Student ID Card (UniCard)

The look of your new UniCard has been completely overhauled to reflect the university’s corporate design. It feature your personal photograph and boasts a number of new functions. These are brought to you by a chip card technology, which is concealed within the card. It enables you to use your UniCard in lieu of the several individual cards you were using until now.

You may use your UniCard to pay at the university’s food vending points. Simply top-up your card at one of the Seezeit terminals and you’re good to go. For maximum convenience, you can register once with the EasyLoad recharging system at Seezeit using your UniCard and a valid EC card. You may also register your new ID with the university’s Canon printing service and use it as a copy card.

In addition, it locks and unlocks the PIN-protected library lockers on levels B4 and N6.

On the backside there’s space for attaching the new Studi-Ticket from the Stadtwerke Konstanz. The optional upgrade offered by the Verkehrsverbund Hegau-Bodensee (VHB-Studi-Ticket) continues to be sold separately.

Your student ID serves as your library card as per usual. Your student ID number continues to double as your library user number.

And of course you still score a number of discounts when presenting your new UniCard. This also goes for participating cultural organisations. Simply present your student ID and take advantage of available discounts or free entry. You’ll need to affix your semester sticker to the back of your UniCard to validate it at the start of the semester. Semester stickers are handed out upon enrolment or re-registration as part of the “Datenkontrollblatt” (personal data sheet).

In order for us to be able to produce your UniCard, we will need a coloured photograph of you that meets certain standards. This photograph serves to identify you as the cardholder. When submitting your portrait, please make sure that you are clearly recognizable – a passport-quality photograph would be ideal [pdf]. It will help to identify you.

Here are a few handy guidelines which you will have to follow in order to receive your UniCard:

• The portrait you submit must be current and coloured (taken within the last year). The resolution must be sufficiently high; it must be rich in contrast and clear.
• Your face must be lit evenly and fully exposed.
• Your portrait should be free of lens reflections (as caused by eye glasses).
• The background should be free of distracting elements and/or shadows.
• The image must conform to a format of 4:3 (hight:width) and vertical.
• Further specifications: the file may not exceed 3 MB, admissible formats are .jpg/.jpeg or .png; the image resolution should be 1024x768 pixels resp. 150dpi.

No other person may be depicted. Photos with animals, with full body or photos where you are not visible, such as with sunglasses or oversized headgear, are also not permitted. Otherwise only your own requirements remain to the photo. After all, it will always accompany you during your studies.

If you do not have a current passport photo of yourself, you are welcome to drop by our “Fotobox” on level B4 during the SSZ opening hours.

The "Fotobox" is available in the entrance area. You can operate them using a touchscreen, and they even include an adjustable table to easily set the right height for your passport photo, e.g. on your UniCard. You have the advantage of being able to preview the picture on the screen and retake it as often as you want before printing it out in just the right format (4:3). You can also choose to create a biometric picture. When it is finished, you can even send the picture via email to your university account. You can then easily upload your picture into ZEuS so we can make your UniCard soon afterwards.

The best part is that this service is completely free of charge for you as a member of the university!

You are eligible for the student ID if you meet the following requirements:

1. You are studying resp. have been enrolled at the University of Konstanz.
2. You have uploaded a suitable passport photo of yourself to ZEuS as part of the enrolment or re-registration process.

How to upload your portrait

1. Log on to ZEuS using your university email address.
2. Click on the "My Studies – Student Service" link, which will take you to the "Pictures” page.
3. In the lower part of the screen, click on
   a) "Upload picture" if you have never uploaded a passport photo before, or on
   b) "Upload another picture", if you want to replace an existing photo.
4. Click on "Browse" to select the file you want to upload from your local computer drive.
5. You are now ready to upload your picture by clicking on the "Upload" button.
6. Next, you will be shown a preview of your passport photo. Please note that we can only accept pictures with a 4:3 format (height:breadth). If your file does not match this format, you can now edit it. Simply hold the left mouse button down and drag.
7. Make sure to "Save" your file once you are finished editing.

