Leistungen A-Z

Forms: Application for the conclusion of a basic account contract

Online procedure possible: no

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no

• Application for the conclusion of a basic account contract

A basic account is a payment account that you can use like a checking account. You can use the basic account to deposit and withdraw money or to carry out direct debits, transfers and payment card transactions.

What is special about this, however, is that special protection regulations apply to the basic account. For example, you have special protection against dismissal and the bank may only charge reasonable fees for account management.

Any consumer who is legally resident in the European Union is entitled to conclude a basic account contract. You can open a basic account even if you do not have a permanent residence or are seeking asylum. Even if you do not have a residence permit but cannot be deported for legal or factual reasons (tolerated persons), you are entitled to a basic account.

However, when opening an account, you must provide a mailing address (for example, of friends or a family member).

In principle, any bank that offers payment accounts to consumers must provide basic accounts. A bank may only reject your application for a basic account if there is a legal reason for refusal.

The bank may therefore only reject the application if:

• if a payment account has already been set up with a credit institution and can be used,
• if the applicant has been convicted in the last three years of an intentional crime against the bank, its customers or employees, or
• if the applicant is already the holder of a basic account with the same bank and this has been justifiably terminated due to late payment
• where provisions for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing require an institution to refuse to open an account

Note: You can also request that the basic account be managed as a seizure protection account.

• You are legally competent,
• You are legally resident in the European Union (even without a permanent residence), are seeking asylum or tolerated (you do not have a residence permit, but cannot be deported)
• You do not have a payment account with any other bank in Germany that you can use
• You have not been convicted of an intentional crime against the bank, any of its employees or any of its customers within the last three years
• You have not already had a basic account terminated at the bank because you were in arrears with payments or used it for prohibited purposes
• the bank does not violate anti-money laundering or anti-terrorism provisions by opening the bank.

Together with the application, you must prove your identity, for example with

• an official ID card with a photograph of you that fulfils the passport and ID requirements in Germany,
• a certificate of toleration or
• proof of arrival.

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Note: The bank may charge an appropriate fee for account management.

You must apply for a basic account in writing.

• Get the application form from your bank or download it from the website of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and print it out.
• Choose the bank where you want to open a basic account.
• Complete the basic account application form completely and submit it to the bank with the required proof of identification.
• The bank will acknowledge receipt of your application and attach a copy of the application to open the procedure. After you submit the application, the bank must open the basic account within 10 business days.
• If there is no reason for refusal, your basic account will be opened and you can use it.

Note: When opening an account, you must provide a mailing address (for example, from friends or a family member).

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Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
Unit ZR3
Graurheindorfer Str. 108
53117 Bonn, Germany

P.O. Box 1253
53002 Bonn, Germany

Phone: 0228 4108-0
fax: 0228 4108-62299
E-mail: poststelle@bafin.de

Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
Unit ZR3
Graurheindorfer Str. 108
53117 Bonn, Germany
P.O. Box 1253
53002 Bonn, Germany

Phone: 0228 4108-0
fax: 0228 4108-62299
E-mail: schlichtungsstelle@bafin.de

BaFin consumer telephone
Phone: 0800 2 100 500

Barrier-free access

Sign phone via ISDN: 0228 99 80 80 838
Sign phone via IP: gebaerdentelefon.bafin@sip.bafin.buergerservice-bund.de
fax: 0228 4108-7774
E-mail: bafin.deaf@buergerservice.bund.de

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 08:00 to 18:00

• §§ 30 to 45 Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz, ZKG)
• Annex 3 of the Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz, ZKG)

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• Basic information from BaFin on the basic account
• Information on the seizure protection account on the BaFin website
• Questions and answers from the Federal Ministry of Finance on the Payment Accounts Act and the Basic Account
• Information in English from Konto.org on the basic account for asylum seekers
• Information in Arabic from Konto.org on the basic account for asylum seekers

Federal Ministry of Finance