ROUTE
Opening a Bank Account
The basic-account right even without SCHUFA, opening via VideoIdent in an evening, and the three first-week settings: rent, salary, direct debit.
β Checked: 15/08/2026
A bank account in Germany is not a favour the bank grants you β it is a right. Under Β§31 ZKG every bank must open a Basiskonto for anyone legally resident in the EU: no SCHUFA history, no job and no registered address required. A bank may turn you down for its regular product, but not for the basic account, and a written refusal can be challenged at BaFin.
βΊ More about this route
The route runs from choosing a bank, through opening the account in a single evening, to the three settings of your first week. An online bank takes 10β15 minutes: form, video call with your passport, IBAN immediately, card by post about a week later. Then comes the part the account actually exists for β a standing order for the rent, your IBAN to the employer and health insurer, and SEPA direct debits for insurance, internet and the Rundfunkbeitrag.
The real trap is not the opening but the small print: at many banks βfree account managementβ only applies from β¬700β1,000 of incoming money per month, otherwise β¬5β8 a month quietly appears. Second place goes to the Dispo overdraft at 10β13 per cent β the most expensive credit in the country.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
All possible documents for this route
- Passport (for VideoIdent)
- Smartphone with camera
- German phone number (for most banks)
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Postponing the account until you have registered your address. Online banks open on a passport and let you change the address in the app later. Without an IBAN there is no salary and no standing order for rent β the account belongs before the Anmeldung, not after it.
- Skipping the condition behind βfreeβ. Zero euros a month usually means βfrom β¬700β1,000 of incoming paymentsβ; in months without a salary transfer the bank simply charges β¬5β8.
- Treating the Dispo as a safety cushion. At 10β13 per cent it works as insurance against a returned direct debit, not as a permanent negative balance.
- Paying the rent by hand every month. Late rent is more dangerous than any direct debit: a SEPA debit can be reversed unconditionally for eight weeks, while a missed rent payment is a contractual problem with your landlord.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
How long does the whole route take, from choosing a bank to a working account?βΎ
Opening an account with an online bank is an evening's work, and the IBAN arrives right after the video identification. The physical card takes about a week by post β the only real wait. Setting up the standing orders adds half an hour, so roughly a week from decision to a fully working account.
Should I open the account before or after registering my address?βΎ
Before. The usual order in Germany is passport β account β Anmeldung β contracts. Online banks identify you by passport and often accept a foreign address at the start, while branch banks generally want the Meldebescheinigung. Waiting for registration costs weeks and gains nothing.
How much do I need to keep in the account or run through it?βΎ
There is usually no minimum balance, but fee-free banking almost always depends on monthly incoming payments β typically β¬700β1,000. If your salary lands in a different account, the βfreeβ one starts charging, so your salary IBAN and your free account should be the same one.
Are a Girokonto and a Sperrkonto the same thing?βΎ
No. A Sperrkonto is a blocked proof-of-funds account for student and work visas, releasing a capped amount each month, and a current account does not replace it. The reverse holds too: you cannot run daily life from a blocked account, so salary and rent need a Girokonto. They are two separate routes.