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You might have already heard about this: if you want to study in Germany and are from outside Europe, you will most likely need a German student visa. A prerequisite for obtaining that visa is proving that you have enough money to cover your entire stay in Germany. In this context, the topic of a blocked account may be particularly important for you.
A blocked account is widely regarded as one of the most reliable methods for demonstrating financial means when applying for a German study visa. Why? Because it is a recognized standard for proving financial resources and is generally accepted by all German Embassies, Consulates, and Foreigners’ Offices (Ausländerbehörde), with few potential local exceptions.
After opening your blocked account, the next crucial step is securing the blocking confirmation, which is perhaps the most vital document in the whole blocked account set-up procedure. In this article, we will walk you through the key details of this critical "certificate".
It is our goal to inform you honestly and accurately, therefore, we need to add disclaimers:
- You should use this text as a general guide, but it cannot be a legal consultation. The visa regulations are made and executed by the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), and the local Foreigners’ Offices/Immigration Offices (Ausländerbehörde). Please be aware: some rules and procedures can vary from embassy/consulate to embassy/consulate (even within one country), and from Ausländerbehörde to Ausländerbehörde in Germany. That is why we highly recommend you also consult the German representation abroad near you, and the local Foreigners’ Office in Germany (which Ausländerbehörde is responsible for you depends on your residence in Germany) for information that applies to your case.
- We try our best to provide you with the latest information possible. However, for the most up-to-date information regarding all kinds of facts and regulations regarding the blocked account providers, always refer to their homepages.
- We partner with the following blocked account providers: Fintiba, Expatrio, Care Concept. The relevant links 💰 in this article are so-called affiliate links (you can easily recognize them by the 💰 symbol following). We receive a small commission when someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase. However, this does not result in any additional costs for the customer.
What is a Blocking Confirmation?
To put it simply, blocking confirmation is a special document, which is issued for you as soon as the requested amount of money is deposited into your German blocked account. So, as the name itself suggests, this document serves as proof that you have indeed opened a blocked account and you have the required sum of money on it. Currently, the German blocked account amount is €11,904 per annum, meaning that the monthly payout amount for students is €992 (which is also specified in the document).
The blocking confirmation is usually bilingual: German and English. In addition to the above-mentioned, it also states some of your personal details (e.g., name, birth date, passport number) and the contact details of your blocked account provider. Also, typically, it should contain a unique access code and a customer number with the help of which the German authorities will be able to verify the authenticity of your blocking confirmation.
Why do I need a Blocking Confirmation?
You need a blocking confirmation to apply for a German student visa!
Right now, you might be asking yourself: "Is this document important?" And the answer is pretty straightforward: blocking confirmation is one of the most (if not the most) important documents for your German study visa application.
The thing is that you cannot get a German visa if you do not provide the German Embassy/Consulate with proof of finances. To do that, the blocking confirmation is exactly what you need (assuming that you are proving the finances through the blocked account). It serves as proof that you have sufficient funds to cover your living costs in Germany. Thus, without this document, your German student visa application will be rejected.
It is noteworthy that you need the blocking confirmation not only for the German study visa but also for the German student residence permit. Just like in the case of a visa, the immigration authorities in Germany will not approve your application for the residence permit if you cannot prove your financial sustainability through the blocking confirmation.
In a word, you need a blocking confirmation to be allowed to enter and stay in Germany.
