Table of Contents
Current information about the Semesterticket for summersemester 2025
Update 11.4.2025
After we thought we had finally figured out the best way to deal with technical problems yesterday, the S-Bahn introduced a new contact form for technical problems yesterday evening and claims that this is the fastest way to get help and a solution in case of problems. Unlike the procedure recommended below, we have not yet had any personal experience with it and therefore cannot say whether it really works better, but we would like to refer to it anyway: https://sbahn.berlin/kontakt/kontaktformular-deutschlandsemesterticket/
If this does not work, please continue to try the procedure described on 10.4.
Update 10.04.2025
Hello,
the S-Bahn Berlin is responsible for technical problems!
If your ticket is still not working, we recommend the following procedure to get your ticket as quickly as possible:
1. You have a cell phone on which you cannot download the S-Bahn Berlin app or on which the app cannot be opened?
→ In this case, the S-Bahn will issue you with a chip card. However, you have to go to the customer office at Ostbahnhof. (S-Bahn customer office Ostbahnhof (gallery) In the main hall, gallery, 1st floor Koppenstraße 3, 10243 Berlin Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 08:00 - 20:00 Fri: 08:00 - 18:00 )
2. You have ordered a ticket using the procedure described, but it is not yet displayed in the app?
The error may be in different places. Please check in the following order:
- In the Zedat portal of the university you will find the fee notification where Enrollment is also available. If the semester ticket is listed there, you are entitled to the ticket and can proceed to the next point. (If not, you have not registered, have not paid for a ticket and will not receive one).
- Try the registration process again as shown in the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-z58fSldOg If you have not done this completely, it may be that you have not yet requested your ticket and it will take a few days (up to 5 days) for the ticket to be displayed. If you have already ordered a ticket, you should sooner or later receive an error message that you have already ordered a ticket and cannot order another one. Then go to the next step.
- Call the S-Bahn Berlin. Their number is +49 30 29743333. From our own experience, you may be put on hold for up to 20 minutes until you get through, but so far we have always got through eventually. Tell them your problem. They can check whether your application can be found in their system (ask them to look up your passport name, the name you gave them at the university, various e-mail addresses, matriculation number, etc.. e-mail addresses, matriculation number and so on) and hopefully help you if they can find you. (Apparently there have been cases where there was a confusion with the e-mail addresses given and the university e-mail address, which could be solved in this way).
- If the people on the hotline tell you that your application cannot be found in the system, but you have actually submitted a correct application, your problem is one level lower on the technical side of the S-Bahn. You can then tell the hotline that they should create a technical ticket for your case and pass it on to the people in Student Support. Unfortunately, you can only reach the people responsible for the tech by email at studisupport@sbahn.berlin. Experience has shown that they may not reply very quickly, but unfortunately there is no other way to contact them. Describe your case to them and give them your name, matriculation number, university e-mail address and so on. And hopefully they can solve your problem.
General information:
- We have been promised by the S-Bahn that you can get a refund for tickets that you have booked in the meantime, despite having paid for your semester ticket, in order to remain mobile. Of course, we cannot guarantee this, but we would like to pass this information on anyway. Send your tickets and identifying data (name, student number, university email address, ...) to kontakt@sbahn.berlin as soon as you finally have your ticket (only then will you be in their system and they can check your ticket eligibility).
- It is possible that various offices will try to refer you to your university, the AStA, us as the semester ticket office or similar. However, all technical problems definitely lie with the S-Bahn! The AStA and we as the semester ticket office have absolutely nothing to do with the technology. The AStA is the institution that signed the contract, but the S-Bahn is responsible for the technical implementation. If you generally want to complain about the fact that the contract was signed by the AStA, you can of course complain to their office at info@astafu.de. We were also in contact with the university's technical department, which is responsible for data transfer to the S-Bahn, and this is definitely not the problem. The problem is definitely with the S-Bahn technology, so don't let them put you off.
- We are really very sorry that the S-Bahn has still not managed to ensure that all students have a functioning ticket without any complications. We share your dissatisfaction and anger about this, but unfortunately we don't have any more options for action.
We hope that this will solve your problem as quickly as possible.
