Having your own bank account is now indispensable for many everyday transactions in Germany. That is why it has been enshrined in law that everyone has a legal right to a payment account with the basic functions: the basic account.
The most important thing in brief:
- To get a basic account, you only need to submit an application and prove your identity.
- To apply, it is best to use the official form, which banks and savings banks also make available online.
- If a bank or savings bank refuses to open a basic account, contact the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).
The law also expressly names asylum seekers and tolerated persons as entitled. Every credit institution that generally offers payment accounts for consumers is therefore also obliged to set up a basic account for refugees. According to the consumer advice centers, the claim also applies to people who have fled Ukraine.
A basic account means a checking account that can be opened regardless of your creditworthiness and ensures access to cashless payment transactions. It must at least be usable for
- Cash deposits and withdrawals,
- Direct debits, transfers and standing orders as well
- Card payments
If the respective bank or savings bank offers its customers to generally manage checking accounts online, this must also be possible for the basic account.
To open a basic account, essentially only two requirements need to be met:
- An application must be submitted and
- the applicant must prove his identity.
The consumer advice centers recommend using the form provided by law for the application. You can simply download the form. In any case, banks and savings banks must provide this, including online.
In addition, the payment institutions are obliged to accept the fully completed application form and to confirm receipt of the application (on a copy/duplicate) with the date.
Your passport or ID card serves as proof of identity.
For Ukrainians: If you do not have a valid passport or a Ukrainian ID card with security features, banks must also accept a Ukrainian ID document. However, you must then also submit a document from a German authority (in particular a start-up certificate, fictitious certificate or registration certificate) (BaFin supervisory notice).
Banks and savings banks are only allowed to refuse to open a basic account in a few, legally regulated, exceptional cases. However, a problem with refugees can be, for example, an unclear nationality, as the identity may then not be fully verified in accordance with the Money Laundering Act.
If a basic account is applied for, the bank or savings bank – especially for particularly vulnerable consumers – must not only offer the form, but also provide further support (Section 45 ZKG). This, for example, in the form of general information about the basic account (entitlement to the basic account, functions and fees) also in other languages.
If a credit institution refuses to open a basic account, you don't just have to accept it, you can contact the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) to request a review. As the responsible supervisory authority, it can initiate a free administrative procedure.
Those affected and refugee helpers who encounter problems opening an account when accompanying refugees on a voluntary basis (e.g PostIdent or VideoIdent procedures from online banks), the consumer advice center advises to exhaust legal means. In particular, the BaFin administrative procedure should be used, which you can initiate by post using the form provided by law. Alternatively, you can use the online complaint form for the basic account.