Table 1: German Embassies/Consulates and the Blocking Confirmation
| Country | German Representation | Page Name | Language | Blocking Confirmation Accepted | Link |
| Albania | German Embassy in Tirana | Hapja e një llogarie bankare të bllokuar në Gjermani për studentët para udhëtimit | SQ | ✅ | more info |
| Armenia | German Embassy in Yerevan | Հուշաթերթիկ. ուսանողներ | HY | ✅ | more info |
| Azerbaijan | German Embassy in Baku | Tələbələr və Almaniyada təhsil almaq istəyənlər | AZ | ✅ | more info |
| Bangladesh | German Embassy in Dhaka | Information sheet: Visa for students (Section 16b Residence Act) | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Cameroon | German Embassy Yaounde | Visa for study purposes | EN | ✅ | more info |
| China | German Missions in China | 留学签证须知 | ZH | ✅ | more info |
| Colombia* | German Embassy in Bogota | Estudios con admisión a un colegio preuniversitario o una universidad | ES | ✅ | more info |
| Egypt | German Embassy in Cairo | ارشادات بشأن التأشيرة ﻷغراض الدراسة في ألمانيا | AR | ✅ | more info |
| Georgia | German Embassy in Tbilisi | საინფორმაციო ფურცელი № D3a: ვიზა უმაღლეს სასწავლებელში სწავლისა (სტუდენტური გაცვლითი პროგრამების ჩათვლით) და უმაღლეს სასწავლებლებში განაცხადების შეტანისთვის | KA | ✅ | more info |
| Ghana | German Embassy in Accra | Student Visa Application | EN | ✅ | more info |
| India | German Missions in India | Checklist for a German national visa - student | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Indonesia | German Embassy in Jakarta | NATIONAL VISA - Students with an unconditional Admission Letter for Bachelor or Master Studies in Germany | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Iran | German Embassy in Tehran | تحصیل همراه با پذیرش از یکی از دانشگاههای آلمان | FA | ✅ | more info |
| Kazakhstan | German Missions in Kazakhstan | Жадынама: Жоғары білім алу | KK | ✅ | more info |
| Kenya | German Embassy in Nairobi | Studies, Language Course to then study | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Lebanon | German Embassy in Beirut | تأشيرة للدراسة الجّامعيّة | AR | ✅ | more info |
| Malaysia | German Embassy in Kuala Lumpur | How to open a blocked bank account (Sperrkonto) | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Mexico | German Embassy in Mexico City | Financiamiento | ES | ✅ | more info |
| Morocco | German Embassy in Rabat | تأشيرة وطنية | AR | ✅ | more info |
| Nepal | German Embassy in Kathmandu | How to open a blocked account? | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Nigeria | German Missions in Nigeria | Student visa checklist | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Pakistan | German Missions in Pakistan | Options to finance your stay | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Peru | German Embassy in Lima | Requisitos de visado para estudios universitarios, intercambios o maestrías | ES | ✅ | more info |
| Russia | German Missions in Russia | Обучение в высшем учебном заведении / колледже довузовской подготовки или на языковых курсах в рамках довузовской подготовки | RU | ✅ | more info |
| Saudi Arabia | German Missions in Saudi Arabia | Checklist study and preparatory courses | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Singapore | German Embassy in Singapore | Study and preparatory courses | EN | ✅ | more info |
| South Africa | German Missions in South Africa | Information sheet: national visa Visa for students (Section 16b Residence Act) | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Sri Lanka | German Embassy in Colombo | Opening a blocked bank account (Sperrkonto) for students | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Thailand | German Embassy in Bangkok | คำแนะนำในการขอวีซ่าเพื่อการศึกษา | TH | ✅ | more info |
| Tunisia | German Embassy in Tunis | Visas nationaux | FR | ✅ | more info |
| Turkey | German Embassy in Ankara | MERKBLATT FÜR TÜRKISCHE STUDIENBEWERBER | DE | ✅ | more info |
| Ukraine | German Embassy in Kyiv | Візи для студентів та абітурієнтів з метою навчання, для відвідання мовних курсів, відвідання школи | UK | ✅ | more info |
| United Arab Emirates | German Missions in the United Arab Emirates | National Visa – Category D: Study | EN | ✅ | more info |
| Uzbekistan | German Embassy in Tashkent | Milliy viza (90 kundan ko'p) | UZ | ✅ | more info |
| Vietnam | German Missions in Vietnam | Thị thực đi du học đại học tại Đức | VI | ✅ | more info |
*German Embassy in Bogota explicitly recommends students to use blocking confirmation as proof of finances.
Geeky Stuff Box
Blocking confirmation alternatives
While a blocking confirmation is widely considered as the most reliable method for demonstrating sufficient financial means to German Embassies, Consulates, and Immigration Offices across Germany, there are also some other safe ways to prove your funds. For instance, instead of a blocking confirmation, you could also present the authorities with a scholarship confirmation or a declaration of commitment from a German resident (Verpflichtungserklärung).
Where can I get a Blocking Confirmation?
There are special organisations, known as blocked account providers, that can issue you with a certificate of blocking. Of course, in order to obtain this document from the blocked account provider, you must officially open the blocked account with the chosen company.
