Blocked account for a German Student Visa: A Guide for International Students (2026)

If you fall into the first category, you do not need a visa or residence permit to study in Germany. This in turn means that citizens of these countries do not need a Blocked Account to study in Germany. 

Although the citizens of the countries that fall into the second category do not need a student visa, they still need a student residence permit. Hence, they might need a Blocked Account in Germany. As for the countries from the third category, they need both a German student visa and a German student residence permit, meaning that German Blocked Account will possibly be an indispensable element for their visa and residence permit applications.

In this article, we will focus on the first category, namely students who want to study in Germany.

In order to get a German student visa and/or German student residence permit, one of the prerequisites is that the applicants can provide the authorities with proof that they have enough money to cover their stay in Germany for at least a year. And the Blocked Account is one of the best ways to do so! As long as the international students have opened a Blocked Account with an accepted Blocked Account provider in Germany and transferred the money requested by the German government, the prerequisite for the proof of finances is met.

In a word, Blocked Account serves as proof that international students who want to study in Germany can cover their living expenses for a minimum period of 12 months without any financial support from the German government.

Do I need to get a Blocked Account in Germany?

Yes, the Blocked Account is necessary if you want to get a German student visa. However, once again, remember that it is one of the options through which you can prove your finances, which is an integral part of your German student visa application. 

It is worth noting that you can open a Blocked Account from your home country. And, of course, the most important requirement is that you transfer the required amount of money to your Blocked Account provider!

In fact, the speed, reliability and security of the blocked account make it the most practical option for German missions abroad and for your needs. It should be noted that the process of opening a blocked account has been greatly simplified. Previously, to open a blocked account with Deutsche Bank, you had to visit a German embassy or consulate in person to have your documents physically certified. Today, this account can be opened online in a matter of minutes.
 

The exact amount of money that you need to allocate to your German Blocked Account is determined by the German government. 

Currently, international students in Germany need 11.904 Euros per year or 992 Euros per month

It is important to emphasize that this amount is not set in stone, and it can often change because of some financial reasons (e.g., inflation). Calculate your personalized amount based on current requirements. For instance, since 2020, the requested amount of money for the German Blocked Account has increased several times from 10 236 Euros (or 853 per month) to reach the current amount of 11 904 Euros. In other words, in around 4 years, there was over a 16% increase in the realm of the Blocked Account in Germany. You should also be aware that €11,904 is only the minimum amount you need to have in your German bank account. If you wish, you can (usually) deposit more than €11,904 into your German bank account.

There is no "universal" amount of money that international students might need to pay to open or maintain a Blocked Account in Germany. Put differently, every German Blocked Account provider is different, which is why it has its own regulations and fees.

International students in Germany who opt for a Blocked Account as proof of their finances need the Blocked Account for every year of their studies - as long as they cannot provide a proof of finances through alternative ways for the 2nd (or any other additional) year (as a general rule). For instance, if an international student (who can prove the availability of funds only through the blocked account) comes to Germany to pursue a 2-year Master's in Germany, s/he will need a German Blocked Account not only for the first year but also for the second year. So, in such a case, after opening a Blocked Account in Germany for the first year, the student needs to extend the Blocked Account into the second year by blocking the amount of money requested by the German government.

Note: In most cases, you cannot open a Blocked Account for more than 12 months. That's why you should open it for the first year only and then, if needed, extend it. However, there are some blocked account providers, like Fintiba, with whom you can also open a blocked account for up to 24 months.

Keep in mind that in case you did not finalize your studies within the standard period of time set by your study program and you want to take an extra semester(s), you can still extend the German Blocked Account for those required additional months.

Let us play it safe here: you should open the German Blocked Account as soon as you receive the letter of admission/letter of acceptance from your German university. As already mentioned, some of the German Blocked Account providers give the students an opportunity to open a Blocked Account even without a letter of admission. So, in case you decide to open a Blocked Account without being accepted to the university, and then your study program application is rejected, you will need to go through an additional procedure of cancelling the Blocked Account. Maybe it is a good idea to wait until the acceptance letter arrives so that you do not create any additional "bureaucratic adventures" for yourself.

Do not worry that you need to wait for the letter of admission until you open the Blocked Account. The good news is that opening a German Blocked Account is quite a swift procedure. All in all, submission and then verification of the information provided by you will take, in most cases, from 1 hour to 24 hours. Thereby, with many of the Blocked Account providers, it will take around 1-24 hours to open a German Blocked Account.

Naturally, there are some factors that will impact the speed of opening the Blocked Account. Among them are:

• Your Blocked Account provider. As already mentioned, different German Blocked Account providers have varying procedures. Hence, they differ in terms of speed.
• Your money transfer method. Depending on the service you choose to transfer your money to the Blocked Account provider, you will experience different waiting times.
• Country of origin. Depending on the country you are sending the money from, the speed of receiving the money will be influenced.

So, depending on these factors and on how smooth the whole procedure goes, from the moment you start opening your Blocked Account until receiving your blocking confirmation, you will need to wait around 1-2 weeks.

To put it simply, there are two key ways through which you can transfer your money to the German Blocked Account:

1. Via special money transfer services; 
2. Via international bank transfer.

Please note that some of the German Blocked Account providers have partnerships with specific money transfer services and will suggest the best options for you when it comes to money transfers tailored to your company.

Do not worry: in case your application for a German student visa is rejected, your Blocked Account provider will give your money back to you. In other words, your money is safe! Make sure to get an official letter of rejection from the local German Embassy/Consulate that is responsible for your student visa application. This document is crucial for getting your refund.

Besides, the procedure of closing your Blocked Account because of the visa rejection can differ from provider to provider. Thus, it is of utmost importance to be directly in touch with your Blocked Account provider and find out what are the exact steps that you need to undertake to close the Blocked Account and get your money back into your pocket. It is noteworthy that the whole refund procedure might take over a month.

In general, closing the German Blocked Account is quite an easy procedure, especially after you are done with your studies. Some of the Blocked Account providers close it automatically after you graduate (by that time, the whole amount of money deposited in the Blocked Account is supposed to be paid out).

However, remember that you can continue to use the German Blocked Account after you have finished your studies if you are extending your stay in Germany for a relevant purpose. For example, if you are planning to do a doctorate or apply for a jobseeker's visa after your studies, you can extend your German Blocked Account and continue to use it.