Opening a German bank account as an expat
Open a German Girokonto: online banks need only a passport (no Anmeldung); traditional banks need it. Documents, VideoIdent, fees, the Basiskonto right.
Last updated: August 18, 2026
How do I open a bank account in Germany as a newcomer?
You need a Girokonto (current account) to receive your salary and pay rent. Two routes: online banks like N26, bunq, or Revolut open in ~15 minutes with just a passport and a smartphone video check - no Anmeldung required - while traditional banks (Sparkasse, Deutsche Bank) usually demand your Anmeldung and a branch visit. Most run a Schufa credit check, but anyone lawfully resident in the EU has a legal right to a basic account (Basiskonto) regardless of Schufa. Pick an online bank first to break the address-registration chicken-and-egg, then switch or add a traditional account later if you need one.
What this guide covers
Four German current accounts, by what they actually solve
These sit on the branchless-versus-branch axis this guide uses. The first two have no branches: bunq runs in English and is the fastest route to a working account on arrival, while DKB is a German direct bank - no counter, but a full German bank with a DE IBAN and no monthly fee. The second two are the traditional route, with branches, cash handling and in-person Beratung, which is what you add when an online-only account stops being enough. Most expats end up with one from each half rather than choosing once.
bunq
The English-first arrival account
App-first bank that runs in English end to end - site, app and support - and offers a German IBAN, which is what German payroll and direct debits actually need. It even keeps a dedicated expat banking line. The trade-off is the neobank one: no branches, so cash handling stays awkward.
Open a bunq accountDKB
The German direct bank
The middle category: no branches, but a full German bank with a DE IBAN. Free if €700 a month lands in the account, or if you are under 28, otherwise €4.50. That €700 also earns Aktivstatus, which makes card payments and cash withdrawals free worldwide rather than Eurozone-only. Site and support are German.
See the DKB GirokontoDeutsche Bank
Branches, with English guidance
The big branch bank, and the one that goes furthest to meet English speakers: it runs a dedicated English microsite for English-speaking residents. Read the caveat in their own words though - the contract language is German and all terms and conditions are German, so English gets you guidance, not paperwork.
See Deutsche Bank accountsTargobank
Branches and its own ATM network
The other branch option, with its own ATM network and several account tiers including fee-free ones - worth a look if a Sparkasse or Volksbank near you charges for a standard account. Check which tier waives the fee and on what condition before you sign. Site and service are German, so pair it with your browser’s translate.
See Targobank accountsAffiliate links. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
Why the bank account is an early, load-bearing task
In Germany almost nothing recurring runs on cash or card - it runs on your Girokonto and its IBAN. Your employer pays salary to it. Your landlord pulls rent from it. Utilities, phone, gym, insurance, and the Rundfunkbeitrag all collect by Lastschrift (SEPA direct debit) straight from it. Without a German account (or at least a SEPA IBAN), you can't really function. It's a week-one task, usually right after (or alongside) your Anmeldung in Germany.
Know the three account types so you don't open the wrong one:
- Girokonto - the everyday current account. Salary in, rent and direct debits out, debit card. This is the one you need.
- Tagesgeldkonto - an instant-access savings account paying interest (~2-3.5% in 2026). A companion account, not for daily use; you can't run direct debits off it.
- Sparkonto / Festgeld - longer-term savings. Not for daily banking.
The chicken-and-egg problem, and how to beat it
The classic newcomer trap: traditional banks want your Anmeldung before they'll open an account - but you may not have registered yet, or your appointment is weeks out. Meanwhile some things feel like they want a bank account first.
The clean solution: open an online bank account that doesn't require Anmeldung. N26, bunq, Revolut, and Wise verify you with just a passport and a smartphone video call, and ship the card to any German address. That breaks the loop on day one. You can always add a traditional account later once you're registered.
