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General information about international Pension
Rights

• In principle it is not foreseen that a single
  pension, based on contributions paid in different
  countries, should be covered by any one country.
• Your contributions will remain valid in every
  country until you have reached retirement age
  according to the laws of the respective country.
• You are eligible to be reimbursed if either
• You return to a country which does not have a
  Social Security Agreement with Germany or
• Your stay in Germany is less than 5 years and
  after a waiting period of 2 years

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Here is a file of countries with their social
security organisations concerned with old age
pension

• social security organisations concerned with old
  age pension

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FAQs

• Retirement Planning

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Which forms do I need to fill in?

• Form 900
• Application for reimbursement (Antrag auf
  Beitragserstattung)
• Form R851
• Declaration of payment (Zahlungserklärung)

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Where and when do I have to hand in these forms?

• You have proved that you are no longer a
  compulsory payer to the German pension plan,
• and you have proved that you have no possibility
  to be a voluntary payer to the pension plan,
• then, 24 months after you have returned to your
  home country you hand the forms in at the German
  Embassy.

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In which language are they available?

• All forms are only available in German.
  Therefore, we recommend to fill them in with the
  help of German speaking persons prior to your
  departure to your home country.

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Examples

• I am from Russia and have been working in Germany
  as an employee for less than 5 years. What should
  I do?
• Apply for reimbursement after a 24 months
  waiting period in your home country. It is not
  possible to apply from a 3rd country (e.g.USA).

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• 2) I am from Russia and have been working as an
  employee in Germany for exactly 5 years?
• You have the choice between
• Waiting until you have reached the retirement age
  and receiving a pension or
• Applying for reimbursement under the conditions
  as set out in question 1.

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• 3) I have worked in several countries. When may I
  apply for an old age pension?
• There is no international standard for
  retirement age. Every country pays old age
  pensions according to their national regulations.

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• 4) I am from Poland, have studied and worked
  there for several years and now live and work in
  Germany. May I claim that the Polish working
  period is added to my German pension plan?
• Yes, depending on your age and therefore,
  depending on either the European community law or
  the German-Polish treaty the Polish period can be
  added to the German pension plan. This is only
  possible as long as you stay in Germany. Please
  inquire at the Zaklad Ubezpecien Spolecznych in
  Poland.

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• 5) I am a French citizen and have worked for
  several years in Germany. How can I claim that
  these years are added to my French pension plan?
• According to the Community law of the EU the
  German years are to be added to your French
  pension plan.

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Conclusion

• In practice it is necessary to consider the rules
  and regulations of
• your home country
• each country in which you have worked
• the country chosen for residence at retirement
• Therefore every retirement plan has to be done on
  a case-by-case basis.

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Taxation of StipendsQuestions and Answers

• 1) Is a stipend in Germany tax-free?
• Stipends in Germany may be tax-free if certain
  conditions are met. This depends upon the
• award procedure
• amount
• purpose
• Every stipend has to be examined individually.

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• 2) Is it necessary to pay taxes on a Stipend
  which comes from a foreign institute?
• In many guest countries there are tax privileges
  similar to those in Germany. Moreover, through
  most of the double taxation agreements a tax
  relief is provided.

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Experiences with the new Immigration Act 2005

• Visa and residence for family members of guest
  scientists
• Settlement permit (Niederlassungs-erlaubnis)
• Work permit now included in residence title

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Visa for Family Members
Spouse or children under 18 of guest scientist
Travelling together
Joining later
Visa application at German Embassy
Visa application at German Embassy
Application postedto local Aliens Department in
Germany
Processing of applicationChecking of conditions
Statement back toGerman Embassy
Visa forfamily reunion
Visa as accompanyingfamily members
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Subsequent Immigration of Family Members
Contact Inter-national Officefor assistance !
German Embassy
send visa application
Hamburg Central Aliens Authority
letter to foreign guest

• List of documents required
• proof of income
• proof of living space

4 weeks
Hamburg Central Aliens Authority
letter to Aliens Authority
German Embassy
submit statement
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Settlement PermitNiederlassungserlaubnis

• Permanent residence title, general requirements
• five years of residence,
• secure income,
• adequate command of German language
• fee 85,- EUR
• In exceptional cases set.perm. for highly
  skilled workers (Hochqualifizierte)
• no minimum residence before application
• no German language skills required
• possible for senior researchers written
  recommendation from leading DESY scientist
• fee 200,- EUR

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Settlement PermitExperiences in 2005

• Most applications of guest scientists processed
  smoothly and successfully
• Possible delay, if enquiry to Federal Labour
  Agency (Arbeitsagentur)
• ? best to apply with some time reserve, i.e. not
  immediately before expiry of residence permit

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Labour Market Access(permission to work)

• before 2005 two separate permits for residence
  and labour market
• now residence permit contains an annotation
  about labour market access examples
• restricted access for scientists Beschäftigung
  nur als Gastwissenschaftler bei DESY Hamburg
  employment allowed only as a guest scientist at
  DESY
• denied access (familiy members of a guest
  scientist) Beschäftigung nicht erlaubt
  employment not allowed
• unrestricted access (spouse of guest scientist
  after two years) Beschäftigung erlaubt
  employment allowed this is new

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Foreign Driving Licence and Car Registration

• Driving in Germany with a foreign licence
• Procedure change a foreign licence to a German
  one
• Registering a car in Hamburg (purchased here or
  brought from abroad)

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Driving with a foreign licence

• licence from an EU country valid for driving in
  Germany unlimited
• licence from outside the EU valid for 6 months,
  if accompanied by an official translation
• if stay exceeds 6 months change foreign licence
  to German Führerschein
• Note change of foreign licence possible only
  within 3 years after arrival

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Changing a foreign licence into a German
Führerschein
Application for transfer of the licence
at road traffic authority LBV
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first-aid course certificate
Red Cross
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vision test certificate
optician
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Admission to take the theory test within 1 year
official translation of the licence
ADAC automobile club or certified translator
20-35
Theory test (possiblein English, Russian, )
at TÜV (computer test)
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training materials available at International
Office!
Driving lessons at priv-ate driving school
costs dependent on number of lessons (30-40 )
??
Practical driving test
registration at TÜV only through driving
schoolinstructions in German !
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German licence in ex-change for foreign one
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Changing a foreign licencesimplified procedure

• applies to these countries Croatia, Israel,
  Japan, Korea, Singapore, South Africa,
  Switzerland, Taiwan
• for US and Canada depends on state / province

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