How to open a Germany blocked account safely
Open the blocked account yourself, in your own name, with a provider you have checked. Germany no longer publishes a list of providers and recommends none, so the checking is up to you, including a look in the financial regulator BaFin's database. Never send blocked account money to an agent or to a personal account.
What a blocked account is
A blocked account, called a Sperrkonto in German, is an account in your name that holds money for your living costs in Germany.
Whether you need one, and how much, depends on your case. We do not give a figure here because we could not confirm a current official amount. Ask the German embassy or consulate that handles your visa, on its own website.
There is no official list of providers
The German Federal Foreign Office says the list of providers that was available until the middle of 2022 has been deleted. It says it does not make any recommendations and does not accept any liability for a provider's failed payments.
This matters because websites and agents may claim a provider is 'approved by Germany'. We found no official list that supports such a claim.
How to open one safely
- Choose the provider yourself. Do not accept one picked by an agent who earns from it.
- Check the provider's name in BaFin's company database, linked under Sources. We have not reviewed exactly what each listing means, so also read the provider's own terms and ask it how your money is protected.
- Type the provider's website address yourself, and do not use a link from a message.
- Open the account in your own name, with your own email address and phone number.
- Transfer the money from your own or your family's real bank account to the provider's account in your name.
- Keep every receipt and confirmation email.
What an agent may say, and what to do
The German Embassy in Islamabad has warned about paid 'agents' who check applications and ask for very high prices. A message such as 'send the blocked account money to our account and we will open the Sperrkonto for you' puts your money in someone else's hands.
Do not send blocked account money to a person or to an agent. If you are asked to, use the Message check and the Payment check in this app, and talk to a parent or teacher before you pay.
Questions people ask
Does Germany list approved blocked account providers?
No. The Federal Foreign Office deleted its list in 2022, makes no recommendations and accepts no liability for providers' failed payments.
Can I let an agent open it for me?
It is safer to open it yourself, in your own name, so that you control the account and the money.
Sources
Official and institution sources
- Blocked account (Sperrkonto) (German Federal Foreign Office)
- Problems with a blocked account provider (21 July 2021) (Hochschule Düsseldorf)
- Company database (BaFin, the German financial regulator)
- Notice on paid 'agents' (German Embassy Islamabad)
Facts checked on