Fast start: N26↗ — German IBAN and an English app in 10 minutes; Wise↗ — multi-currency with the best rates for transfers home. Many keep both: N26 for Germany, Wise for the border.
Open It in an Evening: VideoIdent
An online bank opens your account in 10–15 minutes: a form, a video call with your passport, a German IBAN instantly.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
DOCUMENTS 3
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
VideoIdent took 8 minutes: passport ready, daylight, headphones. The IBAN arrived that evening, the card a week later.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
You can start with your home-country address and change it in the app after Anmeldung. Do not postpone the account until registration — you need it earlier.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The bank rejected me without reason — dead end? ▾
No: § 31 ZKG guarantees a basic account to anyone legally in the EU. Demand a written rejection — only with it can the refusal be challenged at BaFin.
Does VideoIdent work at night and on weekends? ▾
With the big providers yes, 24/7. Shortest queue: weekday mornings. You only need your passport and stable internet.
Which passports work with VideoIdent? ▾
Supported-document lists vary by bank. If your passport fails the online check, use a branch bank with an in-person appointment or PostIdent.
Is Wise a full German account? ▾
Wise issues a Belgian IBAN — employers and landlords must accept it (IBAN discrimination ban, Art. 9 SEPA Regulation), but some offices resist. N26 issues a German DE-IBAN without that argument.