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Opening a bank account in Germany – Basiskonto, SCHUFA and your online ID

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

German law gives anyone lawfully resident in the EU the right to a basic bank account, even without a fixed address. Here is how to open a bank account in Germany, what the credit bureau SCHUFA holds on you, and how to switch on the online ID that opens up digital government.

Woman on a sofa holding a bank card and a smartphone
Photo: Daniel/Adobe Stock

Several changes from 2025 and 2026 matter if you are opening a bank account in Germany now. In March 2026, SCHUFA, the main private credit bureau, introduced a new score built on 12 publicly known criteria. Since 1 July 2026, €1,590 a month has been automatically protected on a garnishment-protected account. And since July 2026, authorities can send follow-up questions through BundID, the federal citizen account, for selected services.

Do you have a right to a bank account in Germany?

In most cases, yes. Under the Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz), every bank that offers payment accounts to consumers must open a Basiskonto (basic payment account) for any consumer lawfully resident in the EU – explicitly including people without a fixed address, asylum seekers and people with a Duldung (temporary suspension of deportation).

The bank must offer the contract at the latest within ten business days of receiving a complete application. A basic account is a euro account with cash deposits and withdrawals, direct debits, transfers, standing orders and card payments, with no limit on the number of transactions. The bank does not have to give you an overdraft, but it must offer online banking if it offers it to other customers.

Which documents do you need to open a bank account in Germany?

For an ordinary current account, the federal portal Make it in Germany lists a valid passport, your residence permit, the Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate) from your Anmeldung (address registration) at the Bürgeramt (citizens' office) and, depending on the account, a payslip. Banks must also record every account holder's Steuer-ID (tax ID), according to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).

Ordinary current accountBasiskonto
IdentityPassport and residence permitPassport or ID card, an Aufenthaltsgestattung (asylum seeker's temporary residence permit) or a Duldung certificate – but not a Fiktionsbescheinigung (certificate that your permit continues)
AddressRegistration certificateYour home address; without a fixed home, a postal address with relatives, friends or an advice centre, and no registration needed
OverdraftDepends on the bankNot guaranteed
FeesDiffer between banksMust be reasonable; contractual penalties are banned

Source: Make it in Germany, BaFin and the Payment Accounts Act, read 23 September 2026.

When a bank may say no

A bank may refuse only on grounds the law lists: you already hold a usable payment account with a bank in Germany; you were convicted in the last three years of an intentional offence against that bank, its staff or customers; it lawfully closed a basic account of yours within the last year; or it cannot complete its anti-money-laundering checks. The refusal must come within ten business days, free of charge, in text form and with reasons.

If a bank refuses or does not decide in time, ask BaFin (the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) to run an administrative procedure – free, though you pay your own postage and any lawyer – or go to the consumer arbitration body or a civil court. BaFin's consumer line is 0800 2 100 500, free, Monday to Friday 8:00–18:00. Once open, a basic account can be closed only on statutory grounds, normally with at least two months' notice – for example after more than 24 months without a payment of your own.

Protecting and moving your money

FeatureWhat applies
Deposit guaranteeUp to €100,000 per depositor; up to €500,000 for certain amounts, such as proceeds from selling a privately used home
P-Konto (garnishment-protected account)Any account can be converted, at no extra charge; from 1 July 2026, €1,590 a month is protected automatically, more if you support others
Switching banksThe new bank contacts the old one within two business days of your authorisation; the old bank sends your standing orders and direct debits within five
IBAN for state paymentsRegister one German or other SEPA IBAN with the BZSt – through your bank, the BZSt IBAN + app or ELSTER

Source: the Deposit Guarantee Act, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Payment Accounts Act and the BZSt, read 23 September 2026.

Families should take the IBAN step: the BZSt says it is a prerequisite for paying Kindergeld (child benefit) automatically, without an application, which is planned from 2027 – a plan, not yet law.

What is SCHUFA and how do you check your credit record in Germany?

SCHUFA is Germany's main credit bureau – a private company, not an authority. Under the GDPR it must give you a free Datenkopie (data copy) of what it holds on you, listing where the data came from and who received it in the last 12 months. It arrives by post, usually in about seven days; the legal maximum is one month. Its paid BonitätsCheck for landlords or employers costs €29.95.

The Hessian data protection authority, which supervises SCHUFA, considers the new score lawful in principle. Ask SCHUFA itself to correct or delete a wrong entry; a complaint to the authority is normally rejected if you file it before SCHUFA's one-month deadline has passed.

EntryHow long SCHUFA may keep it
Paid-off debtUp to 36 months after full payment
Debt paid within 100 days of being reported18 months, if nothing else negative is stored – confirmed by the Federal Court of Justice on 18 December 2025
Discharge of residual debtNo longer than the public insolvency register, six months – EU Court of Justice, 7 December 2023

Source: SCHUFA Holding AG and the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, read 23 September 2026.

How does the online ID work in Germany?

The online ID is the eID function on a chip card, and which card you get depends on your citizenship.

You areYour eID cardKey facts
GermanPersonalausweis (ID card)€46 from age 24, €27.60 under 24
A citizen of another EU or EEA country, aged 16 or overeID card for EU/EEA citizens, since 1 January 2021€37, valid for ten years; it does not replace your passport or national ID card
From outside the EUElectronic residence permit (eAT), since 1 September 2011eID usually enabled; show it with your passport at banks and authorities

Source: the Federal Ministry of the Interior's ID card portal and the ID Card Fees Ordinance, read 23 September 2026.

You switch the eID on with a six-digit PIN you choose yourself, set with the one-time PIN from your PIN letter – for example in the free AusweisApp on a smartphone with NFC. Since 17 February 2025, every ID-card applicant gets a PIN letter whatever their age. If the card is lost, block the eID on 116 116, free from Germany and other EU countries around the clock, or on +49 30 40 50 40 50 from outside the EU, which is charged.

BundID and the planned EU wallet

BundID is the federal government's central citizen account, with a mailbox for official decisions; its highest assurance level needs the eID. In Berlin, online Anmeldung works only for adult German or EU citizens with an activated eID who moved within Germany, and not with an eAT – so if you arrive from abroad, you register in person.

The Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation plans to launch Germany's EU Digital Identity Wallet, d-you, on 2 January 2027, free and voluntary, and to add it as a way into BundID. It is an announced plan, not yet live.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Register your address and keep the MeldebescheinigungWithin two weeks of moving in
2Open a current account – or claim a BasiskontoAs soon as you have ID; the bank has ten business days
3Give your bank your Steuer-IDWhen the BZSt letter arrives
4Order your free SCHUFA data copy and check itBefore a loan or other large contract
5Set your eID PIN and open a BundID accountWhen your ID card, eID card or eAT arrives
6Register your IBAN with the BZStIf you have children, ahead of 2027

Source: the Federal Registration Act, the Payment Accounts Act, SCHUFA and the BZSt, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.