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Many international students want to stay and work in Germany after successfully completing their Bachelor's or Master's studies at a German university. As you might have already heard about it, finding a job that corresponds to your degree soon after your graduation is a challenging task, which many students do not manage to accomplish.
The good news is that even if you fail to immediately find a relevant job that qualifies you for a job visa, you can still stay in Germany thanks to the job seeker visa. In order to get this visa, you have to provide the German immigration authorities with proof that you have enough money to fund your job search in Germany. And here comes the blocked account, which is one of the most popular ways to demonstrate the existence of sufficient financial resources.
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 job seeker visa?
The job seeker visa (Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Arbeitsplatzsuche) is actually a type of residence permit that international students studying in Germany can apply for after they graduate. This type of visa - also known as a residence permit to seek employment - allows the graduates of German universities to stay in Germany after completion of their studies to find a job corresponding to the degree they obtained.
The job seeker visa is a temporary residence permit, which is valid for a maximum of 18 months and cannot be prolonged. During these 18 months, you need to find an appropriate job and switch to a job visa (also known as the residence permit for the occupation). The appropriate job is one where your position and your salary at least partially correspond to the degree that you acquired. For example, you cannot get a job visa if you have a degree in chemistry and want to work as a security at a grocery store.
From November 2023, you will be allowed to take up a job that does not fully match the qualifications you obtained during your studies. The restriction still applies to so-called "regulated professions" such as nurses, doctors, teachers and lawyers.
Job seeker visa vs. Opportunity card
Previously, the term "Job Seeker Visa" was applicable both to internationals who graduated from a German university and to those foreigners who were not graduates of a German university. The latter could also apply for a job search visa, but the conditions for them were different compared to the graduates. For instance, instead of an 18-month visa, they could get only a 6-month visa to find a fitting job in Germany.
From June 2024, the Opportunity Card or Chancenkarte basically replaced the job seeker visa for the "non-graduates". This fact of replacement is explicitly emphasized by various German Missions abroad, like, for instance, the German Embassy in Accra and the German Consulate in Mumbai. Chancenkarte is a visa/residence permit that allows foreigners to stay in Germany with the purpose of finding a job. So, the key concept remains the same, but the conditions for the "non-graduate" job seekers are improved.
Thus, currently, the wording of "job seeker visa" or "job seeker residence permit" is only relevant for the graduates of German universities. Keeping this in mind, let us present to you the key differences between a job seeker visa and an opportunity card in Germany:
What is a blocked account in Germany?
The blocked account (or Sperrkonto) is a special type of bank account that serves as proof that internationals who successfully completed their studies in Germany have sufficient funds to cover their living expenses (e.g., accommodation, health insurance, etc.) for a job seeker residence permit (visa) in Germany. As long as the job seekers have opened a blocked account with a recognized blocked account provider and transferred the money requested by the German government, the prerequisite for the proof of finances is met.
A blocked account is widely regarded as one of the most reliable methods for demonstrating financial means when applying for a German job search visa. Why? Because it is a recognized standard for proving financial resources and is generally accepted by all Foreigners’ Offices in Germany, with few potential local exceptions.
Do I need a blocked account for job seeker visa Germany?
To put it simply, you need a blocked bank account for a job seeker residence permit, if:
You are not a citizen of the EU member-state, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland;
AND
- You cannot prove your finances through viable alternative ways.
Regarding the first point: the thing is that the job seekers from the mentioned states do not need a visa or a residence permit to enter and stay in Germany in the first place. Hence, they are not obliged to provide the German authorities with any kinds of financial proofs.
Where can I open a blocked account?
To get a job seeker visa in Germany, you can open a blocked account with special organizations, aka blocked account providers. Here are some of them:
- Fintiba 💰
- Expatrio 💰
- Care Concept 💰
- Coracle [has temporarily suspended its service (no new blocked accounts offered)]
- Edubao
- Studely
- RemitX
- Kotak Mahindra
- DDKonto
- ICICI [has temporarily suspended its service (no new blocked accounts offered)]
- DropMoney [has temporarily suspended its service (no new blocked accounts offered)]
As you can see, luckily, you have a choice! It is totally up to your personal preferences to judge which blocked account provider suits you the best. Here you can find more detailed information that will help you make an informed decision.
