How to open and use a bank account in Germany

Start with functions and constraints. A Girokonto is the ordinary consumer current account for incoming salary or benefits, transfers, direct debits, card payments, and cash. The bank can decide whether to offer it and may make fees or credit features conditional on income, age, study, or usage.

Compare the main account types

A Basiskonto provides cash deposits and withdrawals, direct debits, transfers, and a debit card under the bank's offered channels. The bank need not provide a Dispo overdraft or credit card. It is a route to payment access, not a route around lawful identity or anti-money-laundering checks.

Use BaFin's official account comparison for consumer Girokonto and Basiskonto tariffs. It does not compare business, savings, call-deposit, securities, or blocked accounts. Shortlist accounts by branch postcode, online access, monthly fee, card inclusion, overdraft rate, and cash services, then read the provider's current fee information.

A newcomer who needs salary, rent, and SEPA payments should first compare ordinary Girokonten that accept the available identity route. If screening fails and the person meets the law, use the formal Basiskonto application. A cash-heavy reader should price deposits and the actual ATM network before choosing a direct bank. A student should calendar when the discounted status ends. A self-employed person or company should use a provider that expressly permits the business activity. Keeping a working foreign SEPA account can be a lawful temporary fallback, but German employers and service providers should not discriminate against a valid SEPA IBAN merely because it is from another member state.

Every bank must identify the customer and understand tax residence, sanctions exposure, and unusual activity. An ordinary Girokonto may also be screened for income, credit history, residence, or the provider's target market, particularly when an overdraft, credit card, or fee waiver depends on regular income. A refusal of credit does not automatically answer whether the bank will provide a payment account without credit.

Test the Basiskonto conditions

The Payment Accounts Act covers a consumer lawfully residing in the European Union and expressly includes people without a fixed address, asylum seekers, and certain people without a residence permit who cannot be deported for legal or factual reasons. The consumer generally must not already have a usable payment account in Germany. A closed, inaccessible, or already-notified-for-closure account may require a closer statutory analysis than a simple credit-database entry.

Use the official Basiskonto application and obtain the bank's dated receipt and copy. A complete application must lead to an offer without undue delay and no later than ten business days, or a statutory refusal within the same outer limit. Do not call an informal enquiry a filed application.

Refusal is limited. Grounds include an existing usable German payment account, specified intentional criminal conduct against that institution or its people, inability to complete required anti-money-laundering checks, and a recent lawful termination of a Basiskonto at the same institution for defined misconduct or payment default. A poor SCHUFA score alone does not convert the Basiskonto into an optional credit product. The bank can still refuse or restrict credit because no overdraft or credit card is required.

Citizenship is not the decisive dividing line for ordinary identification. EU residents, third-country workers, students, family residents, refugees, and self-employed people may present different documents, and a video-identification vendor may support fewer document types than a branch. Ask whether another secure identity channel is available before concluding the bank itself will not accept the person.

For an ordinary-account refusal, ask whether the refusal concerns identity, incomplete evidence, credit, residence, product conditions, or policy. The bank may be unable to explain a money-laundering or sanctions decision fully. For a Basiskonto refusal, insist on the statutory text-form notice, reasons where law permits, and information about BaFin administrative review and consumer conciliation.

Use the BaFin comparison to create a dated shortlist, then download each provider's current Entgeltinformation, price and service list, account terms, deposit-guarantee information, card conditions, and foreign-payment tariff. The comparison is an impartial overview, not an application or recommendation, and provider data can change before the contract is signed.

Build the document pack

Expect a valid passport or national identity card and the bank's accepted identity process. A third-country applicant may also need a residence title. Banks commonly request an Anmeldung certificate or other address proof, but the exact evidence depends on the product and situation. If newly arrived or without a fixed address, ask specifically for the Basiskonto route and its postal-address requirements rather than inventing a residential address.

Provide the tax identification number when available and complete the tax-residence and foreign tax-number declaration truthfully. A German IdNr is not proof that Germany is the only tax residence. US citizenship or other reportable status can trigger additional forms. Employees may use payslips or an employment contract for an income-conditioned tariff or overdraft. Students need current enrolment and may need age evidence. Self-employed people and companies should prepare registration, beneficial-owner, tax, business-purpose, and source-of-funds evidence appropriate to the legal form.

