Okay, so I have finally made it to Germany now and I had a question for everyone here. What do I need to get to open a Girokonto, and don’t I have to have a proof of income to get an EC card? That could be a problem for the moment. But will a credit card work? I know in some instances that a credit card will suffice for a proof of income, but will it for opening a bank account? I am doubtful. I am an American, by the way, and I don’t have a student visa yet, so I am still on a tourist visa.
You’d best ask the bank that you want to open an account with. If you are a student at a German university ask its Akademisches Auslandsamt (Foreign Relations Office) - opening a bank account is an issue for all students from abroad, obviously.
What I (German national) needed when I last opened a Girokonto was just my ID card, which established both my identity (needed under anti-money-laundering regulations) and my registered residence (ditto, and also needed for the credit-history check at Schufa). When I helped Russian guest lecturers to open a bank account they only needed passport and visa, but that was more than ten years ago and it seems that both anti-money-laundering (know-your-customer) procedures have got more strict lately and German banks have become more wary of bad credit risks.
You’d best take at least the following with you to the bank
- your passport (to establish identity)
- the confirmation that you got at the Ordnungsamt or Auslaenderbehoerde (Aliens’ Office) when you registered your residence, or/and (preferably and) your tenancy agreement (Mietvertrag (to establish your registered address)
- whatever documents you have that establish that you have an ongoing income (like the most recent pay slip from your employer, or a letter confirming a scholarship…)
You might try pointing out your credit card as a proof of creditworthyness but I don’t expect it to have much weight. In Germany credit cards are used as payment instruments not as credit instruments; most credit card issuers expect card holders to clear their credit card account monthly, carry any negative balance of more than a month’s duration on their checking account (Girokonto) which can be overdrawn by usually about two to three months’ net income (Dispokredit), and take out a bank loan for longer-term negative balances.