Practical Information for HIM Guests
Once you have been invited to participate in a Trimester Program at HIM, or to visit HIM for a conference or a school, you can find here all the practical information needed to prepare your stay at HIM and to make the most while at HIM in Bonn. We are looking forward to hosting you!
All invited guests and selected applicants will be asked to complete the HIM registration. Once registered, you will receive an official invitation letter from the Director of HIM, outlining the details of your stay. Below you will find key information and guidelines to support a smooth and well-prepared stay:
Long-term guests to the HIM are offered fellowships. Payments are initiated by HIM, but executed by the University of Bonn Administration. As of 2025, a German tax ID number is required for all payments made by the University of Bonn Administration. You will be asked on the HIM registration form whether you have a German tax ID. If not, we will provide you with information on how to apply for it.
Approximately five months before the program starts, HIM will ask you to finalize the dates of your stay. Afterward, a central registration process by the Bonn University Administration will take place: HIM will complete the first part, and you will be asked to complete the second part. As a result,. a fellowship agreement, a hosting agreement for visa application purposes, a Uni-ID and a Guest Researcher Card will be issued.
At HIM, we welcome visitors who come with their families. Our parent-child office allows parents to combine work and child care. And several of the guest apartments are outfitted to allow for a comfortable stay with a partner and with children - both babies and toddlers, and kids. Long-term guests traveling with children under the age of 12 are offered a family allowance. For week-long events child-care at the HIM can be arranged upon request.
To improve our guests' chances of finding accommodation, HIM manages a limited pool of centrally located furnished apartments of differing sizes. HIM apartments are primarily offered to HIM Trimester Program participants as well as guests from the HCM. If you are interested in renting a guest apartment, contact your respective programs coordinator to make a request by the communicated due date. If applicable, please do not forget to indicate special needs such as accompanying persons etc. in your request.
We urge you to make early enquiries at the German foreign mission/consulate that is in charge for the area where you are officially registered and check the up-to-date guidelines.
The official HIM invitation letter is usually sufficient for visa application. If not, please contact Emma Seggewiss.
In order to find out if you need a visa or which visa you need, we recommend using the following service: Auslandsportal | Visa Navigator.
General visa information and application procedures can be found here.
Health insurance is mandatory for all researchers and their family members accompanying them. Immigration authorities require proof of comprehensive health insurance when you apply for a visa.
For short-term stays (less than three months), a travel health insurance valid for the entire Schengen area (with a minimum coverage of EUR 30,000) is required. Where possible, this should be taken out in the applicant’s own country.
Please note that health insurance coverage needs to be valid from the very first day in Germany. First check whether your insurance at home covers medical and hospital expenses incurred during your stay abroad. The insurance company should confirm to you in writing that coverage is valid in Germany. Usually, this is only the case if there is a Social Security Agreement ("Sozialversicherungsabkommen") between Germany and your home country (information can be obtained from the authorities and health insurance companies in your own country). If there is no Social Security Agreement or if the insurance is not adequate, you will have to take out a personal (travel) insurance policy.
The closest airport is Cologne/Bonn (CGN) (26 km). The express bus SB60 shuttles to and from the airport from Bonn city center. One ride takes approx. 30 minutes, and a one-way ticket costs approx. 10 EUR. For details see here. The bus terminal (ZOB) in Bonn is adjacent to the central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) in the center of town and very close to HIM.
Please come to the Trimester Program Coordinator Office on the first working day of your stay to check-in (1st floor of Poppelsdorfer Allee 45, office 14).
Click here for information about the HIM team.
The Institute is housed in two buildings on Poppelsdorfer Allee, 53115 Bonn, both of which house guest offices. The lecture rooms, as well as the administrative staff are in the Institute proper at Poppelsdorfer Allee 45. HIM is a non-smoking facility in accordance with federal law.
An alarm system has been installed (in all HIM facilities including both buildings, the backyard and the garage) that is automatically activated/deactivated at various times during the night. The corresponding times are mentioned on your desk. The alarm is triggered by movement and is equipped with silent transmission to Security. Non-observance of this injunction and a triggered false alarm will result in a penalty (EUROs).
We host a daily - Monday through Friday - afternoon tea time with complimentary coffee, tea, fruit and cake to all Trimester Program participants around 3:30 pm on the ground floor at Poppelsdorfer Allee 45. You will also find a coffee machine and a water dispenser in the kitchen on the ground floor, which you are free to use!
Besides the program events, each week of the Trimester Program includes numerous activities, such as a seminar series, lecture series, reading courses and so on. You are welcome to discuss your ideas for such additional acitivites with the Program Organizers and the HIM Program Coordinators.
The lecture hall and the common room on the ground floor may only seat the limited number of guests (up to 49 and up to 10). The digital projector in the lecture hall is connected to a PC.
School and workshop lectures can be video recorded and made available on the HIM Youtube channel upon the speakers’ approval. Contact IT-Support of Popp 45 for assistance.
HIM offices are reserved for long-term guests within (Junior) Trimester Programs. For short-term guests, we will check availability at the check-in upon arrival. Thank you for using the assigned office/desk only!
Many offices in the Institute are equipped with Viewboards and a short instruction on how to use them. For a live presentation, please contact the IT-support.
The key for your under-desk drawer can be picked up upon arrival at the institue.
Generally speaking, absences contradict the explicit purpose of your invitation. Unavoidable absences should be announced in advance (email your respective programs coordinator with dates and purpose). Absences for scientific commitments of one working day per week are reasonable; longer absences may result in a reduction of your fellowship.
HIM does not have its own WIFI network, corresponding to the University of Bonn policy. You will have to use an EDUROAM account (only via your personal credentials, in connection to your home institution). In case you do not have EDUROAM, please contact our IT-Support.