A bank may ask where an incoming transfer or cash deposit came from. Preserve sale agreements, salary records, inheritance documents, tax records, loan agreements, or other lawful evidence before moving a large amount. Do not split transactions to avoid review. Explain the real economic purpose.

Check that legal name, transliteration, birth date, nationality, address, tax residence, phone, email, and signature match across the application and documents. If a passport lacks a German address, pair it with the accepted residence evidence. If names differ after marriage or use different scripts, provide the civil record or official explanation. Never edit an image to force a match.

Use the bank's own HTTPS site, verified app, branch, or authorised postal identity route. Do not upload passports through a link from an unsolicited message. Cover irrelevant data only if the bank confirms redaction is acceptable; regulated identification normally requires an unaltered accepted document. Keep the submitted application, timestamp, comparison PDF, tariff, privacy notice, identity receipt, and every request.

Verify the legal institution and domain before entering identity or tax data. A familiar app brand may use a different licensed bank, which matters for contract party, complaints, and deposit-protection aggregation. Read the account's fee information and terms and confirm whether the tariff is personal, joint, student, business, branch, or online.

Open and activate in order

1. Save the shortlist and controlling documents. Record maintenance fee, conditions, cards, cash, transfers, overdraft, support, authentication, and closure.
2. Submit through the provider's secure channel. Use the ordinary product or expressly state the statutory Basiskonto request. Retain the complete application and receipt.
3. Complete identification. Follow branch, video, eID, or postal instructions. Stop if a caller asks for a PIN, TAN, screen sharing, or transfer to a safe account.
4. Inspect the offer. Verify IBAN, holders, tariff, monthly fee, card type, overdraft limit, interest, deposit-guarantee institution, consent choices, and tax declarations before accepting.
5. Activate securely. Install the app from an official store link, create a unique password, protect the device, activate the debit card, and store recovery information separately. A bank will not need a full TAN to troubleshoot by telephone.
6. Test functions. Receive and send a small transfer, make a debit-card purchase, confirm ATM pricing, and if needed test cash deposit. Euro instant payments normally arrive within ten seconds and operate continuously under the Bundesbank FAQ. Treat a payee-name warning as a reason to recheck the invoice, not as an instruction to override it.
7. Move recurring payments. Consumers can authorise statutory switching assistance for eligible same-currency German accounts. Even then, inspect the list. Notify employer, benefits, tax office, insurer, landlord, utilities, subscriptions, refunds, and personal payers. Keep both accounts funded during the chosen overlap and monitor returned debits.
8. Close only after reconciliation. Download statements, settle card and overdraft balances, revoke unneeded mandates, transfer the positive balance, obtain closure proof, and keep access until refunds and reversals are resolved.

For a first German account, do not wait until rent day to test it. Open early enough for identity review and card delivery, while retaining a lawful fallback payment method.

As checked on 25 August 2026, BaFin's comparison contained 6,610 payment-account entries and was last fully updated on 24 August. Visible offers ranged from EUR 0 monthly maintenance to EUR 20, and displayed arranged-overdraft rates included 7.50% to 14.55% per year. Those figures illustrate dispersion, not a promise that either endpoint fits you. Run the live comparison on the decision date and open the detailed tariff.

Model a normal month and a difficult month

Multiply the monthly maintenance fee by twelve, including what happens when salary, age, student, minimum-balance, digital-statement, or transaction conditions fail. Add the debit card, second card, credit card, replacement, cash withdrawals inside and outside the provider network, cash deposits, counter transactions, paper transfers, statements, standing orders, direct debits, and SMS or authentication charges. A EUR 0 account can charge separately for several of these.

Price SEPA credit transfers, euro instant transfers, non-euro and non-EEA transfers, incoming international payments, intermediary charges, and recipient deductions. For foreign currency, compare the provider's exchange-rate basis and margin plus card or transfer fee. A no-fee foreign payment can still contain an exchange spread. Decide who bears transfer charges and what amount the recipient must receive.

Overdraft interest is an annual percentage applied to borrowed balance over time, not a flat annual subscription. Model the likely negative amount and days. An unarranged overdraft can cost more and may be refused, causing returned direct-debit fees from the bank or payee. A Basiskonto need not offer any overdraft. Use alerts, a buffer, or a cheaper agreed credit alternative rather than treating Dispo as long-term borrowing.