The two routes compared
| Online banks (N26, bunq, Revolut, C24) | Traditional/branch banks (Sparkasse, Volksbank, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank) | |
|---|---|---|
| Anmeldung required to open? | No (passport + smartphone) | Usually yes |
| Language | English throughout | Mostly German; English patchy |
| How you verify identity | VideoIdent (video call) or app photo, ~15 min | PostIdent or in-branch, or VideoIdent |
| Time to usable account | Same day to a few days | Days to a few weeks |
| Monthly fee | Free tier available (often with conditions) | Often €5-12/month unless conditions met |
| Cash handling | Weak - limited free ATM withdrawals | Strong - branches and ATMs everywhere |
| German IBAN (DE...) | N26/bunq: yes. Wise/Revolut: non-DE EU IBAN | Yes |
| Best for | Getting started fast, English service | Cash needs, mortgages, some conservative landlords/employers |
Most expats' answer: start with an online bank, add a traditional one only if you actually need branch services (large cash deposits, a mortgage relationship, a landlord who insists on a "real" bank). The whole N26-vs-branch trade-off is unpacked in N26 vs traditional German banks.
Documents you'll need
For an online bank (no Anmeldung):
- Valid passport or national ID (must match the accepted-documents list; some banks don't accept every nationality's ID card).
- A smartphone for the video/photo verification.
- A German delivery address for the card (a friend's, your temporary place - it need not be a registered address).
- Your tax ID (Steuer-ID) may be requested (banks record it under CRS/FATCA rules), but you can usually add it later once it arrives (Tax ID in Germany).
For a traditional bank, add:
- Your Anmeldebestätigung (proof of registered address).
- Sometimes proof of income or student enrolment.
- An in-person or PostIdent identity check.
Identity verification: VideoIdent and PostIdent
German banking law (anti-money-laundering) requires verified identity, done one of two ways:
- VideoIdent - a short video call (or guided in-app photo capture) where an agent checks your face against your passport. Done from your sofa in ~10-15 minutes. Standard for online banks.
- PostIdent - you take a code from the bank to any Deutsche Post branch, and the counter staff verify your ID. Used by banks without video onboarding, or as a fallback if VideoIdent fails for your document.
Have your passport clean and well-lit, and expect the agent to ask you to tilt it to catch the holograms.
Fees: "free" usually has a condition
Many German Girokonten advertise kostenlos (free) but attach strings:
- Minimum monthly incoming - e.g. a salary deposit of €700+/month, or the fee kicks in.
- Age-based - free for under-27s or students.
- Balance minimums at some banks.
Sparkassen and Volksbanks (the local public/cooperative banks) commonly charge a flat €5-12/month for a standard account, in exchange for a dense branch network. Online banks lean on free tiers and charge for premium features (metal card, insurance perks, extra free ATM withdrawals). Read the Preis-/Leistungsverzeichnis (fee schedule) for: monthly fee and its waiver condition, ATM withdrawal fees (especially cash), and foreign-currency card fees if you travel.
See which Girokonto is actually free for you
The waiver condition is what decides the real price - a €700 monthly incoming, a student age limit, a balance minimum. CHECK24's Girokonto comparison ranks accounts with those conditions shown, plus the ATM and foreign-card fees. German-language site, so pair it with your browser's translate function.
Compare Girokonten on CHECK24Affiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
How Germans actually pay: Lastschrift, Überweisung, and the card gap
German everyday banking runs on mechanisms newcomers must learn fast:
- Lastschrift (SEPA direct debit): you authorise a company (landlord, gym, insurer, utility) to *pull* money from your account. It's the default for recurring bills. The killer feature: you can reclaim any SEPA direct debit within 8 weeks, no questions asked (up to 13 months for an unauthorised one) - so a wrong or disputed charge is easy to reverse through your bank.
- Überweisung (bank transfer): you *push* money to an IBAN - used for rent, paying people, one-offs. A Dauerauftrag (standing order) is a fixed repeating Überweisung (e.g. rent on the 1st) that you control, unlike a Lastschrift the recipient controls.
- Girocard (the debit/EC card), not credit cards: Germany is famously card-shy and cash-heavy. Your account comes with a Girocard, accepted almost everywhere for in-person payment - but it's a domestic system that many foreign online shops don't take, and credit cards are less accepted than elsewhere (though improving). Keep some cash, and consider a credit card for travel and online use; the online banks (N26 etc.) issue Mastercards that work globally.
- TAN for online banking: transfers need a second factor - a TAN via the bank's app (pushTAN/photoTAN) or a chipTAN device. Set this up when you open the account; you can't transfer without it.