Popp 45, basement: There is a monochrome laser printer with duplex support.
Popp 45, ground floor, rear hallway between living room and lecture hall: There is a monochrome laser printer with duplex support.
Popp 45, 1st floor, room 13: You will find a Xerox Workcentre (copy/print/scan to email/USB flash drive), a monochrome laser printer with duplex support, and a shredder.
Popp 45, 2nd floor, room 20: There is a monochrome laser printer with duplex support.
Popp 82, 1st floor: You will find a Xerox Workcentre (copy/ print/scan to email/USB-Stick) in the kitchen.
HIM telephones allow outgoing calls within the University system and within the city limits of Bonn.
For internal calls within the University or HIM, just dial the four or five digit extension (your own extension can be found in the second row on your phone display (five digits, starting 62 . . . ). For city calls, first dial a zero in order to get an outside line, followed by the phone number.
Receiving calls
For calls from within Germany, your caller must dial: 0228 (area code for Bonn) – 73 (for Bonn University) - xxxxx (your extension). For calls from abroad, your caller has to dial the country code for Germany +49 followed by 228 73xxxxx (your extension). In some cases, the country code +49 is preceded by a number for international calls, e.g. from U.S.A. it is necessary to first dial 011 i.e., 011 49 228 73…
To receive Postal Mail or Parcels, you may use this address
HIM (1st line)
Attn: Your name (2nd line)
Poppelsdorfer Allee 45
53115 Bonn
Germany
Once we receive mail for you, we will inform you correspondingly.
You will receive a nametag including your HIM-ID Card at check-in at the Programs Coordination office.
You can benefit at the following facilities with your HIM-ID Card:
- Cafeterias of the University of Bonn
- HIM Bikes
- Libraries of the University of Bonn
- University Sport
The Radstation is an occupational training center under the auspices of the charity organization Caritas. The Radstation maintains, exclusively for HIM Trimester Program guests, a fleet of 30 serviced bicycles that accommodate different gender and height.
Please read the brochure handed out at check-in carefully for procedures, costs and liability before you contact the Radstation.
In the basement of the Poppelsdorfer Allee 45 you will find a washing machine, tumble dryer, iron and ironing board for your use which you may use free of charge.
The "Fire Safety Regulations" are prominently displayed in each office. For your own safety, please take a moment to read through them. With your signature at registration, you confirm that you understand the Fire Safety Regulations, know where to find them, and your responsibility to follow them.
The Welcome Center is the central service point at the University of Bonn for international postdocs, visiting researchers and professors. They provide advice and practical support so you can get off to a good start in Bonn.
This calender shows all events in mathematics in Bonn.
HIM does not maintain its own physical library, but you can access "MathSciNet" and "Zentralblatt". You have access to two physical resources:
Reference library in the Max-Planck-Institute.
Departmental library at the Mathematik-Zentrum (MZ).
You can receive access to both by providing your HIM or Uni Bonn ID.
University cafeterias (Mensa) are open to the public. There are different price categories for students, employees and all others. Please show your HIM or Uni Bonn ID to the staff of "Café Campo" within the "Campus Mensa Poppelsdorf", located next to the Mathematics Center, where you can buy a Mensa card for 5 EUR (refundable if you return it!) and you will receive the employee discount.
The University of Bonn sports department offers a huge variety of sports activities in various facilities at low cost. HIM guests are allowed to register as employees in order to profit from the low tariffs. Please provide your HIM or Uni Bonn ID.
Emergency Fire: +49 112
Emergency Police: +49 110
Emergency Ambulance: +49 112
Credit Card Freeze: +49 116 116
Medical Clinics: +49 (0)228 287 120 00
Children's Hospital: +49 (0)228 287 372 03
Key and Locksmith: +49 (0)177 822 5839 / +49 (0)157 354 3057 5
Taxi: +49 (0)228 555 555
- Map of Bonn
- Local newspaper "General-Anzeiger"
- Bonn City Information
- Public holidays
- The Researcher’s Mobility Portal Germany
- Bonn University Welcome Center
- The German Federal Foreign Office
- German Federal Ministry of the Interior
- Study-in-Germany
- DAAD
- International Club
- Highlights of North-Rhine-Westfalia (NRW)
- Cultural Events in Bonn
- Museums
- Tourist Information
- Bonnjour
- StattReisen Bonn
Please come to the Trimester Program Coordinator office on the lastworking day of your stay to check-out (1st floor of Poppelsdorfer Allee 45, office 14).
We hope that you will have enjoyed your stay at HIM! Shortly before you are going to leave Bonn, we will send you a checklist to facilitate your departure. This will include the following:
- Check-out at the HIM Programs Coordination office in the institute (1st floor Poppelsdorfer Allee 45, office 14)
- Return the under-desk drawer key and headsets
- Return your bike to the "Radstation"
- Clear your work desk before you leave HIM
- Leave your apartment tidy
- Return the apartment keys
- Remember to save your electronic data on a USB device and take it with you
HIM actively encourages you and your collaborators to provide preprints that have evolved as a result of the work done during your stays at HIM. Please put your preprint on the arXiv and inform public relations of HCM, who will add your article to the preprint list of the relevant Trimester Program on the HIM website. To add it on our website, a reference to the HIM trimester program and an acknowledgment to HIM and the DFG is necessary. To acknowledge support by the DFG, please include the following statement.
„... funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany ́s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2047/1 – 390685813.“
Before you leave Bonn, please take 15 minutes to complete a brief report for the official records of HIM. The template will be sent to you shortly before your departure.
Please send your report here.