Your employer needs an IBAN before your first payday, and so do your phone company and your electricity supplier. Opening a German account is one of the first jobs after registering your address.
You can do it in a branch, with a person across the desk, or in an app, with a person on a video call. Either way the German is short and predictable.
What Banks Ask For
| Document | Why |
|---|---|
Reisepass oder Personalausweis | to identify you. Non-EU citizens may also be asked for their residence permit |
Meldebestätigung | proof of your German address. Some banks open the account first and ask for it later |
Steuer-ID | banks ask for it. You can usually hand it in later |
Einkommensnachweis | proof of income, mainly if you want an overdraft or a credit card |
Quick notes:
- Banks that offer current accounts have to offer a Basiskonto, a basic account, to anyone legally living in the EU, including people without a fixed address. If a bank refuses you an ordinary account, ask for this one.
- Online banks identify you by VideoIdent, a video call where you hold your ID up to the camera, or PostIdent, done at a post office.
In the Branch
I'd like to open an account.
Ich möchte ein Konto eröffnen.
I need a current account.
Ich brauche ein Girokonto.
How much does the account cost per month?
Was kostet das Konto im Monat?
Is the bank card free?
Ist die Bankkarte kostenlos?
Does it come with a credit card?
Gibt es eine Kreditkarte dazu?
Can I manage the account online?
Kann ich das Konto online führen?
Is the app available in English?
Gibt es die App auch auf Englisch?
I don't have a registration confirmation yet.
Ich habe noch keine Meldebestätigung.
I'd like a basic account.
Ich möchte ein Basiskonto.
When will I get my IBAN?
Wann bekomme ich meine IBAN?
Practice these words
Ich möchte ein Konto eröffnen.
Quick note: ask what the card actually is. A German Girocard works almost everywhere in Germany but is less useful abroad and online. Many banks now give a Visa or Mastercard debit card instead. It works better abroad and online, though some small shops in Germany still take only Girocard.
What the Bank Will Ask You
Do you have an appointment?
Haben Sie einen Termin?
Do you live in Germany?
Wohnen Sie in Deutschland?
What do you do for a living?
Was sind Sie von Beruf?
What is your monthly income?
Wie hoch ist Ihr monatliches Einkommen?
Are you liable to pay tax in the USA?
Sind Sie in den USA steuerpflichtig?
Would you like an overdraft?
Möchten Sie einen Dispo?
The card and the PIN come separately by post.
Die Karte und die PIN kommen getrennt per Post.
Practice these words
Haben Sie einen Termin?
Quick notes:
- Sind Sie in den USA steuerpflichtig? surprises people, but every bank asks it because of US tax rules. For most people the answer is simply Nein.
- You don't have to take the Dispo. Nein, danke is fine, and you can ask for it later.
The Video ID Call
Please hold your ID up to the camera.
Halten Sie bitte Ihren Ausweis in die Kamera.
Please tilt the ID slightly.
Kippen Sie den Ausweis bitte leicht.
Please show the back.
Bitte zeigen Sie die Rückseite.
You'll get a text with a code in a moment.
Sie bekommen gleich eine SMS mit einer TAN.
Please tell me the code.
Bitte nennen Sie mir die TAN.
Practice these words
Halten Sie bitte Ihren Ausweis in die Kamera.
Quick note: the agent asks you to tilt your ID so they can check the holograms. Sit somewhere bright, without a lamp behind you, and keep the passport page or ID card steady. Many agents will switch to English if you ask: Können wir auf Englisch sprechen?
Once You Have the Account
I'd like to transfer money.
Ich möchte Geld überweisen.
I've lost my card.
Ich habe meine Karte verloren.
Please block my card.
Bitte sperren Sie meine Karte.
This debit is wrong.
Diese Abbuchung ist falsch.
I'd like to have the direct debit reversed.
Ich möchte die Lastschrift zurückbuchen lassen.
How do I change my address?
Wie ändere ich meine Adresse?
I'd like to close the account.
Ich möchte das Konto kündigen.
Practice these words
Ich möchte Geld überweisen.
Quick notes:
- Most German cards can be blocked through the central number 116 116, at any hour. Check that your bank takes part, or block the card in your banking app.
- You kündigen a bank account, the same verb as for a flat or a phone contract. The words for the transactions themselves are in money and banking.
Choosing a Bank
Branch or app. A local Sparkasse or Volksbank costs a few euros a month and gives you a person to talk to. An online bank is usually free and faster to open, but support is by chat or phone.
Check the cash machines. Free withdrawals depend on your bank's network. If you still pay cash often, pick a bank with machines near your home and work.
Read the fees. Kontoführungsgebühr is the monthly fee. Some accounts are free only if a minimum amount comes in each month, usually your salary.
Your First Weeks, in Order
- Register your address at the Bürgeramt or Bürgerbüro. You get the Meldebestätigung.
- Open the account. You get your IBAN, often the same day.
- Give the IBAN to your employer, so your first salary arrives.
- Choose a Krankenkasse and tell your employer which one.
- Set up the payments: a Dauerauftrag for the rent, and direct debits for electricity, phone and the broadcasting fee.