Opening a German bank account for non-residents: How it works

For non-German founders, setting up a business in Germany usually involves a few extra steps – opening a bank account is among those. If you’re neither an EU/EFTA citizen nor a German resident, the process may take a bit more effort, but it’s absolutely manageable. Let’s walk through what to expect and how to prepare.

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Summary

Non-residents can usually open a German bank account through direct banks. You need a valid ID, which may require an apostille or legalisation. Your identity is verified via POSTIDENT, VideoIdent, or sometimes by an authorised representative. The exact requirements depend on whether it is a personal or business account. Citizens of certain countries may face restrictions if their home countries are classified as high-risk.

Getting started
General requirements
Necessary steps
Verifying your identity
Application with or without apostille
DKB and comdirect
Timeline
Application refusal
Conclusion

Which banks can non-residents use?

In most cases those who live outside the country will need to use a direct bank 💬Direktbank. Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar banks 💬Filialbanken like Volksbank or Sparkasse, direct banks operate entirely online and are usually more willing to accept applications from abroad.

Requirements for non-residents

Valid proof of identity
Recognised apostille or legalisation of foreign documents and certificates.
A proxy form authorising a representative to complete the process on your behalf—only if you cannot be present in person.

Before starting the process, you must check whether Germany recognises apostilles or legalisations from your country.

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Andreas Munck

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Need advice on opening a business bank account?

Startup expert
10+ years experience

Hi, I’m Andreas and I’ve been advising businesses in Germany for over a decade. I’d be happy to call you and answer any questions you have in a one-on-one consultation.

Step-by-step: How to open a German business bank account

1. Choose a bank

Select a direct bank such as DKB or comdirect, or another German bank that accepts international founders. Some banks may still require an in-person appointment in Germany. Here is a comparison of German direct banks.

2. Prepare your documents

Gather all required documents in advance. Then check the country table below to see how your documents must be authenticated.

Documents from some countries can be accepted with an apostille, others must be legalised by a German consulate (see table below).

First, check whether an apostille from your country is recognised in Germany.
If not, check whether a legalisation from your country is recognised.
Then verify whether your country is listed as a high-risk country or one with no authentication process recognised.

These checks ensure your documents will be accepted and help you avoid delays or rejection during the account-opening process.

3. Verify your identity

Complete identity verification via PostIdent, VideoIdent, or through a notary, lawyer, or bank recognised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority 💬BaFin.

If these methods are not available, authorise a representative with a notarised power of attorney 💬Vollmacht.

4. Submit your application

Apply online and provide details about your company, business purpose, and expected turnover.

Missing documents or incomplete verification often cause delays.

5. Approval and activation

Once your application is approved, you’ll receive your IBAN and login credentials.

Necessary documents

Proof of personal identity

If you open an account as a natural person (e.g. sole proprietor), you will need:

Valid ID with apostille or legalisation (showing name, date/place of birth, citizenship, address)
Certificate of registration, tax return or utility bill, if your ID does not show your address

Proof of business identity

If you open a business account as a legal entity, you will need:

Company name and legal form
Commercial register number and excerpt (if available)
Names and addresses of authorised representatives
Proof of representation rights with apostille or legalisation
Certificate of registration, tax return or utility bill of the representative (if ID does not show address)

Documents for third-party identity verification

For a verification by a credible third party 💬zuverlässiger Dritter, you will usually need:

A form confirming your identity, residence and tax ID
A valid passport or EU identity card
All documents required to open the account
Apostille template

The third party completes and signs the form; you provide your signature. Most banks require documents in German—otherwise, a certified translation is needed. The verifier’s signature must also be authenticated with an apostille.

Some countries, such as France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, are exceptions to this rule. If in doubt, contact your consulate or embassy before proceeding.

Verifying your identity

Before opening a German bank account, you must verify your identity. This can be done in person, online, or through an authorised representative. Direct banks often offer several remote verification options, while traditional banks usually require a visit to a branch.

PostIdent and VideoIdent processes

PostIdent verification can only be completed in Germany.

Bring your bank’s application form and a valid ID to any Deutsche Post branch and present them to an employee. The service is free of charge, as your bank covers the fee.

If your ID lacks details such as your place of birth, delays may occur. To avoid issues, bring supporting documents such as your birth certificate.

VideoIdent verification is available outside Germany and is simple to complete.

After submitting scanned copies of your ID, you’ll have a short video call via smartphone, tablet or computer. Mobile phones often work best because their cameras can focus more precisely than standard webcams.

During the call, you’ll be asked to show both sides of your ID and tilt it to reveal security features like holograms. After successful verification, you’ll receive a TAN (transaction number) via text message or email to confirm your identity. The entire process usually takes just a few minutes.