Kind regards,
your Semtix
Update 28.3.2025
The S-Bahn finally realized, that there are a lot of problems with their App and informs on their website about some of the most common ones: https://sbahn.berlin/en/tickets/all-tickets/school-students-apprentice-students/deutschlandsemesterticket/ and https://sbahn.berlin/en/tickets/login-problems-app-what-to-do/
- According to their website students with iPhones 7, SE (1. generation) or older should come to the S-Bahn customer office at Ostbahnhof from march 31, and will apparently be offered a solution there.
adress: S-Bahn Kundenbüro Ostbahnhof (Galerie) In der Haupthalle, Galerie, 1. OG Koppenstraße 3, 10243 Berlin
Mo-Do: 08.00 – 20.00 Uhr Fr: 08.00 – 18.00 Uhr
- If you have an error message when trying to log into the app they recommend the following process:
1. Log in to the app with your online subscription access data (from abo-antrag.de). If you do not have a subscription online account, use your known app access data.
2. If you still see an error message, please use the forgotten password function in the app.
3. If this does not solve the problem either, please register again in the app.
If this does not solve your problem please continue to contact studisupport@sbahn.berlin
Update 27.3.2025
- With all technical problems concerning the ticket please contact the S-Bahn directly: studisupport@sbahn.berlin.
- Some of you now have access to your ticket, but are wondering, that it is only valid for one month. As long as you are not exmatriculated or exempted the ticket will automatically be renewed for the next month. Here is the relevant paragraph from the instructions: "The ticket is updated monthly (only displayed for the current
month). In order for the travel authorization to be delivered, the cell phone must be switched on and connected to the Internet. If the cell phone cannot be reached at the time the travel authorization is updated, the update will take place after the cell phone is switched on again and connected to the Internet." - We are working on all other problems and will update our website with the relevant information as soon as we have it.
Update 25.3.2025
Unfortunately many students currently have problems accessing their ticket. If something does not work for you at least you are not alone with that and we are working on fixing it. It is possible that you just ave to wait until the 27.3. when your ticket will update in the app, but currently we cant really say which problems are going to solve themselves and which ones are not. We have informed the students records and registration office, which is responsible for sending the data to the S-Bahn, about all the current problems, and they are also working on finding out what the problems are and how to fix them.
If we have any updates we will post them here first.
Update 24.3.25
Dear students of the FU,
the option to download the Deutschlandsemesterticket for the coming semester will be available starting today (24.3.25). As the registration procedure and the provision of the ticket will change, we ask you to read description carefully - so that you can continue to be mobile after 01.04.2025!
Information and changes for the summer semester 2025
- Students on continuing education master degree programs are once again included in the group of eligible students and will receive a Deutschlandsemesterticket.
- As the semester ticket will be issued by the S-Bahn in the summer semester and you will receive it in the S-Bahn app in future, the process by which you receive your ticket will change. You will find instructions on this process further down in the email.
So that you can use your ticket in time for the start of the semester on 01.04.2025, you must have completed the registration process by 24.03.2025. Your ticket will then be available in the S-Bahn app from 27.03.2025. For all registrations after 24.03.2025, the processing of your data by the S-Bahn will take up to 5 working days. Provision by 01.04.2025 is therefore no longer guaranteed.
In order for the ticket to be delivered, the mobile phone must be switched on and connected to the Internet. If the student's mobile phone is not reachable at the time the ticket is updated, the update will take place after the mobile phone is switched on again and connected to the Internet. For the following months, the update will take place automatically at the turn of the month.
How do I register for the Deutschlandsemesterticket in the summer semester 2025?
You can find instructions on the registration process and how to retrieve the ticket here:
- as a video tutorial, accessible via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFCCjoFQ-Fw
- pdf document tutorial you can find here: https://astafu.de/sites/default/files/2025-03/Anleitung_Studierende_ENGLISH.pdf Please note variant 2 for the FU-Berlin.
- as written instructions as follows:
- Login via portal https://abo-antrag.de/studium
- Abo-Portal: Select University (->FU-Berlin)
- log in with university login data (zedat)
- agree to the privacy policy
- an overview with product information appears. Everything is already filled in automatically. You just have to click on “Continue”
- complete the order
- “You will receive an order confirmation shortly”
S-Bahn app
1. download the “S-Bahn app”
2. agree to the privacy policy
3. menu → My subscription
4. Login through the Zedat-Single-Sign-On
Load ticket
1. log in to the S-Bahn app
2. ticket will be displayed after 5 working days at the latest
Attention: There is still a bug for iOS users. Please wait about 15 seconds after logging in. The login bar will then disappear and the ticket area will become visible.