Separate payment-account balances from savings and investments. Statutory deposit protection generally covers eligible deposits up to EUR 100,000 per customer at each institution. Multiple accounts or brands using the same licensed institution are aggregated. Voluntary institutional schemes may add protection, but verify the exact scheme and exclusions rather than relying on a logo.

Keep a one-page annual total for three finalists: fixed fees, twelve normal months, one travel month, one cash-heavy month, and one overdraft scenario. Add the value of branch help, accessible authentication, and reliable cash access. Choose the lowest total that still provides the functions and support you can safely use.

Opening speed varies by provider, identity route, document type, manual review, and card delivery. A Basiskonto has a statutory ten-business-day outer limit for the offer or lawful refusal after a complete application, but physical card and PIN delivery can follow separately. Keep a fallback until salary, rent, card, and authentication are tested.

Maintain a usable and truthful account

Report name, address, phone, email, tax residence, foreign tax number, beneficial ownership, residence status, and material business-use changes through the bank's verified channel. A move abroad does not automatically close every account, but the provider may restrict products by residence, tax, sanctions, or service territory. Ask before departure whether the Girokonto, cards, overdraft, securities, app, and authentication remain available and what foreign address evidence is accepted.

Review annual fee statements and every proposed tariff or term change. Identify the effective date, consent mechanism, right to reject or terminate, and effect on cards or account conditions. Compare the live BaFin data before accepting a worse tariff. If a student or salary condition will end, switch before the first higher charge rather than after a year.

Keep enough balance for direct debits and delayed card settlements. Update expiring identity documents when requested. Test password, device replacement, card-blocking, and telephone authentication while the registered German number still works. Save statements and tax documents outside the banking app within legal retention needs, especially before moving, closing, or changing a business.

For switching, choose a date at least far enough ahead for both banks' statutory steps and for payers to change their records. Switching assistance transfers information and instructions but cannot guarantee that every merchant processes a new mandate correctly. Maintain an overlap, reconcile incoming salary and outgoing bills, then close the old account in writing.

Before closure, settle overdraft, card, garnishment, chargeback, and pending transfer issues; download statements; move the positive balance; and provide the destination IBAN. Obtain a closing statement and proof of the contract end. Keep it with the original tariff and complaint history. A dormant-looking account can still accrue maintenance fees, so do not merely stop using it. If keeping it abroad, calendar an annual residence, tax, fee, card-expiry, and deposit-protection review.

For suspected phishing, card theft, SIM takeover, or unauthorised payment, use the bank's verified emergency channel immediately. Block cards and online access, change credentials from a clean device, contact the mobile provider if relevant, and report the exact transactions. Preserve screenshots, headers, telephone numbers, payee details, device alerts, police reference, and the time each block or notice was made. Do not continue a call with someone who contacted you claiming to be bank security.

Match the remedy to the problem

A verification-of-payee mismatch is a warning to stop and independently confirm the recipient. It does not mean the bank has verified the seller, invoice, purpose, or safety. An instant payment can complete within seconds, leaving little practical recovery time. Contact the bank immediately after a mistaken or induced transfer, but do not assume it can be reversed.

For a frozen transfer or account, ask in writing what evidence can be supplied and whether unaffected funds or essential payments can be handled. Banks may be legally restricted from explaining anti-money-laundering checks. Provide genuine source-of-funds records and do not create a false invoice or split transfers. For an overdraft spiral, stop nonessential debits, ask for an itemised balance and interest, compare a structured repayment, and use nonprofit debt advice before taking another high-cost loan.

For an ordinary-account refusal, another provider or a non-credit product may be the practical route. For a Basiskonto refusal or no decision within ten business days, preserve the application and receipt. The statutory refusal should include reasons where permitted, BaFin administrative-review information, the review form, and the relevant conciliation contact. BaFin can order a bank to open a qualifying Basiskonto when refusal is unlawful.

Complain to the bank in writing first, state the requested correction or repayment, attach targeted evidence, and request a written response. The BaFin complaint guidance distinguishes supervision from individual relief: BaFin protects consumers collectively but does not award damages or bind a civil dispute. The banking ombudsman or other conciliation body and ultimately a court handle individual outcomes.

A complaint does not stop payment, chargeback, limitation, or court deadlines. Read the contract and decision, calendar each date, and seek consumer or legal help proportionate to the loss. If the bank fails, identify the licensed institution and guarantee scheme; eligible deposits are generally protected to EUR 100,000 per customer per institution, not per app brand.