How much is the blocked amount for a German job seeker visa?
Currently, the German job seeker blocked account amount is €1,091 per month or €13,092 per year. This number is determined by the German authorities. It is important to emphasize that this amount is not set in stone - it can often change due to different socio-economic reasons (e.g., inflation).
You should also be aware of the fact that monthly €1,091 is just the minimum amount of money that needs to be deposited in your German blocked bank account. In case you would like to, usually, you can also transfer more money. Why usually? Because not all of the blocked account providers allow job seekers to deposit more than the officially set minimum.
How much does the blocked account cost?
Blocked account providers are different in many ways, including their prices. Depending on the provider, the cost of opening a blocked account for job seekers is usually around €50-150. As for the monthly fees, the German blocked bank account might cost you €0-6 per month.
Thus, having a blocked account is usually not free. Instead, in most cases, German university graduates who need to open a blocked account to get a job seeker residence permit have to pay for the blocked account service.
In general, there are four possible scenarios that you may encounter depending on the German blocked account providers and their existing special offers:
- You will need to pay money to open a blocked account, AND you will have to pay monthly fees for having a blocked account;
- You will not need to pay money to open a blocked account, but you will have to pay monthly fees for having a blocked account;
- You will need to pay money to open a blocked account, but you will not have to pay any monthly fees for having a blocked account;
- You will neither need to pay money to open a blocked account nor will you have to pay monthly fees for having a blocked account.
How long is a German blocked account?
18 months is the maximum duration of the blocked account for a job seeker residence permit in Germany.
Most providers offer a blocked account for a job seeker visa for a maximum of 12 months. However, if you need a blocked account beyond the first year, you can easily extend it by blocking the appropriate amount of money and paying the extension fee. For example, if you want to extend the account for 6 months, you can easily do so by transferring a minimum of €6,546 (the monthly minimum of €1,091 multiplied by 6), plus the extension fee.
It is noteworthy that some blocked account providers, like Fintiba, allow internationals to open the blocked account immediately for the maximum duration of the job seeker visa. This means that with Fintiba you can open an account for 18 months outright and avoid the potential extension-related bureaucracy and fees.
Note: You can cancel your job seeker visa blocked account at any time.
How to open a blocked account in Germany?
The process of opening a German blocked account is not the same from one blocked account provider to the next, as each has its own unique approach. However, there are many similarities between the companies operating in this field. Having researched the procedures for opening a German bank account with the various providers that jobseekers typically choose, we can outline 5 general steps that you may need to take to open and set up a German bank account:
5 steps towards the blocked account:
- Select a German blocked account provider. Choose a trustworthy provider whose offer is the most appealing to you.
- Fill out the application form. As a rule, it is quite self-explanatory, with simple questions regarding personal details.
- Upload the documents. Send all of the documents that your selected blocked account provider requests, exactly in the way it requests.
- Transfer the money. Soon after you set up and activate your user account, the company will provide you with all the details and instructions regarding the transfer of the funds. Depending on the provider, the total sum requested will also include at least one of the following costs:
- set up fee;
- service fee;
- buffer deposit (which might be used to cover any unexpected extra transfer fees. Any unused buffer amount will usually be refunded with your first payout).
- Receive the blocking confirmation. After successfully transferring the funds, you will receive a letter confirming that you have opened a blocked account with a stated amount of money. This document is known as a blocking confirmation. Without it, you will not be able to apply for a job seeker visa. Usually, you should get this letter as a PDF via the provider's online user portal.
Open your Blocked Account Now Advertising
You can also visit the Fintiba website to open your blocked account: 
Documents required to open a blocked account
You usually need the following documents, if you want to open a blocked account for a job seeker visa in Germany:
- Valid Passport.
Personal ID.