The procedure is as follows:

• new students will receive the UniCard together with the data controll sheet after matriculation by post to the study correspondence address stored in ZEuS. IMPORTANT: Please therefore always update your study correspondence address stored in ZEuS very promptly (e.g. after moving into a student hall of residence). From the orientation week of any Winter Semester resp. from the beginning of the lecture period of any Summer Semester on, the documents of late enrollees will be handed out at the front of the SSZ desk (please bring your ID card).
• new international exchange students (non-degree studies and for one or two semester) receive their UniCard centrally via the Incoming Team of the International Office.
• new international students with a degree objective who participate in the International Office's orientation programme "OriPro" and are already enrolled by then will receive their UniCard at this event.
• all other cases (e.g. due to replacement issue, first collection of previous semesters): UniCard collection on site at the SSZ (level B4) during regular opening hours (Mon-Thu 9.30-14.00, Fri 9.30-13.00).
• Students who still have the yellow student card (issued until winter semester 2016/17) will receive the UniCard free of charge in exchange for the old one as soon as all requirements for production have been met, in particular a personal picture has been uploaded to ZEuS.

You can use your UniCard for cashless payments at all facilities managed by Seezeit student services Bodensee (canteen, Al stuDente, cafeteria, CampusCafé, BibCafé, Gießberghütte, SB machines). To top up your credit, you can use manually one of the cash terminals (on level K5) or even better: you register your UniCard and bank card directly for EasyLoad. Please do this at the Seezeit Service Center (on level A5) as well as at one of the tills in the canteen (on level K6).

During the one-off registration, you will need to give Seezeit a SEPA direct debit mandate. Your UniCard will now be automatically topped up at the till every time your balance falls below a minimum value determined by you. You can also determine the exact amount that should be added to your account in case your balance runs low. Whatever amount you decide upon will be credited to your UniCard with immediate effect and subsequently taken from your bank account. More online information about EasyLoad.

The University of Konstanz participates in the initiative European Student Card – in short ESC. This video clip clearly shows what the ESC is all about. Since 1st October 2019, the layout of the UniCard is addinationally equipped with the ESC features. Please note, that there will be no general exchange action and all UniCards currently in circulation can continue to be used unchanged.

The ESC will gradually make it possible for students to use the UniCard as a student ID at all participating institutions throughout the EU in the future. In order to be able to use the UniCard for this purpose, registration on the central server of the ESC initiative is required. As soon as you have received your personal UniCard, you can register independently and voluntarily via the ESC server. Your university email address, the "European Student Identity" (ESI), the "European Student Card Number" (ESCN) and the validity period of the ESI (max. six years from the date of issue of the first UniCard) will be transferred.

As of 10/2019, there is a blue ESC hologram on the lower right-hand side of the front of the card to make it more forgery-proof. Until 10/2022, the "European Student Identity" (ESI) was also located there in an old format that is no longer needed.

A QR code containing a unique web address (URL) is printed on the back. This URL is used to identify the student status throughout Europe and looks like this (sample): http:// esc.gg/6a377012-48b3-1037-94dd-007990797674. The student status is uniquely assigned to each UniCard by the ESCN contained in the QR code. The character string after the last "/" is the ESCN. The student status for using the ESC depends on successful registration on the ESC server.

1. Inform the Student Service Centre (SSZ) that your UniCard is missing by using the contact form and clicking on the topic "Formalities during your studies".

The issuing of a replacement UniCard is subject to a fee (10 euros/piece); this applies both in the case of loss and in the case of recognisable damage. You can pay this fee of 10 euros in cash during the opening hours of the SSZ first at the green SSZ information desk and have a new UniCard issued directly upon presentation of the receipt to the "Student Formalities" section. Alternatively, you can transfer this amount to the Universitätskasse Konstanz (IBAN: DE92600501017486501274) with the reference "Loss of student card UniCard + your matriculation number". Once payment has been received, we will first produce your replacement UniCard and then inform you by email that you can come and collect it on site at the same times on level B4. You will also receive a new semester sticker, which you should affix directly to the back of the UniCard. In the course of the replacement issue, the functions of the old UniCard will be blocked and you will be given important information about the credit transfer at Seezeit (see no. 3).

2. Lockers on levels B4 and N6
If you are using one of the lockers, please consult with KIM Library and information desk on level B4 during their office hours. At all other times, please report to the i-Punkt next to the main entrance on level A5. i-Punkt staff have a master key and can help you open your locker. Important: Please remember that all lockers automatically open every night at 3:00.  

