List of Banks in Germany (+FAQ)
When living in Germany, having a German Bank Account (or a Euro currency account) can be useful. Here's a list of accounts for people having an address in Germany. For some banks, having a registered address is not necessary.
This article covers accounts for individuals, also called current account or giro account (Girokonto). The list may not be complete, so feel free to add missing banks.
For other account types, see
- List of German Business Banks
- List of German Savings Accounts
- List of German Credit Cards
- List of German Brokers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a German bank account?
In this article, German bank account means an account that has an account number (IBAN) starting with DE….
Do I need a German or a Euro bank account?
To pay rent and most bills or receive salary, you usually need an account that can send and receive SEPA transfers in EUR.
So your bank account does not need to be from Germany. It must only be able to send and receive SEPA transfers in EUR. Many accounts from other EU and EEA countries can do that.
However, some companies and authorities have problems using non-German account number (IBAN). This is illegal but it may happen. Then, a German account is more convenient.
Which type of bank account can I use for my freelancing?
To receive income from freelancing or your business, you usually need a business bank. Banks listed here are for individuals who want to receive their salary from being an employee, their scholarship or similar.
Do I get interest on my money?
On giro accounts in Germany, you usually do not get interests paid out. For such offers, check the List of German Savings Accounts.
What do I need to open a German bank account?
This varies from bank to bank. However, these things are common:
- You always need prove your identity, e.g. with a passport or national ID card.
- You often need give an address, so that the bank can send you a credit or debit card.
- Sometimes, you need to show your registration (Anmeldung)
- Some banks want to see your income and credit history. (E.g. DKB[1] is known to be picky.)
See also: Banks Recommended for Foreigners.
Which bank is the best for me?
A bank that
- speaks your language. There many offers with support in English or even more languages.
- has free cash withdrawals. While all supermarkets already allow card payments, you will still need to use cash at smaller shops, cafés, restaurants or food trucks.
- has no monthly fees. There are so many banks even without fees, so you don't need to pick one that costs money.
- lets you sign up with our documents. If you don't have an registered address (Anmeldung) yet, this can be difficult.
See also: Banks Recommended for Foreigners.
Lists of Banks for Individuals (Girokonto)
Banks With English Support
- Bunq[1], speaks also: Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Commerzbank[1] (online banking, after signup)
- Deutsche Bank (online banking, after signup)
- Insha
- Lydia
- Monese, speaks also: Bulgarian, Czech, German, Estonian, Spanish, French, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- N26[1], speaks also: French, German, Italian, Spanish
- Nuri[1]
- Revolut, speaks also: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
- Tomorrow[1]
- Vivid Money, speaks also: French, German, Italian, Spanish
- Wise[1], speaks also: Chinese, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish
- Yuh
Banks With German Account Number (IBAN)
- 1822direkt
- Consorsbank[1]
- comdirect[1]
- DKB[1]
- Hypovereinsbank
- ING
- N26[1]
- Norisbank[1]
- Nuri[1]
- Postbank[1]
- Targobank[1]
- Tomorrow[1]
- Vivid Money
Banks With No Monthly Fees
- DKB[1]
- Insha
- Lydia (free plan with limited features)
- Hypovereinsbank: free in the first 5 years
- Monese (Starter plan)
- N26[1]
- Nuri[1]
- Openbank
- Revolut
- Vivid Money
- Wise[1]
- Yuh
… if you receive money on it regularly
- 1822direkt: if you receive minimum €700 every month
- Consorsbank[1]: if you receive minimum €700 every month
- Commerzbank[1] " if you receive minimum €700 every month
- comdirect[1]" if you receive minimum €700 every month
- ING: if you receive minimum €700 every month
- Norisbank[1]: if you receive minimum €500 every month
- Postbank[1]: if you receive minimum €3000 every month
- Targobank[1]: if you receive minimum €600 every month
… for young people
- Consorsbank[1]: if you are under 28
- comdirect[1]: if you are under 28
- ING: if you are under 28
- Norisbank[1]: if you are under 21
- Postbank[1]: if you are under 22
Banks With Free Cash Withdrawals
… at bank machines worldwide
- Bunq[1]: 4 per month are free
- DKB[1]: minimum €50 per withdrawal
- Nuri[1]: more info
- Revolut: 200 EUR / 5 per month are free
- Wise[1]: 200 EUR / 2 per month are free
… at bank machines in €-zone / EEA
- Consorsbank[1]
- Hypovereinsbank: at UniCredit banks in 13 EU countries
- Insha 2 free withdrawals per month
- Openbank: 5 withdrawals free per month in €-zone or worldwide at Santander ATMs (more info)
… at bank machines of the bank's network
- 1822direkt: 4 per month at Sparkasse group bank machines
- Commerzbank[1] : at Cash Group bank machines
- Hypovereinsbank: unlimited at Cash Group bank machines
- Norisbank[1]: at Cash Group bank machines
- Openbank: 5 withdrawals free per month in €-zone or worldwide at Santander ATMs (more info)
- Postbank[1]: at Postbank and Cash Group bank machines
- Targobank[1]: at CashPool bank machines
…at shops
- bunq with Viacash
- comdirect[1] with Cash-Back
- DKB[1] with Cash-Back and Viacash
- ING with Cash-Back
- N26[1] with Viacash
- Norisbank[1] with Cash-Back
- Tomorrow[1] with Viacash
Banks with Cash Deposits
These banks allow you to top-up your account with cash.