Background informations about the semester ticket: The semester ticket is based on a contract between the public transport companies BVG and S-Bahn and the AStA FU. This contract has been renegotiated every semester since the introduction of the Deutschland-Ticket. The AStA is elected by the student parliament and decides whether to sign the contract.
If you have any further questions, contact us by email or phone during our office hours. Best regards, Your Semtix Semesterticket Office AStA FU Berlin Semesterticketbüro AStA FU Berlin Thielallee 36 14195 Berlin Phone: +49 (0)30-83 90 91-40 Mail: semtixbuero@astafu.de
Update 13.3.25:
Dear students of the FU,
An e-mail has just been sent out with the latest information on how to download the semester ticket
for the coming semester.
Many of you have already tried this and found that it is not yet possible. You are not alone in this,
and you didn’t do something wrong, because the technical implementation is still being worked on
at the moment and the e-mail was therefore sent too early.
We apologize for this confusion.
We don't want to flood you with e-mails either, but you will receive the final information on how to
get your ticket in the coming week.
Until the new information arrives next week
- do not install the app yet
- do not register in person (next week this will be possible via the university)*
*If you have registered and it worked, just wait and see
As always, you can find all the latest information on our website (https://astafu.de/semesterticket).
Best regards,
Your Semtix
Update 16.1.25:
Alterations for the Germanysemesterticket during summersemester 2025
- Students in Continuing Education Master’s Degree Programs will also recieve a semesterticket during summersemester 2025. They will then have the same rights and obligations concerning the ticket as all other students.
- Different to last semester the ticket will be provided through the „S-Bahn Berlin“ App. We will post more information about the exact process here as soon as we have it.
Current information about the Semesterticket for winter term 2024/25
update 16. of september
Deadline: If you want the money for the whole semester, we need your complete application by the end of september. Otherwise these deadlines apply: https://astafu.de/en/semesterticket/exemption#deadlines-wise-2024-25
Refund
Your refund can take up to 40 working days and in special cases even longer. This means that you have to count 40 working days from your notification (Monday to Friday only)!
Please refrain from making inquiries in advance, we cannot give updates on every single application, unfortunately we do not have enough office capacity for this.
If you have already received individual amounts before the 40 working days have expired, don't be surprised, these are either repayments of the social fund contribution or the FU fees, which will be transferred separately from the reimbursement of the semester ticket fee.
June 17, 2024
The semester ticket for the winter semester 24/25 will again only be available as an online ticket in your Zedat account.
It will only be valid as a digital ticket, in combination with an ID document, on a digital device (cell phone, laptop, iPod, tablet). It is not possible to print it out (we tried very hard to change this, but unfortunately it was not accepted). This means that the ticket inspectors will not accept the ticket in paper form or as a screenshot.
Eligible students can obtain the Deutschlandsemesterticket via their ZEDAT portal. By clicking on Deutschlandsemesterticket under Services for students, you will be redirected to the RIDE app. This is where students receive their ticket. You can then show the ticket as a QR code and save it on your cell phone, for example in a digital wallet.
The ticket is a solidarity ticket, i.e. all students receive the ticket and can only be exempted from it with a valid reason for exemption. You can find the reasons for exemption here: https://astafu.de/en/en/semesterticket/faq/exemption#who-is-entitled-to-apply-for-an-exemption
After long negotiations, we have managed to include doctoral students in the ticket again! Yeah
Your re-registration request therefore includes the ticket price, which you must pay.
Unfortunately, it is no longer a reason for exemption to do a doctorate at the FU from the winter semester onwards. However, doctoral candidates can still be exempted for all the other reasons for exemption listed here: https://astafu.de/en/en/semesterticket/faq/exemption#who-is-entitled-to-apply-for-an-exemption
Our exemption forms are currently being revised and are therefore not up to date. However, you can use them provisionally for an application with a valid reason for exemption.
! Please remember! Bicycle transportation is no longer included in the new ticket!