3. Seezeit purse
Please visit the Seezeit Service Center on level A5 (by the campus café) to have your credit transferred to your new UniCard. In order for this to happen, Seezeit will need your current UniCard and the invisible number of the previous Seezeit purse. You will receive this information when you first report to SSZ to collect your replacement card (see no. 1).  

Important:
Please note that until your credit has been transferred to your replacement card, anybody can use your old UniCard to pay for Seezeit services, so make sure to transfer your credit as soon as possible! For technical reasons, transfers go into effect on the next working day. This means that you will not be able to use your new UniCard until the next day.   

Notes and to-do list in case of typical malfunctions:
Your Seezeit purse has an expiry date. When this date is reached, the purse ceases to function. When you try to top-up your Seezeit credit at one of the terminals you will receive an error message (“Fehlercode 403”). You can have your purse renewed by presenting your UniCard with current semester sticker at one of the Seezeit cashier desks or at the Seezeit Service Centre. You may encounter various other error messages when using the Seezeit terminals. “Fehlercode 217” means that your UniCard purse is no longer working due to a software defect. “Fehlercode 620” means that your attempt to top-up your credit as failed. If you encounter any of these errors, please go to Seezeit Service Center on level A5 (near the campus café).  

4. Canon printing service
To transfer credits for the Canon printing service to your new card, please connect your UniCard with your uni email account (once only) at any of the university’s Canon printers. Your credit or any pending print orders will automatically link to your new ID card. Please note: Until you have successfully transferred your printing credit, anybody can use your old card to access and pay for printing services.

(1) Purpose and validation

Students enrolled at the University of Konstanz receive their free student photo ID after matriculating at the beginning of the semester. It identifies the cardholder as a student and member of the University of Konstanz. It serves as your library card and may be used to pay at facilities managed by Seezeit student services and for the Canon printing service. You may affix the Studi-Ticket from Stadtwerke Konstanz in sticker form to the back of your student ID. Your ID is only valid in combination with a current semester sticker as described in paragraph 3. The semester sticker enables third parties to check whether you are currently enrolled as a student. The student ID cannot be used as an official means of identification like a national ID card or passport (Personalausweis/Reisepass).

(2) Issue guidelines

First-time and newly enrolled students receive the UniCard by post after their identity has been established (upload of identity card/passport) and enrolment has taken place to the study correspondence address stored in ZEuS. IMPORTANT: Please therefore always update your study correspondence address stored in ZEuS very promptly (e.g. after moving into a student hall of residence). From the start of lectures, the UniCards of late enrollees will be handed out at the front of the SSZ desk on level B4 (please bring your ID card). The same applies to all other cases, e.g. due to replacement issue, first collection of earlier semesters. If the photo does not represent you, but another person, or if the photo is changed in any other way (so-called "fun photos"), the UniCard will not be issued. Instead, a replacement UniCard must be issued at your expense. The cost is 10 euros.

(3) Using your semester sticker

The semester sticker is usually issued to the user as part of his or her personal data sheet before the beginning of the semester, after successful enrolment or re-registration. It documents the time period for which the student will be a member of the University of Konstanz and is valid for one semester at a time. The self-adhesive semester sticker is to be affixed to the backside of the ID card by the beginning of the semester. Please remove expired stickers and Studi-Tickets first. Please also remove any adhesive rest with a little bit alcoholic glass cleaner.

(4) Third-party use

The student ID is non-transferable. Students are not allowed to give away, sell, or knowingly let others use their ID card. Any third-party use will be regarded as a violation of the terms of use and may result in legal action. You are expected to take precautions in order to prevent others from using your ID card. The University of Konstanz is not liable for damages caused by internal or external use of your student ID card unless the damage was caused either deliberately or as a result of gross negligence on the part of university employees or representatives.

(5) Liability resulting from non-compliance with the terms of use

Students are liable in respect to the University for all damages caused to the University of Konstanz as a consequence of non-compliance with these terms of use or the fraudulent use of the ID card.