Other verification methods abroad

If neither PostIdent nor VideoIdent is available, some banks accept verification by local institutions.

Banks, credit institutions, lawyers, certified accountants, tax advisers or notaries in all EU countries—and in certain EFTA countries recognised by BaFin—can perform identity verification.

Always check in advance which countries and certifications your chosen bank accepts.

If no remote options are available, you may be able to verify your identity through a local bank or lawyer. They confirm your details on the application form and forward it to the German bank. This option is not available everywhere and usually applies only in countries with security standards comparable to Germany’s.

⚠️ Note: Germany does not accept apostilles or legalisations from certain countries for political reasons. If your country is affected, opening a German bank account may not be possible. Check the country list below to verify whether document authentication is recognised in your location.

Getting a representative to open your bank account

If you cannot complete verification yourself, you may authorise a representative in Germany to do it for you. The authorised person can open the account at your chosen bank’s branch.

To grant this authority, you’ll need a notarised power of attorney 💬Vollmacht. Your embassy or consulate can prepare this document. Ask your bank in advance whether a specific wording or format is required, and bring a valid ID to your appointment.

Before proceeding, confirm that your bank allows account openings via a representative. If it does, request apostille or legalisation of both the account documents and the power of attorney as early as possible.

If this option is not available, you’ll need to either choose a different bank or travel to Germany to complete the process in person.

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Citizens of which countries can open a bank account in Germany? (List of countries)

Apostille recognised: Documents from these countries are accepted with an apostille under the Hague Apostille Convention.
Apostille not recognised: Apostilles from these countries are not accepted in Germany.
Legalisation recognised: Documents can be legalised by a German mission abroad and are accepted afterwards.
Legalisation not recognised: German missions do not legalise documents from these countries.
High-risk countries: Defined by the European Commission and the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority 💬BaFin as posing a higher financial risk.
No authentication process recognised: Neither apostille nor legalisation is possible; documents cannot be verified for use in Germany.

Country	Apostille recognised	Apostille not recognised	Legalisation recognised	Legalisation not recognised	High-risk countries	No authentication process recognised
Afghanistan¹				✅	✅	✅
Albania	✅
Algeria				✅
Andorra	✅
Angola			✅
Anguilla	✅
Antigua	✅
Argentina	✅
Armenia	✅
Aruba	✅
Australia	✅
Austria²	✅
Azerbaijan		✅	✅
Bahamas	✅
Bahrain	✅
Bangladesh				✅
Barbados	✅				✅
Barbuda	✅
Belarus	✅
Belgium²	✅
Belize	✅
Benin				✅
Bermuda	✅
Bolivia	✅
Bonaire	✅
Bosnia and Herzegovina	✅
Botswana	✅
Brazil	✅
Brunei Darussalam	✅
Bulgaria	✅
Burkina Faso			✅		✅
Burundi		✅		✅
Cambodia				✅
Cameroon				✅	✅
Cape Verde	✅
Cayman Islands	✅
Central African Republic¹				✅		✅
Chad¹				✅		✅
Chile	✅
China (only for certificates from Hong Kong and Macao)	✅
Colombia	✅
Cook Islands	✅
Costa Rica	✅
Croatia	✅
Curaçao	✅
Cyprus	✅
Czech Republic	✅
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)				✅
Democratic Republic of the Congo				✅	✅
Denmark² (except for Greenland and the Faroe Islands)	✅
Djibouti¹				✅		✅
Dominica	✅
Dominican Republic		✅		✅
Ecuador	✅
El Salvador	✅
Equatorial Guinea¹				✅		✅
Eritrea¹				✅		✅
Estonia	✅
Ethiopia				✅
Falkland Islands	✅
Fiji	✅
Finland	✅
France²	✅
Gabon¹				✅		✅
Gambia				✅
Georgia	✅
Ghana				✅
Gibraltar	✅				✅
Greece²	✅
Grenada	✅
Guatemala	✅
Guernsey	✅
Guinea				✅
Guinea-Bissau				✅
Haiti				✅	✅
Honduras	✅
Hungary	✅
Iceland	✅
India		✅		✅
Iraq¹				✅		✅
Ireland	✅
Isle of Man	✅
Israel	✅
Italy²	✅
Jamaica			✅		✅
Japan	✅
Jersey	✅
Kazakhstan	✅
Kenya				✅
Kosovo³		✅		✅
Kyrgyzstan		✅		✅
Laos				✅
Latvia	✅
Lesotho	✅
Liberia¹		✅		✅		✅
Libya³				✅
Liechtenstein	✅
Lithuania	✅
Luxemburg²	✅
Madagascar				✅
Malawi	✅
Mali				✅	✅
Malta	✅
Marshall Islands	✅
Mauritius	✅
Mexico	✅
Moldova		✅	✅
Monaco	✅
Mongolia		✅		✅
Montenegro	✅
Montserrat	✅
Morocco³		✅		✅
Mozambique				✅	✅
Myanmar				✅	✅
Namibia	✅
Nepal				✅
Netherlands	✅
New Zealand (not including Tokelau)	✅
Nicaragua	✅
Niger¹				✅		✅
Nigeria				✅	✅
Niue	✅
North Macedonia	✅
Norway	✅
Oman	✅
Pakistan		✅		✅
Panama	✅				✅
Peru	✅
Philippines		✅		✅	✅
Poland	✅
Portugal	✅
Republic of the Congo				✅
Romania	✅
Russian Federation	✅
Rwanda		✅	✅
Saba	✅
Saint Helena	✅
Samoa	✅
San Marino	✅
Senegal		✅		✅	✅
Serbia	✅
Seychelles	✅
Sierra Leone¹				✅		✅
Sint Eustatius	✅
Sint Maarten	✅
Slovakia	✅
Slovenia	✅
Somalia¹				✅		✅
South Africa	✅				✅
South Korea	✅
South Sudan¹				✅	✅	✅
Spain	✅
Sri Lanka				✅
St. Kitts and Nevis	✅
St. Lucia	✅
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	✅
Sudan				✅		✅
Suriname	✅
Swaziland	✅
Sweden	✅
Switzerland²	✅
Syria³				✅	✅
São Tomé and Príncipe	✅			✅		✅
Tajikistan		✅		✅		✅
Tanzania			✅		✅
Togo				✅
Tonga	✅
Trinidad and Tobago	✅				✅
Tunisia		✅		✅
Turkey	✅
Turkmenistan¹				✅		✅
Turks and Caicos Islands	✅
Uganda				✅	✅
Ukraine	✅
United Arab Emirates			✅		✅
United Kingdom	✅
United States of America	✅
Uruguay	✅
Uzbekistan		✅		✅
Vanuatu	✅				✅
Venezuela	✅
Vietnam			✅		✅
Yemen				✅	✅	✅