Luckily, you have a choice! There are quite a few companies, like Fintiba, Expatrio, Care Concept, Coracle [has temporarily suspended its service (no new blocked accounts offered)], etc., that can provide you with the blocking confirmation. It is totally up to your personal preferences to judge which blocked account provider suits you the best. Here you can find some valuable information that will help you to make an informed decision. Meanwhile, in Table 2, you can find a list of your potential blocked account providers:
Table 2: German Online Blocked Account Providers
| No. | Provider* (Location) | Availability | Banking Model | Partner Bank | European Deposit Protection | Link | Price for 1 year |
| 1) | Fintiba 🇩🇪 (Germany) 💰 | 🌎 ** | German partner bank | FIB Frankfurt International Bank (Germany) | ✅ (Germany) | more info 💰 | €277.80 |
| 2) | Expatrio 🇩🇪 (Germany) 💰 | 🌎 ** incl. USA | Italian partner bank with German branch | UniCredit (Italy) | ✅ (Germany) | more info 💰 | €149.00 |
| 3) | Care Concept 🇩🇪 (Germany) 💰 | 🌎 ** | Vietnamese partner bank with German branch | Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) [Vietnam] | ✅ (Germany) | more info 💰 | €108.80 |
| 4) | Edubao 🇩🇪 (Germany) | 🌎 ** | Escrow model with payment service provider in France | Partner bank of Lemonway (France) | ✅ (France) | more info | €171.00 |
| 5) | Studely 🇫🇷 (France) | 🌎 ** | Escrow model with payment service provider in France | Partner bank of OuiTrust (France) | ✅ (France) | more info | €127 |
| 6) | RemitX 🇮🇳 (India) | India only | Escrow model with lawyer in Germany | Lawyer Eric Neuendorff (Germany) + RemitX (Capital India) | ✅ (Germany) | more info | €149.00 |
| 7) | Kotak Mahindra 🇮🇳 (India) | India only | Own Indian banking license | Kotak Mahindra Bank (India) | ❌ (India) *** | more info | estimated €150-200 **** |
| 8) | DDKonto 🇨🇳 (China) | China only | (no info) | (no info) | (no info) | more info | €147.8 |
| 9) | Coracle 🇩🇪 (Germany) [temporarily no new accounts] | 🌎 ** | Escrow model with payment service provider in France | Partner bank of Lemonway (France) | ✅ (France) | more info | €99.00 |
| 10) | ICICI 🇮🇳 (India) [temporarily no new accounts] | India only | own British bank with German branch | ICICI Bank (UK) | ✅ (Germany) | more info | €150.00 |
| 11) | DropMoney 🇪🇸 (Spain) [temporarily no new accounts] | 🌎 ** | Escrow model with payment service provider in France | Partner bank of Lemonway (France) | ✅ (France) | more info | €130.00 |
*Partnership: We partner with the following blocked account providers: Fintiba, Expatrio, Care Concept. The relevant links 💰 in this article are so-called affiliate links (you can easily recognize them by the 💰 symbol following). We receive a small commission when someone clicks on the link and makes a purchase. However, this does not result in any additional costs for the customer.
**There may be exceptions for individual countries (e.g. high-risk countries).
***Statutory deposit insurance for Indian banks covers only a part of the blocked account amount.
****Kotak Mahindra charges a fee per transaction.
The sorting within the list comes from the following criteria (in the order mentioned):
- banking model
- Direct Bank integration (with German banks vs. other European banks vs. Non-European banks)
- Escrow Model (Payment Service Provider vs. Personal Model)
- availability (worldwide vs. only specific countries)
- total number of customers
- and provider name (A-Z).
The sorting criteria are explained and justified in more detail below:
1) Banking model (direct banking integration vs. escrow model): In the direct banking model, the blocked account is opened in the customer's name at a bank without anyone else in between - whereas, in the escrow model, the account is opened in the name of a third party (the so-called trustee). The direct banking model is, therefore, much easier for customers to understand than the escrow model because fewer parties are involved. The protection mechanism is also easier to understand: in the case of a direct banking model, the deposit guarantee takes effect, while in the escrow model (as in the case of the French deposit guarantee) two different mechanisms come into play depending on the scenario: in the event of the trustee's insolvency, ringfencing (segregated accounts) takes effect and only in the event of the bank's insolvency does the deposit guarantee take effect. The fact that both models are very secure is unaffected by this.
The direct banking model fully complies with the General Administrative Regulation on the Residence Act of October 26, 2009 by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) since the account is set up in the name of the student and at a financial institution which is permitted to carry out banking services in the federal German territory. In the escrow model, where the account is set up in the name of a trustee and not in the name of a student and opened with a payment-service-provider instead of a financial institution which is permitted to carry out banking services in the federal German territory, does not strictly comply with this requirement - but is also accepted in most of the cases.
