After You Arrive

Bank Account and SIM Card in Germany

A German bank account (Girokonto) lets you pay rent and your semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag), a fee every student pays each semester. You also get paid from a job into it. A prepaid SIM card needs a check of your ID.

Example bank

Student bank account

Recent Transactions

Example: rent

Example: semester contribution

Example: Deutschlandticket

Example network

Student SIM

Example screen. Your own account shows your details.

Banking

Student Banking in Germany

There are many banks with offices across Germany, as well as savings banks and online banks. Student bank accounts are usually free.

Basic Account (Basiskonto)

Everyone living legally in the EU has a right to a basic account. The law sets no top price, so prices differ a lot.

Step by Step

How to Open a Bank Account

How to open a bank account (Girokonto) in Germany.

Choose a bank

Pick a bank with offices you can visit, a savings bank or a bank that works only online.

Get your papers ready

Bring your passport. Each bank sets its own list, so ask what else it needs.

Apply

Apply in a bank office or online.

Your right to a basic account

Anyone living legally in the EU (the European Union; India and Pakistan are outside it) has a right to a basic account, a simple bank account. The bank must answer within 10 days.

Get your card

You get a debit card for cash machines and shops.

Papers to Bring

Banks set their own lists. These are the usual basics.

Essential Documents:

Passport - Your main ID.

Tips

Student bank accounts are usually free.

Online banks let you open and run an account on the internet.

If a bank says no to a basic account (Basiskonto), you can complain to BaFin, the office that watches German banks.

Staying Connected

SIM Cards

By law, a prepaid SIM card must be linked to the name on your ID. The card works only after this check.

How to Get a SIM Card

Steps for a prepaid SIM card in Germany.

Choose a prepaid SIM

Buy one in a shop or online.

Prove who you are

In a shop, staff check your ID. Online, you show your ID in a video call.

Start using it

The card works after the ID check.

Good to Know

Bring your passport. Shops must check your ID before they turn on a prepaid SIM.
Online, Telekom (a big German phone company) checks your ID in a video call before the card works.

Practical Tips

Tips for Money and Phone

Simple tips for your first weeks in Germany.

Smart Money Habits

Get a debit card
After you open a bank account you get a debit card (a bank card that takes money from your account). In Germany it is often called an EC card or Girocard.
Use automatic payments
Set up a standing order (an automatic payment) so rent and phone bills are paid on time each month.
Avoid credit card cash
Credit cards are widely accepted, but card companies charge a high fee each time you take out cash.