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South Africans in Germany

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Useful apps

Having the correct information available when you need it is priceless. 

Here are some apps that can make your life easier in Germany. Note that for most, we did not add links to the apps, as it is a lot of work to maintain for all operating systems. Use the search function to search the apps

Integration

  • Integreat app – Digital Integration platform
  • Arrive App from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit

Residence card

  • Ausweisapp2 – Use it to identify yourself online with your electronic residence permit 

Mobility

  • DB Navigator – Deutsche Bahn  Navigator to book long-distance train tickets. Local tickets can also be bought. Apple App Store or Google Play store
  • DB App – Deutsche Bahn main app
  • Local public transport apps e.g HVV for Hamburg or VVS for Stuttgart
  • Bicycle hire apps like StadtRAd Hamburg
  • Mobility apps for a taxi, E-Roller, E-Scooter, and carsharing e.g Free Now or Reach Now
  • mobiLet – parking payment app
  • Taxi Deutschland 
  • Voi, Lime and Bolt for E-bike and scooter hire

Public transport in Germany

Public transport in Germany The German public transport system is extensive, reliable and very affordable. The Deutsche Bahn AG is the national railway company and is state-owned. The DB offers long distance, regional and local travel options.Here is a list of PDF Files with the route maps in German Long distance trains Long-distance trains offer fast and convenient connections between major cities. The following types of trains are available for long-distance travel: ICE – InterCity Express. These are high-speed

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Outdoor and sport

  • Komoot – Routes for hiking, running and cycling
  • Strava. Join the South Africans in Germany Group
  • Alltrails – Routes for hiking, running and cycling
  • Outdooractive –  portal for outdoor activities
  • Hiking and tour apps in your region e.g Tours in BW

Maps

  • Offi directions – public transport 
  • HereWeGo (downloadable maps)
  • Google Maps

Medical

  • Doctolib – search and book appointments. You can also search for English-speaking providers
  • Jameda – app to rate and rank medical professionals
  • Shop-Apotheke for buying medication online
  • Doc Morris for medication

Ask a SA Pharmacist in DE

Ask a Pharmacist A few pharmacists with South African backgrounds, now practicing in Germany, have kindly offered to assist our community. They can help by answering questions and providing guidance on possible substitutes for familiar South African pharmaceutical products. ⚠️ Important Disclaimer Always consult a qualified doctor or pharmacist before

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Health product substitutes

Health product substitutes Moving between countries can be tricky, especially when you can’t find your go-to remedies.We’ve put together a simple guide to help you identify German equivalents for common South African health products. Disclaimer We are not medical professionals and do not provide medical advice.While we work with a

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Visiting a doctor

Navigating Healthcare in Germany Visiting a doctor in Germany can feel overwhelming at first, but understanding how the system works will help you feel confident and prepared. When I first arrived in Germany, I was fortunate to travel back to South Africa frequently. I relied on that to manage my

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Weather and warnings

  • DWD WarnWetter App – Deutscher Wetterdienst. Weather warnings by the German Weather service
  • Nina Warn app – Natural disasters and general warnings. This is a must have app
  • Power outages – see where there are current power outages

Entertainment

  • Spotted by locals
  • Open Table – Restaurant bookings
  • Eventim – Concerts etc
  • Radiobox – Worldwide radio station streaming
  • PressReader Inc. – Access to all publications as a member of the local public library. Many German newspapers and magazines but also worldwide, including South African and Afrikaans.

Translators and language

  • Leo Translator
  • Linguee
  • Deepl Translator
  • Dict – excellent German/English Dictionary
  • Google translate, can also translate text on photos
  • Alle Deutschen Wörterbücher – one app with all the different German dictionaries
  • See our Where to learn German page for more apps

Learning German

Master the Language. Embrace the Culture. Embarking on the journey to learn German can be approached in various ways to suit your lifestyle and goals. Online platforms offer the convenience of flexible language courses, while mobile apps make learning easy wherever you are. For a more interactive experience, attending in-person classes can provide practical lessons and opportunities to practice with others. On this page European Language Framework In Germany, the European Language Framework (CEFR) is

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Shopping General

  • Amazon
  • YouPickIt – shows deals of the day at local shops. You can compare prices
  • Momox – Buy and sell second-hand items
  • Rebuy for second-hand shopping
  • Groupon – Discount vouchers
  • Payback – for points collecting and discounts
  • Idealo – Price comparisons

Shopping Clothes

Most shops like C & A, Bonprix, Peek & Cloppenburg have their own apps

Food

  • Hello Fresh for weekly ingredients delivered to you for meal preparation 
  • Flink – Flink promises to deliver groceries “in 10 minutes”
  • Wolt – order food and household goods from the platform’s restaurant and merchant partners
  • Picnic – grocery deliveries
  • Flaschenpost – grocery deliveries
  • Lieferando for restaurant food deliveries
  • Too good to go – Discover shops and restaurants near you with Too Good To Go and save bags of surplus groceries from going to waste – at a great price.
Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay

Where to shop for clothes

We understand how difficult it can be to find the perfect shop where you can buy new clothes. That’s why we took the initiative to put together a comprehensive list of shops that we believe could be helpful in your search. If there are shops that you believe should be included on the list, please don’t hesitate to let us know by visiting our Contact Us page. We value your input and we want to ensure that

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Online payments and delivery apps

Travel

  • Airline apps like Lufthansa or Eurowings
  • Booking.com app for hotel etc bookings
  • Airbnb – Accomodation
  • Momondo flight search and comparison app
  • Moovit for maps, it also shows bus information
  • Fuelflash – compare fuel prices in your area
  • Parkopedia – find parking spots
  • Flush app –  Find a restroom
  • Rome2Rio – handy app to find different ways of getting to your destination
  • The Auswärtige Amt has a Sicher Reisen App. In the app you will find tips and a checklist for your travel preparations, and the addresses of the representations of your destination country in Germany. For problems on site, the app offers you information for emergencies as well as the addresses of the German representations in your travel country.

Communication, social and community

  • Threema, Signal or Whatsapp
  • Discord – There is a South Africans in Germany group that you can join
  • Nebenan – neighbourhood community
  • Familywall – use it to keep a shopping list: each in the family can contribute to the lists
  • Internations – International communities
  • We also have a webpage with a list of South African communities in Germany

Money transfers

Please refer to our Foreign Exchange Information on the following pages ZAR to EUR and  EUR to ZAR

  • Xoom or Paypal
  • Worldremit
  • XE – currency converter. Please note that there is a buying and selling rate for Forex. Most apps show an average

Foreign Exchange- EUR to ZAR

We are not financial advisors and therefore cannot give financial advice. The information here should not be seen as financial advice in any way.Always make informed decisions and speak to a professional when you are unsure. What is exchange control? Foreign exchange controls are various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents or on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB)

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Foreign Exchange- ZAR to EUR

We are not financial advisors and therefore cannot give financial advice. The information here should not be seen as financial advice in any way.Always make informed decisions and speak to a professional when you are unsure. What is exchange control? Foreign exchange controls are various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents or on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB)

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Financial

  • Many banks have mobile apps, see your bank’s website for more information
  • Most medical aid companies have mobile apps where you can submit your claims, and see your documentation

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