- 1822direkt: free only at Frankfurter Sparkasse branches (more info)
- Bunq[1]: at shops with Viacash (more info)
- Consorsbank[1]: minimum €1000, €7.50 fee (more info)
- DKB[1]: shops with Viacash; at DKB ATMs & branches(more info)
- Hypovereinsbank: at their branches
- ING: for free at some of ING's bank machines (more info)
- N26[1]: at shops with Viacash (more info)
- Norisbank[1]: at Deutsche Bank cash deposit machines (more info)
- Postbank[1]: at Postbank bank machines without fees (more info)
- Targobank[1]: at shops with Viacash; at Targobank machines
- Tomorrow[1] with Viacash
Banks With Joint Accounts
Banks with joint accounts allow two or more people to own and access the same account. An alternative to this are shared pockets or group vaults where each customer has their own account but can create pockets/vaults that can be access by other users.
- Revolut: offers group vaults
- Vivid Money: offers shared pockets (more info)
Banks With Multiple Currencies
- Bunq[1]: more info
- Lydia: EUR & GBP
- Monese: EUR, GBP and RON (RON only with Romanian ID
- Revolut: AUD, BGN, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HRK, HUF, JPY, NOK, PLN, RON, SEK, USD, ZAR
- Vivid Money: up to 105 currencies, but can be topped up only in EUR
- Wise[1]: 50+ currencies
- Yuh: CHF, USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AUD, CAD, SEK, HKD, NOK, DKK, AED, SGD
Banks With A Broker
These accounts allow you to trade shares and funds / ETFs. The term in German is usually Depot.
See also: List of German (Online) Brokers.
- 1822direkt: more info
- Commerzbank[1] : more info
- comdirect[1] more info
- Consorsbank[1]: more info
- DKB[1]: more info
- Hypovereinsbank: more info
- ING: more info
- Norisbank[1]: more info
- Openbank: more info
- Postbank[1]: more info
- Revolut: more info
- Targobank[1]: more info
- Vivid Money: more info
- Yuh: more info
Banks With Crypto Currencies
These accounts allow you to trade Bitcoin etc.
Banks With Bonuses
These accounts will pay you for signing up.
- 1822direkt: €25 or €75 bonus (depending on account type) if you receive 3 salary payments of min. €1000 each within the first 6 months (conditions)
- Commerzbank[1] : €50 welcome bonus if you send or receive 5 payments per month of min. €25 (salary, providers etc.) and agree to sales calls (conditions)
- Consorsbank[1]: €50 welcome bonus if you receive 3 payments of min. €700 within the first 6 months (more info)
- Norisbank[1]: €50 welcome bonus if you use their account switching service (more info)
- Vivid Money: €40 in cashback, if you
- make 3 in-store card payments of at least €10 each
- on 3 different days
- within 90 days of opening your account.
Comparisons of Banks
These finance services compare current bank account options on the market and let you filter the list by specific features:
Banks for Individuals Compared
Banks for Students Compared
Banks Recommended for Foreigners
All listed banks also accept non-Germans. But some make it easier than others.
Banks suitable for expats:
- have support in English (or even more languages)
- do not require you to have a registered address (Anmeldung)
- accept many foreign passports and identity cards for opening
Recommended banks for expats are:
Vivid Money
- accepts many documents for account opening (incl. UA passport)
- support in 5 languages
- free / no monthly fees
- free Visa debit card if topped up with €200
- IBAN from Germany 🇩🇪
- €40 bonus in cashback (see conditions)
Revolut
- accepts many documents for account opening
- support in 24 languages
- free / no monthly fees
- Visa debit card for €5.99 one-time delivery fee
- IBAN from Lithuania 🇱🇹
Wise[1]
- accepts many documents for account opening (incl. UA international passport)
- support in 13 languages
- free / no monthly fees
- Mastercard debit card for €8 one-time delivery fee
- IBAN from Belgium 🇧🇪
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.47 1.48 1.49 1.50 1.51 1.52 1.53 1.54 1.55 1.56 1.57 1.58 1.59 1.60 1.61 1.62 1.63 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.67 1.68 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedaffiliate