Basiskonto and SCHUFA: Getting a Current Account in Germany

This guide is for internationals who have just moved to Germany and need a current account for rent, wages or payments from public authorities. After reading it, you will know which documents banks ask for, how the right to a basic account works, how branch and online banks differ, and what the SCHUFA credit record holds.

• The right to a basic account
• Documents banks ask for
• Branch banks and direct banks
• Fees, rejections and complaints
• SCHUFA and your credit record
• FAQ

The right to a basic account

In Germany, rent, wages and state support usually go through bank accounts. Most newcomers start with a Basiskonto (basic account). This is a current account with the essential functions: depositing and withdrawing cash, making transfers and paying without cash. According to Handbook Germany’s guide to bank accounts, any bank that accepts private customers can open one. Applicants must be over 18. Children aged 7 and over can also open their own basic account if their parents or guardians consent.

A bank may refuse a basic account in only four situations. The first is that the applicant already has a usable account with another bank in Germany. The second is that they held a basic account at that bank before and did not pay the fees. The third is that they used an earlier basic account at that bank to commit a crime such as money laundering. The fourth is that opening the account would be against the law.

Documents banks ask for

Banks must check your identity, so you need a valid identity document. A passport, a residence permit or a Duldung (temporary suspension of deportation) are all accepted. A Fiktionsbescheinigung (a provisional certificate issued while a residence application is being processed) is usually not enough. Questions about a specific residence document should go to the local Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ authority) or a migration advice service.

Banks also ask for a Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate). You receive it after your Anmeldung (address registration) at the local registration office. Each city or municipality decides how appointments work there, and the pages used for this guide do not describe the process.

Finally, the bank needs a postal address in Germany. It does not have to be your home address. If you have no permanent residence yet, you can use the address of a friend or a counselling centre, as long as you can receive the bank’s letters there.

Branch banks and direct banks

At a branch bank you can speak to staff in person. A direct bank has no physical branches and often no ATMs of its own, and you can reach its staff only by email or telephone. Both types of bank use an application form, and the Consumer Support Centre publishes one in German. Counselling centres can help you fill it in.

At a branch, you can usually apply without an appointment, and staff check your ID and help with the form. With a direct bank, you apply on the bank’s website or by post, and the bank confirms your identity in one of two ways. In the Post-Ident-Verfahren (Post-Ident procedure), you take your ID to a post office named by the bank, with no appointment needed, and Deutsche Post staff check it. Many banks also offer the Video-Ident-Verfahren (video identification). On a video call, you show your ID, answer questions such as your place of birth and confirm a code sent to you by SMS.

Limited German is not a valid reason to refuse an application. You may bring a friend, acquaintance or professional interpreter, and branch banks and direct banks both have to allow this. A bank must tell you within 10 days at the latest whether it accepts your basic account application. If it does, you receive a giro card for deposits, withdrawals and cashless payments.

Fees, rejections and complaints

A basic account is not free. The law does not set exact fees, but a basic account must not cost more than the bank’s other accounts, and a bank may not charge much more than other banks do. As a rule, it costs between €50 and just over €150 per year. The main charge is the Kontoführungsgebühr or Grundgebühr (account management fee or basic fee). Some services, such as making a transfer at the counter or printing a statement at the bank, may cost extra. The details are in the bank’s Preisverzeichnis (price list) and its Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen or AGB (general terms and conditions), which the bank gives you before you open the account. Many services are free with online banking, but not every bank offers online banking with a basic account.

If a bank rejects your application, you can ask the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) to review the decision. You do this with its online Antrag auf Durchführung eines Verwaltungsverfahrens (application for an administrative procedure), which is in German. BaFin also handles complaints about fees that are too high. For this, you print a complaint form and send it by post. If BaFin finds the fees too high, it can require the bank to lower them.

SCHUFA and your credit record

Handbook Germany’s SCHUFA page explains that Schufa Holding AG is a private credit investigation company. It collects data from banks, telecommunication providers and other lending businesses and uses it to calculate a score. The score predicts how likely you are to pay your bills. SCHUFA uses only the data these businesses send and does no research of its own.

Your record holds your name, date of birth, current address and previous addresses. It also lists bank accounts, mobile phone contracts, instalment payments, dunning and collection procedures, payment irregularities and contract terminations. It does not record marital status, employer, income or assets. Most of the data must be deleted three years after it was collected. If you sign a contract with a “Schufa clause”, the company can pass your data to SCHUFA and make SCHUFA inquiries about you.

Landlords, lenders, phone providers and car dealers often ask about SCHUFA. No landlord has a legal right to the information, but if you do not provide it, your chances of finding a flat are much lower. Landlords also often want the paid report rather than the free one. The page does not say whether banks check SCHUFA before opening a basic account. It also warns that most adverts offering loans without a SCHUFA check are fraudulent.

By law, you can get one free Datenkopie (data copy) a year. You request it at meineSCHUFA.de and upload your ID and Meldebescheinigung, and it arrives by post within one to two weeks. Since November 2024, the bonify platform has also shown consumers their credit-relevant SCHUFA data online for free. This includes which companies requested information about them in the last 12 months. If any entries are wrong, you can ask in writing for them to be corrected.

FAQ

Is a Fiktionsbescheinigung enough to open a basic account?

Usually not. Banks accept documents such as a passport, residence permit or Duldung, but a Fiktionsbescheinigung is usually not enough. Questions about an individual residence situation should go to the Ausländerbehörde or a migration advice service.

Can a bank refuse me because I do not speak German?

No. You may bring a friend, acquaintance or professional interpreter, and the bank has to allow it. A bank may not reject an application because the applicant’s German is limited, whether it has branches or works only online.

What if the bank does not reply or says no?

Banks have 10 days to say whether they accept a basic account application. If it takes longer, you can contact the bank and ask. If the bank rejects the application, you can ask BaFin to review the decision through its online application, and counselling centres can help you complete it.

Is a basic account the same as a blocked account?

No. A Sperrkonto (blocked account) shows the authorities that you can cover your living costs, and it is often required for a visa. For study, a language course or vocational training, €11,904 is paid in for one year, which allows monthly withdrawals of €992 (as of 2025). The amount depends on the purpose of the stay.

Sources: handbookgermany.de · handbookgermany.de

Last verified: 20 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) of your city, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).