The sorting within providers with a direct banking model is as follows:
We list providers that have a partner bank with a European banking license before providers with a partner bank that does not fall under European regulation. This is due to the fact that banks in Europe are subject to a harmonized deposit protection scheme (100,000 euros). Non-European banks that do NOT have a banking license for Germany (e.g. Kotak Mahindra) are listed only after the escrow models - since they do not comply with the General Administrative Regulation on the Residence Act of October 26, 2009.
2) Availability (worldwide vs. only in a certain country): We list providers who generally offer their blocked accounts worldwide (although individual countries may be excluded) before those providers who are only available for certain countries.
3) Number of customers: We sort providers with the same direct banking or escrow model according to their total number of customers (i.e. total blocked accounts opened since their foundation) published on their website. Providers who do not publish any information on this are ranked behind those who provide figures.
4) Name of the provider (A-Z): In the case of equality in the above criteria, providers are sorted alphabetically.
Providers that are still active but currently do not accept new customers are listed at the end of the list.
How to get a Blocking Confirmation?
The process of acquiring a blocking confirmation differs among German blocked account providers, with each following its unique approach. Nevertheless, these companies share many commonalities in this regard. After reviewing the blocking confirmation issuance procedures of various providers that students typically select, we can outline 5 general steps that you may need to follow to secure the document.
- Find a German blocked account provider. Choose a trustworthy provider whose offer is the most appealing to you.
- Pick the product. Visit the website of the provider and select the desired blocked account package.
- Open the blocked account. Complete the online application form to officially set up the account. The form is generally straightforward, asking for basic personal information, making it easy to fill out.
- Transfer the money. After opening the blocked account, you should transfer the necessary amount to it. Depending on the provider, the total sum requested will also include at least one of the following fees:
- set up fee;
- service fee;
- buffer deposit (which may cover unexpected transfer fees. Any unused buffer amount will usually be refunded with your first payout).
- Download the blocking confirmation. After successfully transferring the funds, you will receive your blocking confirmation. Usually, you should get it as a PDF via the provider's online user portal. You will then be ready for your German student visa appointment!
Open your Blocked Account Now Advertising
You can also visit the Fintiba website to open your blocked account: 
How long does Blocking Confirmation take?
To receive a blocking confirmation, you will need to wait around 1-2 weeks.
In general, German providers of blocked accounts issue the blocking confirmation as soon as they receive the required amount of money from the customer. Therefore, the speed of issuance of the certificate depends on how quickly the funds reach the account, which in turn depends on several other factors. These include
- Your blocked account provider: Different German blocked account providers follow distinct processes, resulting in varying speeds.
- Your method of money transfer: The waiting time for the money to reach the destination will depend on the service you use to send funds to your blocked account provider.
- Country of origin: The time it takes for the money to be received will vary based on the country you're transferring it from.
Considering these factors and the smoothness of the overall process, it typically takes about 1-2 weeks for the money to be deposited into the blocked account and the blocking confirmation to be sent out.
Geeky Stuff Box
If you choose Fintiba as your blocked account provider and opt for Fintiba transfer as your transfer method and pay with a credit card, you will get an INSTANT BLOCKING CONFIRMATION after completing the payment. Even if you decide not to use the credit card, Fintiba transfer still offers relatively short waiting times. In this case, your funds will reach your account within 2-3 business days, and the blocking confirmation will be automatically issued.
On the other hand, Fintiba mentions that those using international bank transfers might have to wait around two weeks for their money to be deposited into the Fintiba blocked account.
When should I get the Blocking Confirmation?
You should have the blocking confirmation at hand by the time of your German student visa appointment.
Opening a German bank account and getting the confirmation of your bank account is a fairly quick process. Therefore, there is no need to rush.
Our suggestion is to wait until you receive the letter of admission from your German study program, arrange a student visa appointment at the German Mission responsible for your application, and make sure that your blocking confirmation is issued by the time you visit the Embassy/Consulate. In most cases, this means transferring the money to the blocked account at least 3 weeks before the visa appointment date (to be on the safe side).
Sample: Blocking Confirmation
Keep in mind that although the German providers of blocked accounts serve the same purpose and have many similarities, they are still quite different in many ways. As a result, the style of the Confirmation of Revocation document will vary from provider to provider. Note: If any information in the document is unclear or needs further explanation, do not hesitate to contact the provider.
Below is an example of a Fintiba lock confirmation to give you an idea of what the document looks like.
Page 1: Fintiba blocking confirmation sample
Source: Fintiba
Page 2: Fintiba blocking confirmation sample
Source: Fintiba
More info about the blocked account
Go to Fintiba 💰💰 = We receive a small commission for Fintiba products sold through this link. However, this does not result in any additional costs for the customer.