If you specifically need a credit card, not an account
German credit cards are genuinely hard to get in your first year, because approval leans on a Schufa file you have not built yet. Instabank, a Nordic digital bank, issues one without a Schufa query - it runs a credit check at Experian instead, so this is a different check, not no check. Read the cost before you decide it solves anything: 18.9% p.a. variable borrowing rate, 20.63% effective annual rate, no annual fee. Their own representative example under §6a PAngV is €1,500 over 12 months at 12 instalments of €138. A German debit card covers daily life here; a credit card mainly buys you car hire, hotel holds and some foreign bookings. German-language site, so pair it with your browser’s translate.
See the Instabank card termsAffiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
The overdraft (Dispo) trap and other account features
- Dispokredit (overdraft): many accounts let you go negative up to a limit - convenient, but the interest is brutal (often 10-14%+). Fine for a few days; ruinous as a habit. A separate Ratenkredit (instalment loan) is far cheaper if you need to borrow.
- P-Konto: any account can be converted to a Pfändungsschutzkonto (garnishment-protection account) that shields a basic monthly sum from creditors - relevant only if you face debt enforcement.
- Joint account (Gemeinschaftskonto): couples can open a shared account (usually an "Oder-Konto" where either can act alone) - common for rent and shared bills.
- Switching banks (Kontowechselservice): banks are legally required to help you move direct debits and standing orders to a new account, so changing banks later is far less painful than it sounds.
Dispo rates are worth checking before you need one
The 10-14% above is the range, and where a bank sits inside it is a published number you can compare while opening the account rather than discovering later. DKB charges 8.51% a year variable, or 7.91% with Aktivstatus - which you get by having €700 a month come in, the same condition that makes the account free. Cheap for the category, still not cheap: the paragraph above is right that a Ratenkredit beats any Dispo for real borrowing. And per the last bullet, the Kontowechselservice means moving is easier than staying put out of inertia. German-language site, so pair it with your browser's translate function.
Check the DKB conditionsAffiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
German IBAN vs the Wise/Revolut catch
N26 and bunq give you a German IBAN (starts `DE`). Wise and Revolut typically give you a non-German EU IBAN (e.g. Belgian `BE`, Lithuanian `LT`).
Legally, this shouldn't matter: under the SEPA Regulation, a company operating in the EU may not refuse a valid EU IBAN just because it's from another country ("IBAN discrimination" is unlawful). In practice, some older German payroll systems, landlords, and the Rundfunkbeitrag/utility direct-debit forms still choke on a non-DE IBAN or reject it out of habit. To avoid friction, a German (DE) IBAN is the safest bet for your primary account - salary and rent especially. Keep Wise/Revolut for cheap international transfers, which they do far better than any German bank (see Wise for Germany).
The Schufa check - and your right to an account anyway
Most banks run a Schufa credit check when you open a full Girokonto. As a newcomer you'll have no Schufa record at all, which is neither good nor bad - it just means a thin file. Some banks are relaxed about this (online banks especially); some traditional accounts or overdraft (Dispo) facilities may be limited until you build a history. How Schufa works, and how to start building a file, is in Schufa.
Crucially, a bad or missing Schufa cannot leave you with no account at all. Under the Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz, §31 ZKG), anyone lawfully resident in the EU - including asylum seekers and people with no fixed address - has a legal right to a basic account (Basiskonto). A bank in the general public offering (any bank that offers consumer current accounts) must open one on request, regardless of Schufa score or pending garnishments. It's a functional account (deposits, transfers, direct debits, a debit card) and can be run as a P-Konto (garnishment-protection account) if needed. It may carry a modest monthly fee, but it cannot be refused for creditworthiness. If a bank turns you away citing Schufa, cite the Basiskonto right - and you can escalate to BaFin, the financial regulator.
A sensible sequence for arrival
- Day one, from anywhere: open an online bank (N26/bunq) with your passport - salary and rent can now land somewhere.
- After Anmeldung: if you want branch services or a landlord insists, add a Sparkasse/Volksbank/Deutsche Bank account.
- Add Wise/Revolut for moving money across borders cheaply - not as your salary account.
- Give the account with a DE IBAN to your employer, landlord, and the Rundfunkbeitrag to avoid direct-debit hiccups.
Frequently asked questions
Can I open a German bank account without Anmeldung?
