ROUTE
Blocked Account
The blocked account for the national visa: 2026 amounts (€992/month), opening from abroad in a day, and what happens to the money after arrival.
✓ Checked: 15/08/2026
A Sperrkonto is a blocked account you use to prove to the embassy that you can support yourself in Germany. It is required wherever funding has to be shown without a sponsor: studies, university applications, the Chancenkarte, language courses, vocational training. In 2026 students need €11,904 for a year, i.e. €992 a month; for the Chancenkarte the figure is higher. The amount is tied to the maximum BAföG rate and changes almost every year, so check it on your embassy's page before transferring.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
What you pay for on this route
- Students, 2026€992/month; Opportunity Card: €13,092€11,904 per year
Amounts follow official fees as of each step’s verification date. Your city may charge a different rate — check the step itself.
› More about this route
The biggest misunderstanding about this account: the money is neither lost nor a fee. It stays your money — after you arrive, the account pays it out to you in monthly instalments of €992. The provider only charges fees, typically €50–150 once plus around €5 a month; over a year the gap between providers reaches €150 for an identical service.
The route has three steps: calculate the amount for your category, open the account online from your home country and obtain the Sperrbestätigung for your visa file, then after arrival link the blocked account to an ordinary current account and start the payouts. Plan with a buffer: registration takes minutes, but an international transfer takes one to five days, and confirmation follows a day or two after the money lands.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
All possible documents for this route
- Passport
- University admission or category proof
- The transfer (mind the sending bank fee!)
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Opening the account three days before your embassy appointment. Providers promise one day, but compliance checks sometimes take a week — and the confirmation misses the date.
- Transferring from your parents' account without explaining it. Third-party payments are frequently rejected: the transfer should be in your name or come with a declaration of the funds' origin.
- Transferring exactly the required amount. The sending bank takes its fee too, so less arrives — and being €50 short is enough to lose the embassy appointment.
- Not re-reading the Sperrbestätigung before submitting. The name must match your passport letter for letter, and the amount must match the embassy's requirement. A typo means a new appointment, not a correction on the spot.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
How much lead time does the route need before the embassy appointment?▾
A week at minimum, preferably two. Registration takes minutes, the international transfer one to five days, and the provider issues the Sperrbestätigung a day or two after the money arrives. Checks on the bank's side can add several more days.
Which comes first — the account or the visa application?▾
The account. The Sperrbestätigung is part of the visa file, so without it the application cannot be made at all. The reverse order only works where funding is proven differently — through a scholarship or a sponsor's formal undertaking.
What does the account itself cost per year?▾
Usually €50–150 to open plus around €5 a month, so roughly €110–210 a year. That total is what you should compare, not the opening price: for the same functionality the annual difference between providers runs up to €150.
What if the required amount changes while I am gathering documents?▾
What counts is the figure in force when you apply. It is tied to the BAföG rate and revised almost annually, so verify it on your embassy's page shortly before transferring. A balance that falls short is one of the most common reasons appointments get postponed.