# How to bring Cash from India to Germany ?



## Senthil_Germany (Mar 1, 2014)

Hi,

I'm a seasoned software engineer traveling soon to Germany from India in Job seeker visa - Validity up to six months. 

I would like to have about 4000 to 6000 euros in my hands during my stay in Germany for expenses. What are the possible cost effective ways to access and have Euros. I'm not sure whether I will be allowed to carry Euros in Hands in Airport.

Shall I deposit equivalent Indian rupees in Indian Deutsche Bank and later Open a Germany Deutsche bank after reaching there. Further transfer money online to Germany DE bank, is it possible?

Any advise?

Thanks


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## liju84 (Jul 13, 2013)

Carrying cash would not be allowed I guess.
You can very well try a forex card from any of the leading banks in India.
I have used HDfc prepaid forex card and found it very useful.


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## James3214 (Jun 25, 2009)

You are allowed to bring cash in to Germany up to a limit (equivalent) of 10,000€ but I would recommend opening an a/c with a German bank and transferring it as paying large amounts of cash always arises suspicions!


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## Senthil_Germany (Mar 1, 2014)

James3214 said:


> You are allowed to bring cash in to Germany up to a limit (equivalent) of 10,000€ but I would recommend opening an a/c with a German bank and transferring it as paying large amounts of cash always arises suspicions!


Thanks for the response friends. 

In that case shall I carry 5000 euros in hands while traveling? May be it is allowed but it is not safe. 

My intention is to load money here in India and then have cash via withdrawal in Germany. I figured that for every withdrawal, HDFC Prepaid forex card will charge 2 euros. I don't want to lose money that way. what about Travelers cheque.?

I would be grateful if some one suggest any other way.

Thanks


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## James3214 (Jun 25, 2009)

I have no experience from exchanging Rupees to Euro but what I would do is bring enough cash for your initial stay and then open a German bank a/c and use an online international currency exchange such as 'Currencyfair' or similar to transfer the money from your Indian bank a/c to your German EUR a/c. Try to avoid the bad rates and charges from the banks. Travelers Cheques are no longer widely used.


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

It is allowed to carry any amount of cash.
If it's more than EUR10k (or EUR12.5k, I don't remember) you need to declare and fill a form when entering Germany. If the funds are legit and you have a reason for carrying them, there is nothing to worry about (except, of course, the safety while you're still in India - this isn't a problem in Germany).
EUR2 per international withdrawal is a very good deal. You are likely to lose more in all other methods - even exchanging cash incurs a hidden fee through the difference in buy/sell rate!


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