(6) Obligation to return the card at the end of your studies

The student ID is the property of the university. Students may no longer carry a student ID once their university membership has been terminated (exmatriculation). No notice is given or required on the part of the University of Konstanz. Students are obliged to return their student IDs. Further use is strictly prohibited. Students who exmatriculate themselves must turn in their ID card along with the exmatriculation request to a staff member of the SSZ. If you are exmatriculating while the term is still in session, you may keep your student ID until the end of the semester. It must be returned to the SSZ once the semester has ended. If you are exmatriculating with immediate effect while the term is still in session, your ID will be retained by the SSZ or re-issued with a new expiration date. Students who are being exmatriculated by act of law and have received notification of exmatriculation must return their student ID to the SSZ as soon as exmatriculation comes into effect (either in person or by posting it to the address provided on the exmatriculation notification). However, if there is a wish to keep the UniCard as a souvenir after graduation, this can be made possible by physically recognisable unusability (punching/cutting). Students are responsible for ensuring that any remaining credit is reimbursed as described in paragraph 8.

(7) What to do in case of loss or damage

Loss of your student ID must be reported immediately to the SSZ and the Library Information Centre. The same applies in the case of damage to the ID card which could affect its usability in the library or payment functions. In case of loss or damage students may apply to the SSZ for a replacement ("Ersatzausstellung"). All remaining functions on your old card will be disabled. Students are obliged to treat their ID with care and to protect it against harmful influences such as bending, scratching and direct sunlight.

(8) Transferring your credit after replacement or having your credit reimbursed after exmatriculation

Every student ID card comes with a unique purse number. You will need it in order to transfer credit from a lost or damaged ID card to the new one. If you are being issued with a replacement as set out in paragraph 7, you will also be given the invisible number of the previous Seezeit purse necessary for transferring your credit. You can get your Seezeit credit transferred at Seezeit student services on level A5 (near the Campus Café) and your Canon printing credit at the Canon printing service, also on level A5 (near main entrance/bus stop). The same applies where reimbursement is due because of exmatriculation, except that your Seezeit credit will be reimbursed at one of the cafeteria cashiers on level K6. We recommend that you have any credit balance refunded before you apply for exmatriculation; this applies all the more if you intend to exmatriculate with immediate effect.

(9) Cost of replacement

You are generally required to pay for a student ID replacement. The current fee is 10 euros per ID card (§ 2 Verwaltungsgebührensatzung der Universität Konstanz (University of Konstanz administrative fees regulation)). 

Functions, characteristics, stored data, students' rigths

Functions

Your UniCard serves as your student ID and as your library card with optional use as

• cashless payment (in the cafeteria and any other facilities managed by Seezeit student services).
• copy card (for use with the Canon printing service).
• key to lock up a locker at the levels B4 and N6.
• Studi-Ticket (for the Stadtwerke Konstanz).
• since 10/2019: European Student Card (ESC).
• since 11/2022: bwCard.

Characteristics

• Logos: University of Konstanz, Seezeit student services, Internationale Bodensee-Hochschule (IBH), since 11/2022: bwCard and Stadtwerke Konstanz.
• Imprint of the student’s personal photograph.
• Text: family name, first name/s, date of birth, student ID number (incl. barcode), until 06/2024 in case of loss: a library identification according to the matriculation number ("A", "B" etc.), card ID number (bwCard), indication of where to find the terms of use online, a QR-code, from 10/2019 to 10/2022: European Student Identity (ESI) in an old format that is no longer needed.
• Contactless, integrated chip.

Stored data

Printed (in German and English):
Designation, picture, surname, first name/s, date of birth, matriculation number (also as barcode), until 06/2024 in case of loss: a library identification according to the matriculation number ("A", "B" etc.), ID number (bwCard), validity in the form of a self-adhesive semester stamp, reference to the website of the terms of use, QR code, from 10/2019 to 10/2022: European Student Identity (ESI) in an old format that is no longer required.

Digital information stored on the chip:
Chip serial number, Seezeit purse for the "students" group, authorisation control for the use of lockers, bwCard number, since 11/2022: ESI in the current, technically required format, European Student Card Number (ESCN), home domain "uni-konstanz.de".

Students' rights

Students are users of the student ID or UniCard. Users enjoy the rights under section VII. of the information on data protection at the University of Konstanz.