How Do You Open a Bank Account in Germany? (2026)
A German Girokonto normally takes two documents you do not have on arrival: a Meldebescheinigung, the certificate the Bürgeramt issues when you register your address, and a Steuer-Identifikationsnummer, which then comes by post. That is the whole reason week one is difficult. Six accounts in the catalogue skip the first requirement entirely: N26, Revolut, Wise, bunq, C24 and Trade Republic are all recorded as needing no registered German address, and the first four open in zero days. Open one of those now, do the Anmeldung, then move to a full Girokonto if you want a girocard, a branch or a credit card.
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Which Account Can You Open in Week One?
The catalogue answers this with one field, requiresAddressRegistration, and six accounts say no to it. N26 is the strongest of them: N26 Bank SE holds its own German banking licence, the account is EUR 0 a month, it issues a German IBAN, the app and the contracts are in English, and it opens in zero days without either the Anmeldung or a tax ID. bunq Core does the same at EUR 3.99 a month, also with a German IBAN and in English. Revolut and Wise open just as fast but give you a Lithuanian and a Belgian IBAN respectively. C24 and Trade Republic both issue German IBANs and skip the Anmeldung, but both need the Steuer-Identifikationsnummer, so they are step two rather than step one.
Everything else waits. DKB, ING, comdirect, Consorsbank, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank, 1822direkt and the Sparkassen and Volksbank models are all recorded as requiring a registered German address and a tax ID. That is not a bank policy you can argue with at the counter; it is how the account is set up.
What Documents Do You Need?
Three things, in this order. A valid passport or national ID card, which every account needs. A Meldebescheinigung, the registration certificate the Bürgeramt hands over when you complete the Anmeldung of your German address. And a Steuer-Identifikationsnummer, the tax ID that the tax authority sends by post after you have registered, and which the bank needs before it can report your interest.
Then you have to prove you are you. German banks use three methods, and the record for each account lists which ones it accepts. VideoIdent is a video call where you hold your passport up to the camera, and it is offered by every direct bank here. eID uses the chip in a German ID card through a reader or a phone, which only helps once you hold one. PostIdent means walking into a Deutsche Post branch with your passport and the bank's coupon and having the counter staff verify you. The Sparkassen pattern is the only record that lists all three plus the branch itself.
What Is the Step-by-Step Process?
1. If you need an IBAN immediately, open N26 or bunq first, before you fly if you like: both are recorded as opening in zero days, need no German address and issue a German IBAN. 2. Register your address at the Bürgeramt and take away the Meldebescheinigung. 3. Wait for the Steuer-Identifikationsnummer to arrive by post. 4. Choose the Girokonto you actually want, and check its fee waiver rather than its headline price. 5. Apply online with your passport, the Meldebescheinigung and the tax ID. 6. Identify yourself by VideoIdent, eID or PostIdent at a Deutsche Post branch. 7. The account opens: the catalogue records one day at ING, comdirect, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank and the Sparkassen pattern, and two days at DKB, Consorsbank and 1822direkt. 8. The cards arrive separately by post, and if you want a girocard you usually add it as a paid extra.
Do You Need a German IBAN?
Legally, no. Article 9 of the SEPA Regulation forbids a payer or a biller from refusing an account because its IBAN belongs to another SEPA country. In practice German payroll systems, landlords and utility direct-debit forms still reject a foreign IBAN, and the catalogue records that rejection risk explicitly against Wise's Belgian IBAN. Of the accounts that skip the Anmeldung, N26, bunq, C24 and Trade Republic issue a German (DE) IBAN, Revolut issues a Lithuanian (LT) one and Wise a Belgian (BE) one. If your salary has to land somewhere in month one, take a DE IBAN and keep the others for currency conversion.
The second thing an app account will not give you is a girocard, Germany's domestic debit scheme. Bakeries, doctors' practices and plenty of restaurants take girocard and refuse international cards, so at some point a Mastercard or Visa debit alone will leave you at the till without a way to pay. The traditional banks sell it as an extra: EUR 0.99 a month at DKB and ING, EUR 1 at comdirect, free on request at Consorsbank, and included in the box at Commerzbank and HypoVereinsbank.
How Do German Account Fees Compare?
Free is normally conditional. N26, Revolut, Wise, C24 and Trade Republic are recorded as unconditionally free, and bunq Core costs EUR 3.99 a month with no waiver. Among the traditional banks, DKB waives EUR 4.50 with EUR 700 of monthly incoming or if you are under 28, ING waives EUR 4.90 at EUR 1,000 of monthly incoming or under 28, Consorsbank waives EUR 4.00 at EUR 700 or under 31, and 1822direkt waives EUR 4.90 at EUR 700 or under 30. comdirect is free for the first six months no matter what, and after that on any one of four triggers, including EUR 700 of monthly incoming or an age under 28.
The paid accounts are paid for a reason and it is not always a good one. Commerzbank charges EUR 4.90 a month and, since May 2025, offers no income-based waiver at all: the account is free only with EUR 50,000 of deposits or securities held there. HypoVereinsbank charges EUR 4.90 with no waiver for adults, and Deutsche Bank EUR 6.90. At a Sparkasse there is no single national price to quote at all: each of the roughly 337 institutes publishes its own price list, and the 2026 reading of those runs from EUR 2.95 to EUR 12.95 a month depending on the institute and the model. Ask yours for its Preis- und Leistungsverzeichnis before you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a German bank account without an Anmeldung?
Yes, with six accounts. N26, Revolut, Wise, bunq, C24 and Trade Republic are all recorded as not requiring a registered German address. Every traditional Girokonto in the catalogue requires one, including DKB, ING, comdirect, Consorsbank, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank, 1822direkt and the Sparkassen pattern.
Can I open a German bank account before I move?
Yes. N26, Revolut, Wise and bunq are recorded as opening in zero days, with identity checked by photographing your passport in the app, so the account can exist before you land. N26 and bunq issue a German IBAN, Revolut issues a Lithuanian one and Wise a Belgian one.
Do I need a Steuer-Identifikationsnummer?
For most accounts, yes. N26, Revolut, Wise and bunq are the four recorded as not requiring one. C24 and Trade Republic do require a tax ID even though they do not require the Anmeldung, and every traditional bank in the catalogue requires both.
How long does opening an account take?
The catalogue records zero days for N26, Revolut, Wise and bunq, one day for ING, comdirect, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank, C24, Trade Republic and the Sparkassen pattern, and two days for DKB, Consorsbank and 1822direkt. Those are opening times, not the time to receive the card, which arrives separately by post.
Is my money safe in a German bank?
Deposits are protected up to EUR 100,000 per depositor per bank and paid within seven working days. The Entschädigungseinrichtung deutscher Banken covers the private banks, and the Sparkassen and cooperative groups run their own recognised schemes. The exception is Wise Europe SA, a Belgian payment institution rather than a bank: its record shows EUR 0 of deposit protection, because client money is safeguarded in segregated accounts instead.
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