It is important to note that the documents you may need to open your German blocked account for a jobseeker's residence permit vary from provider to provider. In other words, there is no universal checklist that applies to every blocked account provider. For example, some may only ask you to upload your passport, some may ask for your passport and any other document proving your identity (e.g. residence card, driving licence), while others may have a more comprehensive list of documents required.
Opening a blocked account: How much time does it take?
All in all, the whole German blocked account set-up process for job seekers takes 1-2 weeks.
In general, opening a German Blocked Account is quite a swift procedure. In most cases, submission and then verification of the information provided by you will take from 1 to 24 hours. Hence, with many of the blocked account providers, it will take around a day to open a German blocked account.
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. The speed of blocking confirmation issuance depends on how quickly the funds reach the account, which in turn depends on several other factors. Among them are:
- Your blocked account provider: Different German blocked account providers follow distinct processes, resulting in varying speeds.
- Your method of money transfer: Depending on the service you choose to transfer your money to the blocked account provider, you will experience different waiting times.
- Country of origin: The time it takes for the money to be received will vary based on the country you are transferring it from.
So, taking into account these factors and how smoothly the whole procedure runs, you will need to wait about 1-2 weeks from the moment you start opening your blocked account until you receive your blocking confirmation.
How can I transfer the money to the German blocked account?
To put it simply, there are three key ways through which you, as a job seeker in Germany, can transfer the money to the blocked account:
- Via your blocked account provider's own transfer service;
- Via special money transfer companies;
- Via international bank transfer.
Keep in mind that some German blocked account providers partner with particular money transfer services and/or have their own special transfer services. Hence, to send the money in the quickest and cheapest possible way, you should inform yourself about all of the money transfer options that the given blocked account provider offers.
For instance, Fintiba offers a special transfer service, called "Fintiba Transfer". If you use the Fintiba transfer as a transfer method and a credit card as a payment method, you will receive an INSTANT BLOCKING CONFIRMATION as soon as you complete the payment, which significantly boosts the speed of the whole blocked account set-up procedure. Even if you are not going to use the credit card, the waiting times with Fintiba transfer are pretty short. In this case, your money will arrive in your account in 2-3 working days, and then your blocking confirmation will be generated automatically. Besides, with Fintiba transfer, there are no transfer fees.
At the same time, Fintiba says that job seekers who opt for international bank transfer may have to wait around 2 weeks for their money to reach the blocked account. Moreover, there might be some transfer or currency exchange fees that they will bear.
When should I open the blocked account?
You should open the German blocked account for a job seeker residence permit at least 2 months before your student residence permit expires.
In general, if you do not apply for a job search visa immediately after your graduation but later, your application might be rejected. Hence, you need to apply for a job seeker permit once you have a proof that you completed your studies. You do not have to wait for the final degree certificate, as it might take quite long. Instead, you can apply for the permit as soon as you know your final grades and your transcript of records is complete.
Ideally, the application should be sent to the Foreigners' Office at least 4-6 weeks before your student status comes to an end. Taking into account that you cannot apply for the visa without the proof of funds and that you might need to wait for 2 weeks until you get your blocking confirmation, you should open the job seeker blocked account at least 2 months before your German student visa expires.
Do I need a current bank account alongside the blocked bank account?
Yes, as a job seeker in Germany, you need a current (also known as a regular account or Girokonto in German) bank account alongside the German blocked account to get your monthly installments of €1,091. So, in a broader sense, a regular bank account is required because:
- Without a current bank account, job seekers in Germany cannot withdraw money from their blocked accounts.
- Job seekers cannot use their German blocked accounts for standard transactions. To be more specific, they cannot use the account to make payments in shops or cafes or to transfer money for rent, subscriptions, etc. It is the current bank account that they should use for their "daily business".
How can I withdraw money from the blocked account?
Money withdrawal from a blocked account is a two-step procedure:
- The specifically set amount of money flows from your German blocked account to your current bank account in Germany on a monthly basis.
- After the money is received in the regular bank account, you are free to withdraw it.
As already mentioned above, as a job seeker in Germany, you cannot withdraw the money directly from the blocked account. Instead, you need a current bank account to get your monthly payouts of €1,091. In case you deposited more than the required annual minimum of €13,092, then your monthly withdrawal allowance will increase in line with the extra deposit.
