Opening a bank account in Germany as an expat: what you need

In Germany, a neo bank such as N26, bunq or Revolut can usually open your account in the app with a passport and a smartphone, often before you have a registered address. Traditional banks tend to ask for more, but if you live legally in the EU, German law gives you the right to a basic account.

What you will be asked for

Requirements depend on the bank and on your nationality. These are the items that come up most often:

Registering your address and getting a tax ID

Anyone who moves into a home in Germany must register with the local registration office (Bürgeramt in Berlin) within 14 days of moving in. In Berlin you need:

• the completed registration form,
• a valid ID card or passport, and
• a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, a signed confirmation of your move-in from your landlord. A rental contract does not replace it.

Berlin charges no fee and gives you a Meldebestätigung (registration certificate) as soon as your documents are checked. Appointments are needed for in-person registration; you can also register online with a BundID account, an ID card with the online ID function and the AusweisApp.

After your first registration, the office passes your details to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt), which sends your tax ID by letter to your registered address. There is no charge. If no letter arrives within three months, you can contact the BZSt.

Neo banks: what N26, bunq and Revolut ask for

N26

N26 is a German bank based in Berlin. Its help centre says you must be at least 18, a resident of a supported country, hold a supported ID, own a compatible smartphone, not already hold an N26 account and be able to complete identity verification in English, German, Spanish, Italian or French. N26's page for expats promises a German IBAN in minutes with a government-issued ID such as a passport.

N26 also says approval depends on an automated creditworthiness check. If you do not meet its criteria, it may offer an N26 Flex account instead (in Germany only).

bunq

bunq is a Dutch bank. According to its help centre, customers who sign up from Germany get a German IBAN (DE) automatically. bunq's page for expats in Germany says you can sign up before you move and that no tax ID is required at signup.

Check bunq's list of accepted documents before you apply. For many non-EU nationals, bunq only accepts passports from a listed set of countries; if yours is not on the list, you need a European passport or residence permit. bunq does not accept visas, temporary ID cards or expired documents.

Revolut

Revolut gives German residents a German IBAN through the German branch of Revolut Bank UAB, which is supervised by BaFin and the Bundesbank. Since October 2024 all new customers in Germany receive a DE IBAN. Existing customers can move to the German branch if Germany is their country of residence and they provide the required documents. Deposits remain protected by the Lithuanian deposit guarantee fund up to €100,000.

At a glance

For plans and prices, see N26 plans explained and bunq plans explained.

Your right to a basic account (Basiskonto)

German banks that offer accounts to consumers must open a basic payment account for anyone legally resident in the EU who asks, including people without a permanent address, asylum seekers and holders of a suspension of deportation (Duldung). According to BaFin:

• the account lets you deposit and withdraw money, make transfers, set up direct debits and pay by card, but has no overdraft;
• the bank may charge only reasonable fees;
• once you hand in the completed application form, the bank has ten business days to review it and offer you the account.

A bank may refuse only in limited cases, for example if you already hold a payment account with another bank in Germany, or if opening it would breach money laundering rules. If you are refused, you can ask BaFin to start an administrative procedure, which is free of charge (you pay your own postage and any legal fees).

Germany's consumer advice centres note that banks must provide the application form, including online, and confirm receipt with a dated copy.

Can you keep your foreign EU IBAN?

Under EU rules for euro payments (the SEPA Regulation), employers, landlords and companies such as utilities must accept an account from another SEPA country for euro transfers and direct debits. Refusing is known as IBAN discrimination. The European Commission suggests filing a complaint with the national competent authority in the country where it happened.
## Practical tips

1. Open a neo bank account early, so you can receive your first salary and pay a deposit.
2. Book your Anmeldung appointment as soon as you have a move-in date and ask your landlord for the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung.
3. Keep the Meldebestätigung and tax ID letter safe; banks, employers and the tax office ask for them.
4. Check each bank's accepted ID list before you start the identity check.

Compare all providers available in Germany in our comparison table for Germany, and read is my money safe in a neo bank? before you move large sums.

Moving to France? Read opening a bank account in France as an expat: French IBANs, the droit au compte and form 3916.

Moving to Austria? Read opening a bank account in Austria as an expat: the Meldezettel, your right to a Basiskonto and its capped fee.

Moving to another country? See which neo banks accept residents of each country.

Sources

• BaFin: Basic payment account
• Verbraucherzentrale: Das Recht auf ein Basiskonto für neu in Deutschland Angekommene
• Your Europe: Opening a basic bank account within the EU
• Service Berlin: Registering an address (Anmeldung)
• Service Berlin: Steueridentifikationsnummer – Vergabe
• N26 Support: How to open my N26 account?
• N26: Bank account for expats
• bunq: Banking for expats in Germany
• bunq Help: What kind of IBAN will I get with bunq?
• bunq Help: What ID documents are accepted?
• Revolut Help: How can I switch to a German IBAN?
• Revolut: Revolut launches German IBAN
• European Commission: IBAN discrimination
• Central Bank of Ireland: What is IBAN discrimination?

Prices and features checked on 25 October 2026.

This guide is general information, not financial advice. Fees, features and availability change, so check the provider's own website before you apply. Read how we compare providers and our affiliate disclosure.