The German Federal Foreign Office publishes up-to-date travel and safety recommendations and travel warnings for all countries inside and outside Europe. If you have German nationality you can enter your name into the “crisis help list” (also known as the “Germans list”). This list enables you to be contacted by the local German representation directly in the case of crises or states of emergency. Students with other nationalities should enquire about similar possibilities to get help in crisis situations from the foreign office for their country.

We also suggest that you find out about the legal situation in the target country. Offences which are treated leniently in Germany can sometimes be punished much more harshly abroad.

Please inform us promptly if you cancel your stay abroad or if you end it prematurely. We may be able to work together to find an alternative for you, such as a stay abroad in another location or at another time. Whether you decide on a stay abroad at your own risk against the recommendations of the Foreign Office or whether you decide to end your stay prematurely is up to you. Please inform us without delay and bear in mind possible consequences concerning your financial support which we explain in the following.

If you end your stay abroad (under 90 days) due to Force Majeure which the DAAD and EU Commission also report, the Mobility Grant is calculated exactly according to the number of days. In this case you receive a mobility payment for all the days you were abroad up to your day of departure. However, if Force Majeure is not confirmed and if the stay is less than 90 days, the Mobility Grant has to be repaid.

In the case of the above, if a travel warning has been announced after the commencement of a stay abroad, the DAAD Financial Support Contract states that the recipient has to be requested to leave the country. Unfortunately, in this case, the financial support is discontinued. If the warning is announced before the stay abroad, it is unfortunately not possible for the grant to be paid.

The DAAD regulations state that a grant has to be repaid in full if “the recipient cancels the contract without good reason”. The DAAD considers e.g. “a worsening of the safety situation in the host country” to be good reason for cancellation.

However, before deciding to terminate your grant due to safety reasons, it is essential that you first contact your coordinator from Viadrina International Affairs.