How to open a bank account in Germany as a newcomer

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

You need a current account, in German Girokonto, for your salary, your rent and nearly every contract. Opening one is usually quick. Newcomers sometimes get refused because they have no credit history yet, and that is what the basic account is for.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source linked at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

Step by step

1. Choose a bank

   Branch banks and savings banks (Sparkasse, Volksbank) have counters and advisers. Direct banks work online only and are often cheaper. Compare the monthly account fee and the cost of cash withdrawals.

   Done

2. Prepare your documents

   You need a valid identity document: passport, residence permit or similar. Most banks also ask for the registration confirmation (Meldebescheinigung) and a German postal address. You must be at least 18.

   Done

3. Apply and prove your identity

   In a branch, the clerk checks your passport. With a direct bank you use Video-Ident, where you show your passport to a camera, or Post-Ident, where a post office clerk checks it.

   Done

4. Wait for card and PIN

   The bank card (girocard) and its PIN come in two separate letters. Your account number, the IBAN, is printed on the card and in the app. Give the IBAN to your employer and landlord.

   Done

5. If you are refused, ask for a basic account

   Every consumer who is legally in the EU has the right to a basic payment account, including people without a fixed residence, asylum seekers and people with a tolerated stay. Ask for the application form for a Basiskonto. A postal address is enough.

   Done

6. Know the limits of a refusal

   A bank may refuse a basic account only for reasons such as: you already have a usable account in Germany, you were convicted of an offence against the bank, or the bank closed an earlier account of yours for non-payment or illegal use. Weak German is not a reason, and you may bring a translator.

   Done

7. Complain if necessary

   If a bank refuses without a valid reason, you can apply to the financial supervisor BaFin for an administrative procedure, which is free. Consumer advice centres (Verbraucherzentrale) help with this.

   Done

Good to know

A basic account does everything a normal account does: deposits, withdrawals, transfers, direct debits and card payments. It has no overdraft, so you cannot slide into debt with it.

Two words you will meet at once. A Lastschrift (direct debit) lets a company collect money from your account, and you can have a debit reversed within eight weeks. A Dauerauftrag (standing order) sends the same amount every month, for example the rent.

An overdraft (Dispo) is an expensive loan. Avoid using it.

Students who still need to show funds for a visa use a blocked account, not a normal one. See our Sperrkonto calculator.

In short: Passport and registration confirmation, branch or online with Video-Ident, card and PIN by post. Refused: ask for a Basiskonto, complain to BaFin.