¹ Document verification via German consulates or embassies is currently not possible in these countries.

² For these countries additional bilateral agreements exist. In some cases, these waive the need for an apostille for specific documents.

³ Only applies to certain certificates in these countries. You can find more details on the websites of the relevant German consulates or embassies.

Sources: German Foreign Office / European Commission (2025)

Opening an account with DKB Bank or comdirect from abroad

DKB Bank is a German direct bank that accepts account applications from non-residents. Exceptions are citizens of Iran and North Korea due to EU sanctions.

To open a business bank account, simply complete the online application form. After reviewing your details, DKB will inform you about the available identity verification methods in your country. Once verification is complete, your account will be opened.

comdirect also allows non-German citizens living abroad to open an account, provided that your credit history can be verified through SCHUFA, Germany’s central credit information agency.

This is possible if you have previously lived or acted as a consumer in Germany—for example, by signing a mobile phone contract, leasing a car, or renting an apartment.

[BEGIN: Insert an Image between this tag]

Andreas Munck

[END insert Image]

Got questions about setting up a business in Germany?

Startup expert
10+ years experience

Hi, I’m Andreas and I’ve been advising businesses in Germany for over a decade. I’d be happy to call you and answer any questions you have in a one-on-one consultation.

How long does it take to open an account for non-German citizens?

For non-German citizens living abroad, opening a bank account can take several days or even weeks, depending on the bank and verification process.

Most banks will not make a final decision until all required documents have been received and reviewed. To avoid delays, submit every document listed in the application form and double-check that your identity verification is complete. If you realise that something is missing, send it to the bank as quickly as possible to prevent your application from expiring.

Why was my account application refused?

German direct banks reject up to 60% of applications due to strict compliance and verification standards. Non-residents must not only prove strong creditworthiness but also demonstrate a legitimate reason for opening an account—such as self-employment, company formation, or property ownership in Germany.

Applications without a clear purpose or with incomplete documentation are usually declined. In addition, many banks have now fully automated their review process. This means that even applicants with perfect credit and complete paperwork can be rejected automatically.

If you believe your application was unfairly refused, contact the bank’s customer service and ask for a manual review by a staff member.

Conclusion

Opening a German bank account as a non-resident is possible, but it can be challenging. Direct banks usually offer the most accessible options. Before applying, prepare all required documents and check whether apostilles or legalisations from your country are accepted.

Applicants from high-risk countries face stricter regulations, and even complete applications are often declined. So setting up a business in Germany may be impossible for the time being.