# Settling down in Germany: Bank account



## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

Hello All,

I am moving to Germany next autumn. 
There are many things that I should look into it and one of them is opening a bank account. 
I come from a country (UK) where opening bank account is very easy and convenient, no annual fees on basic account for debit or credit card.

Could you please advice a nice bank? I know that they are almost all the same, just wondering if there is someone better than the other or which one avoid.

Thank you.


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

Do you want a bank with physical branches, or is an online bank sufficient? 

For online, N26 is popular with recent arrivals because they don't care about residence permits, address registration, or proof of income, and you can deal with them in English if your German isn't up to speed. ING is decent but you'll pay a monthly fee unless you are either young or have a regular income deposit. DKB is supposedly good as well.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

Hello and thank you for your reply.
I like to use bank like N26, in UK they are called Challenging Banks and they work pretty well, however, for my salary I 'd prefer a "normal" bank.
ING is free if you have a regular income, do you know how much should be?
Same thing I've heard for Commerzbank.


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

Fire up the interwebs and find out.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

i've tried but most of the info are in German.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

If you want free service in English try Revolut.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> If you want free service in English try Revolut.


I have Revolut (as Starling ) and works great but I d like also a physical bank.
Do you know if Revolut is accepted to put your bills on?


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Gen_iaco said:


> Do you know if Revolut is accepted to put your bills on?


What do you mean? Accepted by whom?

Many German banks no longer have free accounts and some only offer free accounts when you have your salary deposited monthly. I'm not sure if any of the banks with branches and free accounts also offer services in English. Some banks are also choosy about their customers. 

You should also be aware that many banks are closing branches and you might want to wait until you move here before deciding on where to open an account if having a local branch is so important to you.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> What do you mean? Accepted by whom?


If I have bills of water, gas electricity can those be paid directly from REvolut account? like a direct debit ( In UK is called like that)


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Theoretically it should not be a problem, however, I've never tried it.

Are you moving to Germany to study?


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

Gen_iaco said:


> i've tried but most of the info are in German.


Fire up Google Translate.

Open an N26 (or similar) account and see how you like it. You can accept salary payments and pay bills just like any other account; you have a Visa card that's good for free cash withdrawals, and Apple Pay. The only challenge would be depositing cheques or cash.

If you still wish to patronize a physical bank, wait until you've moved, then investigate. (And hope your local branch doesn't close a year later.)


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

Thanks to All.
Yes I am opening one just one just when I am settling in.
N26 sounds good option, in UK we have some of them similar (but better in my opinion).


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Gen_iaco said:


> I have Revolut (as Starling ) and works great but I d like also a physical bank.
> Do you know if Revolut is accepted to put your bills on?


I am with Postbank because it has a branch in every post office and is open on Saturdays (mornings) and in an emergency, I could even go to a post office in a large train station or similar and do whatever I need to do on a Sunday (have done this once in my life many years ago).

They are also part of the "Cash Group" - Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Hypovereinsbank, Postbank - and I can use ATM´s of any of those banks free of charge. This of course also works with any of the other cash group banks. 

If the ATM you are most likely to use, near your residence or near your work place for instance, is not of the cash group, then you might want to consider opening an account with that bank, as ATM withdrawal fees can be high for non-customers.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

ALKB said:


> I am with Postbank because it has a branch in every post office and is open on Saturdays (mornings) and in an emergency, I could even go to a post office in a large train station or similar and do whatever I need to do on a Sunday (have done this once in my life many years ago).
> 
> They are also part of the "Cash Group" - Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Hypovereinsbank, Postbank - and I can use ATM´s of any of those banks free of charge. This of course also works with any of the other cash group banks.
> 
> If the ATM you are most likely to use, near your residence or near your work place for instance, is not of the cash group, then you might want to consider opening an account with that bank, as ATM withdrawal fees can be high for non-customers.


Even in Italy Post is becoming more and more like a bank, offering a lot of services.
Coming from UK where you can pay even a 50cents with card, I found few places were they take just cash. Also some other places do not take VISA or Mastercard (which I have) but just German circuits.

So far I think I may go for NGR , since I will have my salary paid in and hopefully there will be a branch in the city where I am moving.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> If you want free service in English try Revolut.


Following up this.
I have opened my Revolut account in UK and the IBAN starts with a GB.
Is this going to be a problem is I want use in Germany since is not a "local" IBAN?
I have heard and read transition from GB to European-like Iban ( in this case De or IT).

Thank you


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

Gen_iaco said:


> Following up this.
> I have opened my Revolut account in UK and the IBAN starts with a GB.
> Is this going to be a problem is I want use in Germany since is not a "local" IBAN?
> I have heard and read transition from GB to European-like Iban ( in this case De or IT).
> ...


Is the account in euro or pounds?


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

Harry Moles said:


> Is the account in euro or pounds?


To be honest I don't know  Revolut works a bit strange.
The account has a GB IBAN however, I deposit and take Euro from that account.
I have to have a pound account as well on the same "card" since my address is the UK.
I made euro payment using the euro in my account into the SEPA area I did not pay any fee, so it was a transaction euro-euro without any conversion.


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## Harry Moles (11 mo ago)

It sounds like you have accounts in each currency, and if you are doing euro-euro transactions without any conversion or fees then it's working as designed. I have no idea whether the GB prefix in the IBAN is going to be a problem. If it is a problem, open a German account.


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## TomMM (Jul 6, 2021)

I am moving to France from the US and just opened a Revolut account. Initially I was given an LT IBAN but was able to convert it to a local FR IBAN based on my visa. Not sure if they offer a local IBAN for Germany.


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## *Sunshine* (Mar 13, 2016)

Gen_iaco said:


> I have opened my Revolut account in UK and the IBAN starts with a GB.
> Is this going to be a problem is I want use in Germany since is not a "local" IBAN?
> I have heard and read transition from GB to European-like Iban ( in this case De or IT).


Since the UK is still in SEPA, you should be fine. If not, you can sort it out easily once you are here. Bring some cash with you.

A bank account is not something that you need to worry about at the moment. Have you found accommodation? Not having anywhere to live is a much bigger issue for most people.


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## Gen_iaco (6 mo ago)

*Sunshine* said:


> Since the UK is still in SEPA, you should be fine. If not, you can sort it out easily once you are here. Bring some cash with you.
> 
> A bank account is not something that you need to worry about at the moment. Have you found accommodation? Not having anywhere to live is a much bigger issue for most people.


My employer should be able to sort it out.


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