Blocked Accounts for International Students in Germany

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A blocked Account (Sperrkonto, in German) is a special type of bank account that is required in Germany, and many other EU countries, from people who are going to apply for the long-term visa and need a confirmation of financial resources. Blocked accounts are usually necessary for students, au pairs, language students and job seekers, as they are among the categories of individuals who most often do not have a stable income to prove their financial position.

When it comes to Germany, the general requirement states that you should have access to €853 per month on your blocked account while staying in the country, which sums up to €10,236 per year. That means that if you apply for a visa for the whole year, you will need to transfer this total amount to a blocked account – so that upon arriving in Germany, you can start receiving €853 every month for covering your living expenses.

The blocked account is different from a current account, as there is no possibility to gain access to the “blocked” funds directly other than through the monthly disbursements. That is why, in order to activate the blocked account upon arrival in Germany, and to receive those monthly disbursements, it is necessary to open a current bank account as well. With the current account, you will be able to access your monthly money transfers from the blocked account, and then use those funds for your daily expenditure.

The creation of a blocked account from abroad can be a struggle for many, especially for those who do not speak German and are not familiar with the bureaucracy in Germany. To help with that, Expatrio has developed a solution that allows foreigners to apply for a blocked account online, without any knowledge of German, and receive a current account as well. With Expatrio, the whole process of the blocked account setup takes just a few days, and you can get prepared for your visa application much faster.

Find out more about blocked accounts here.