Current information about the Semesterticket for summer term 2024
!Please keep in mind the transport of bikes is no longer included in the new semesterticket!
2. of april 2024
Dear students,
Here is the information that you also received by e-mail from the Student Administration.
The semester ticket is now only valid as a digital ticket, in combination with an ID document, on a digital device (cell phone, laptop, iPod, tablet). It is not possible to print it out (we tried very hard to change this, but unfortunately it was not accepted). This means that the ticket inspectors will not accept the ticket in paper form.
Eligible students can obtain the Deutschlandsemesterticket via their ZEDAT portal. By clicking on Deutschlandsemesterticket under Services for students, you will be redirected to the RIDE app. This is where students receive their ticket. You can then show the ticket as a QR code and save it on your cell phone, for example in a digital wallet.
From 01 April 2024, the Campuscard can no longer be used as a semester ticket
, but will continue to be valid as mensa card and in the libraries. Think of validating it!
26.03.2024
The ticket will be available as a Qr code via your personal Zedat page. You will find out more details today! in an e-mail from the student administration! One thing is certain: The ticket will be available before April 1st!
The ticket will only be valid via a digital device. This means that it will not be accepted in paper form. We really tried to avert this, but unfortunately VBB and BVG were not prepared to make any changes on this point.
You will receive the semester ticket in the summer semester 2024 as a discounted nationwide Germany semester ticket for €181.40 per semester (€176.40 ticket, €5 contribution to the social fund). The draft contract for the Deutschlandsemesterticket provides for fundamental changes to the groups of people who are entitled to the Deutschlandsemesterticket.
Who gets the ticket:
The following groups of people are not entitled to a ticket and are excluded from using the Deutschlandsemesterticket:
- Doctoral students
- Distance learning students
- Students in continuing education Master's degree programs
All other students who are full-time students at the FU receive the ticket! Also people with a firm ticket.
The following exceptions apply to:
Exemptions from the Deutschlandsemesterticket:
The following groups of people can! be exempted from the Deutschlandsemesterticket:
1. students who spend at least three consecutive months of the respective semester outside the area of validity of the Deutschlandsemesterticket for study-related reasons
2. students who are enrolled at two universities with a Deutschlandsemesterticket can be reimbursed at one university
3. for students who are demonstrably enrolled more than one month after the start of the semester, are exmatriculated in the current semester, withdraw their enrolment, are granted a leave of absence with retroactive effect in the current semester or are demonstrably so seriously ill in the current semester that they would be entitled to a semester of leave of absence
4. students who are unable to use public transportation due to their disability. This also includes temporary disabilities if they also preclude the use of local public transport for the semester. The requirements must be proven by a medical certificate.
5. students who are taking a semester off. The fee must first be paid, only then can you submit an application for exemption to us.
Non-use of the semester ticket is not a reason for exemption! reason for exemption!
Unfortunately students who study part time are not eligible for an exemtion anymore.
Campus Card:
The Campus Card will continue to be used as a
- student ID card,
- library card and
- MensaCard
and must be validated to maintain its validity. However, it will no longer be valid as proof of the semester ticket. The new semester ticket will probably be available as a digital ticket, more detailed information is still pending. We will inform you in good time before the start of the semester.
Please refrain from sending questions by e-mail.
We would also like to point out that the exemption forms currently need to be revised due to changes to the contracts. The reasons for exemption on these forms are therefore not up to date. What is currently valid is what is written here on the website!
All statements without guarantee.
status from January 16th, 2024
Next week you will receive the re-registration request with a new amount for the semester ticket and a modified semester ticket.
Starting with the summer semester 2024, you will receive the semester ticket as a discounted Deutschlandticket that can be used for regional trains throughout Germany for 181,40 € per semester (176,40€ Ticket, 5,-€ social fund). The ticket will not be printed on the Campuscard as previously but can be obtained digitally.
The conditions for using the ticket and the basis for exemptions from the semester ticket will change in the coming semester. For this reason, you cannot currently submit any exemptions to us.
We will keep you informed about further developments here. Please refrain from contacting us directly for the time being.
Unfortunately, doctoral students are excluded from the semester ticket for the summer semester 2024. You did not have to pay for the semester ticket when you re-registered this time. An alternative to the semester ticket is, for example, the 49-euro ticket. Please inform yourselves about this.