Yes - online banks like N26, bunq, Revolut, and Wise open with just a passport and a smartphone video check, no registered address needed. Traditional branch banks usually require your Anmeldebestätigung first.
What's the best bank for expats in Germany?
For an English-first, fast, free start, N26 is the common pick (German IBAN, no Anmeldung). bunq is similar. Add a Sparkasse/Volksbank if you need branches and cash services, and Wise/Revolut for cheap international transfers. See N26 vs traditional German banks.
Do I need a German IBAN, or is Wise/Revolut enough?
Legally any EU IBAN must be accepted, but some German payroll systems, landlords, and direct-debit forms still balk at non-DE IBANs. Use a German (DE) IBAN account (N26/bunq/traditional) as your primary for salary and rent; keep Wise/Revolut for international transfers.
How long does it take to open an account?
Online banks: often the same day, ~15 minutes plus card delivery. Traditional banks: a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the branch appointment.
Will a bad or missing Schufa stop me getting an account?
No. Newcomers simply have no Schufa file, which is normal. And under §31 ZKG everyone lawfully resident in the EU has a legal right to a basic account (Basiskonto) regardless of Schufa - a bank must open one on request.
What documents do I need?
Online: passport/ID, smartphone, and a German delivery address (your tax ID can come later). Traditional: add your Anmeldebestätigung and an in-branch or PostIdent identity check.
What is VideoIdent?
A short video call (or in-app photo capture) where an agent verifies your face against your passport - the standard way online banks confirm your identity in about 15 minutes. PostIdent (verification at a post office) is the branch-free alternative.
Are German bank accounts free?
Many advertise "free" but require a minimum monthly deposit (often €700+) or student/age status; otherwise a fee applies. Sparkassen and Volksbanks typically charge €5-12/month for the branch network. Always read the fee schedule (Preis-/Leistungsverzeichnis).
Can I get my salary paid before my card arrives?
Yes - your salary needs only the IBAN, which you get the moment the account is opened. The physical debit card arriving later doesn't hold up incoming transfers.
Do I need a separate account for savings?
Not required, but a Tagesgeldkonto pays interest (~2-3.5% in 2026) on money you're not spending, while your Girokonto handles daily payments. Keep the Girokonto as your main account.
What is a Lastschrift and can I reverse one?
A SEPA direct debit - you authorise a company to pull recurring payments (rent, gym, utilities). You can reclaim any SEPA direct debit through your bank within 8 weeks, no reason needed (up to 13 months if it was unauthorised), which makes disputing a wrong charge easy.
Can I use my German debit card everywhere?
For in-person payments in Germany, yes - the Girocard is near-universal. But it's a domestic system many foreign online shops don't accept, and credit cards are less accepted here than in many countries. Keep some cash, and a Mastercard/Visa (the online banks issue these) for travel and online use.
What's the Dispo and should I use it?
The Dispokredit is an account overdraft - convenient but with brutal interest, often 10-14%+. Fine to dip into for a few days; expensive as a habit. For real borrowing, a proper instalment loan (Ratenkredit) is far cheaper.
How hard is it to switch banks later?
Not very - banks must offer a Kontowechselservice that moves your direct debits and standing orders to the new account. So you can start with an online bank and switch or add a traditional one without a painful manual migration.
How do I set up online transfers?
You need a second factor (TAN) - via the bank's app (pushTAN/photoTAN) or a chipTAN device - which you set up when opening the account. A standing order (Dauerauftrag) automates fixed repeating transfers like rent; a Lastschrift lets a company pull variable bills.
Related guides
Keep going: these guides continue where this one ends.
Anmeldung in Germany: registering your address
Register your address within 14 days: Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, passport, appointment tips, fines up to €1,000. What the Anmeldebescheinigun
Schufa: Germany's credit system, decoded for newcomers
Germany's credit system decoded: the new March 2026 Schufa score (100-999), why newcomers have "no score", the free Datenkopie, and building
N26 vs traditional German banks: the expat banking decision
N26 vs Sparkasse/Volksbank: no-Anmeldung English apps vs branches and cash. Deposit insurance, when you need a traditional bank, and the bot
Wise for Germany: moving your money without burning it
Send money to/from Germany at the real rate: how Wise beats bank wires, the EU-IBAN catch, receiving salary, and the €12,500 Bundesbank repo