You can start withdrawing money from your blocked account once you set up the monthly withdrawal allowance to your current bank account in Germany. The monthly blocked amount is sent from your provider to the regular bank account you connect. You can then withdraw the money from your current account at any point you need. Hence, the process of withdrawing the money from the blocked account is indirect.
Blocked Account €→ Current Account €→ Your Pocket
How should I extend the blocked account?
Let's start by stressing that it is quite easy to extend the blocked account for your job seeker visa. All you need to do is inform your provider that you want to extend your account. Usually, you can order the extension online, either through your existing user account or via email.
Keep in mind that you will have to block €1,091 for each additional month of extension. Besides, to extend your job seeker blocked account, you need to pay a fee, which often equals the initial set-up fee of the provider.
Also, you should not transfer any money before you order the extension of your account. Wait until your provider asks you to do so.
How should I close the blocked account for the job seeker visa?
When it comes to closing the blocked account, there might be different reasons behind one's intention to do that. Hence, there can be different solutions based on the given reason.
That is why we should break down this question into three subquestions:
1. How should I close the blocked account after my job seeker residence permit expires?
In general, closing the German blocked account is a rather simple procedure, especially after the 18-month period of the job search is over. Usually, after the blocked amount is all paid out and the duration of your blocked account comes to an end, you do not need to do anything to close the empty account. In other words, after the last payout, your blocked account provider should automatically close your account.
2. How should I cancel the blocked account for a job search if my visa application is rejected?
In fact, there is an entitlement to this type of residence permit. In other words, you will definitely be able to convert your student residence permit to a job seeker residence permit as long as you successfully complete your studies at a German university and correctly and timely submit all of the necessary documents. Thus, getting a job seeker visa in Germany is extremely easy, with a success rate of 99.9%.
If you are still rejected the visa because of, for example, an incomplete application or so, you can close the blocked account by sending your provider the official rejection letter from your local Foreigners Office in Germany. After doing that, you will receive your money back in around 2-4 weeks. Keep in mind that when cancelling your blocked account, your provider will send your blocked amount of €13,092 back without the opening fee, which is generally not refunded.
Thus, you will get your money back even if your job seeker visa application is rejected.
3. What if I need to close the blocked account early?
You might want to close your job seeker blocked account earlier because of different reasons, like, for instance,
- You found a job earlier.
- You did not even apply for the permit.
- You withdrew your job seeker visa application.
- Your visa application was successful, but you changed your mind and are not going to stay in Germany.
If one of the above-mentioned is the case, you can still easily close the blocked account. This time, instead of the rejection letter, you will need another document known as Sperrfreigabe in German. To get this document, you must contact your local Immigration Office. After sending this document to your blocked account provider, you should receive your money back in 2-4 weeks. And again - only the remaining blocked amount, which was not paid out, will be sent back to you. Usually, the set-up or monthly fees (in case you have already paid them) are not reimbursed.
Thus, you will get your money back even if you close the account earlier.
Can I get a German job seeker visa without blocked account?
Quick answer: Yes, there are several ways for job seekers to avoid the blocked account requirement.
As already mentioned, the blocked account is not the only way through which you can prove the availability of sufficient financial resources to fund your job search in Germany. In other words, foreigners who graduated from a German university can get an 18-month visa without a blocked account. For instance, to prove that you are able to secure your livelihood, instead of a blocked account you could also provide the German immigration authorities with one of the following blocked account alternatives:
- Bank statements of the last 3-6 months.
- A declaration of commitment. Verpflichtungserklärung (also known as a formal obligation or letter of commitment) is a document with which the German resident assures that s/he will provide financial support to you during your stay in Germany.
- An employment contract. For example, from a restaurant as a waiter/waitress - aka the employment which is not related to the degree you obtained. Do not forget that in case you already have a job fitting (at least to a certain extent) your educational background, you do not need a job seeker visa. Instead, you can apply directly for an employment visa.
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