Germany - Essential Information

Phone Calls

Phone calls are generally run over the telephone network operated by the Deutsche Telekom company, even though there are many private phone companies in business. When making long-distance calls, i e., to places more than 50 kilometers away, it’s advisable it to use the so-called call-by-call services. Check out www.teltarif.de. and do some research before using any calling services.

City	Country Code / City Code
Aachen	49-241
Berlin	49-30
Bielefeld	49-521
Bonn	49-228
Bremen	49-421
Cologne (koln)	49-221
Darmstadt	49-6151
Dusseldorf	49-211
Essen	49-301
Frankfurt/main	49-69
Frankfurt/oder	49-335
Hagen	49-2331
Hamburg	49-40
Hannover	49-511
Heidelberg	49-6221
Herne	49-2323
Kiel	49-431
Leverkusen	49-214
Ludwigshafen/rhein	49-621
Munich	49-89
Oberhausen	49-208
Remscheid	49-2191
Rostock	49-381
Wtirzburg	49-031
Zeitz	49-3441

Emergency Numbers:

• Police 110
• Fire Brigade 112
• Ambulance 115
• Operator (0180) 2001033
• National Directory Enquiries 11833
• National Directory Enquiries (in English) 11837
• International Directory Enquiries 11834

Roadside Assistance

• Central Information ADAC (0180) 5 10 11 12
• Road Assistance ADAC (01802) 22 22 22
• Road Assistance ACE (01802) 34 35 36
• Road Assistance AVD (0691) 66060

Car Hire

• Avis (0180) 555 77 55
• Europcar (0180) 580 00

Rail

• National Rail Enquiries 01 80 59 96 633
• Lost Property (Rail) (0180) 5 99 05 99
• Berlin Lost Property (030) 69 65
• Disabled Travelers (0511) 56 70

Institutes/Medical Help

• Goethe Institute (089) 15 92 10
• Alcoholics Anonymous (089) 316 95 00
• German Youth Hostel Association (05231) 99360
• AIDS Help (030) 690 08 70

Lost Credit Cards/Travelers' Cheques

• American Express (069) 97 97 10 00
• Diner's Club (05921) 86 12 34
• EC and Bank Cards (069) 74 09 87
• Euro/Mastercard (069) 79 33 19 10
• VISA (0800) 89 49 1000

Airlines & Airports

• Air Canada (0180) 5 02 47 226
• Air France (0180) 5 830 830
• British Airways (0180) 5 26 65 22
• Delta Airlines (0180) 333 78 80
• Deutsche BA (0180) 5 35 93 22 22
• Germanwings (0180) 5 955 855
• KLM (0180) 5 254 750
• Lufthansa (0180) 380 38 03
• Qantas (0180) 5 25 06 20
• Singapore Airlines (069) 719 5200
• United Airlines (069) 50 07 03 87)

Airports

• Berlin Tegel Airport (0180) 5 00 01 86
• Berlin Tempelhof Airport (0180) 5 00 01 86
• Berlin Schonefeld Airport (0180) 5 00 01 86
• Bremen-Neuenland Airport (0421) 559 50
• Cologne/ Bonn Airport (02203) 400
• Dresden Airport (0351) 8810
• Düsseldorf Airport (0211) 42 10
• Frankfurt Airport (0180) 5 37 24 636
• Hamburg Airport (040) 507 50
• Hannover Airport (0511) 97 90
• Leipzig Airport (0341) 22 41 155
• Munich Airport (089) 97 52 13 13
• Nuremberg Airport (0911) 937 12 00
• Stuttgart Airport (0711) 94 80

Government & National Organizations

• German National Tourist Board (069) 75 19 03
• Federal Foreign Office (030) 5000 0
• German Post Office (01802) 33 33 [individuals]
• German Post Office (01802) 55 55 [businesses]
• German Rail - train connections and fares 11861
• German Rail - schedules (0800) 1507090 [for mobile phones (01805) 221100 * charged]
• German Rail - questions/problems (01805) 194195
• BahnCard - (01805) 340035

                  
Banks

Opening hours are determined by the individual banks, and can vary greatly although no branches stay open later than 6pm and on Saturdays and Sundays all banks are closed. Many banks have a foyer with ATMs which can be accessed 24 hours a day.

List of banks in Germany:

• State Bank of India - Frankfurt
• Citibank - Düsseldorf
• Deutsche Bundesbank - Frankfurt
• European Central Bank - Frankfurt
• Creditanstalt - Munich
• HypoVereinsbank - Munich

Tips on opening a bank account:

It is quite easy to open a bank account in Germany, although it is essential to be registered in the country and have the correct documentation. The following documents are required:

• Proof of registration in Germany (polizeiliche Anmeldebestätigung): This can only be obtained by EU member state residents or holders of a German residence permit
• Address in Germany: This is written on the registration form and is required to obtain an account in the country
• Passport: As proof of identification
• Student Identification: In order to open a student account

Using a German Bank Account
When writing or reading German numbers, it is important to know the placement of points and commas:

€1000.00 (one thousand Euro) is written: €1.000,00
52.6% (Fifty-two point six percent) is written: 52,6% (zweiundfünfzig Komma sechs Prozent)

Cheques are rarely used in Germany although travellers' cheques (Reisescheck) can be issued by all national banks.

Some common German Banking Terms

English	German
Bank	die Bank
Bank account	das Bankkonto
Bank balance	der Kontostand
Bank book	das Bankbuch
Bank charges	die Bankgebühren
Bank draft	die Bankratte
Bank loan	das Bankdarlehen
Bank manager	der Filialleiter
Bank rate	der Diskontsatz
Bank statement	der Bankauszug
Bank transfer	die Banküberweisung
Bounced cheque	der geplatzter Scheck
Cheque	der Scheck
Cheque book	das Scheckbuch
Credit balance	das Guthaben
Credit card	die Kreditkarte
Current account	das Girokonto
Debit	das Soll
Debit balance	der Soll-Saldo
Deposit	die Einzahlung
Deposit account	das Einlagenkonto
Exchange rate	der Wechselkurs
Fixed rate	die feste Rate
Interest rate	der Zinssatz
Non-resident account	das Ausländerkonto
Overdraft	die Kontoüberziehung
Paying-in slip	der Einzahlungsbelag
Payment slip	der Einzahlungsschein
Travellers' cheques	der Reisescheck

Post Offices
Post offices in larger towns and cities are generally open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, and on Saturdays until midday. At larger railway stations and airports they often stay open for longer and also open on Sundays.

Postage for a standard letter (up to 20g) is €0.55, for postcards €0.45.