Blocked Account (Sperrkonto) for Germany 2026: Complete Guide for International Students

Last verified: June 2026. Written by Dinh Minh Vu (M.Sc. Computer Science, University of Passau), who opened his own blocked account from Vietnam before moving to Germany. This is general information, not personal visa or legal advice. Confirm the current amount and accepted providers with the German mission responsible for your visa application before transferring any money.

A blocked account, or Sperrkonto, is a restricted bank account that proves to the German embassy you can financially support yourself during your studies. For 2026, the required amount is €11,904 for the first year, released as roughly €992 per month after you arrive. Almost every non-EU student applying for a German student visa needs one, and you can usually open one online within a few days through a licensed provider such as Expatrio, Fintiba, or Coracle.

This guide covers what a blocked account actually is, the exact 2026 amount and how the monthly release works, how it differs from the regular bank account you will open later, and the step-by-step process I went through myself when I applied for my own student visa from Vietnam.

What Is a Blocked Account (Sperrkonto)?

A Sperrkonto, literally a "locked account," holds a fixed sum of money on your behalf and pays it out in monthly instalments once you arrive in Germany. It is not a bank account you can use freely. You cannot spend from it, receive a salary into it, or set up direct debits against it.

Its only job is to prove, before your visa is approved, that you can afford to live in Germany without working illegally or relying on social assistance. The German government recalculates the required amount each year based on the BAföG rate, the same benchmark used to set student financial aid.

The Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) is the authority behind this requirement. It explains the blocked account rules on its official site and is explicit that it does not recommend or endorse any specific provider. Any licensed provider your embassy accepts will satisfy the requirement. The choice between them comes down to price, speed, and what else is bundled in.

You need a blocked account if:

• You are a non-EU/non-EEA citizen applying for a German student visa (§16b)

• Your visa requires "proof of sufficient funds" (Finanzierungsnachweis)

• You do not already have another accepted way to prove funds, such as a formal scholarship letter, a sponsor's financial declaration (Verpflichtungserklärung), or an approved guarantor

You do not need one if you hold an EU or EEA passport. Freedom-of-movement rules let you study and work in Germany without a student visa, so proof-of-funds requirements do not apply to you. If that is your situation, skip straight to opening a normal current account once you arrive. Our guide to the best bank account for working students in Germany covers that step in full.

The 2026 Amount: How Much You Need and How It Is Released

This is the number everyone is searching for, so here it is directly. According to the Federal Foreign Office's student visa checklist, the 2026 figures for a standard degree-study visa are:

The figure has not moved since 2024, when it was set at €992 per month, and it has stayed flat through 2025 and into 2026. That stability makes it easier to plan your transfer well in advance, but always confirm the live number with your specific German mission before sending any money. Missions can interpret edge cases (your exact visa start date, course length, prior funding) slightly differently, and the embassy, not this guide or any provider, has the final say.

Once your account is active and you have arrived, the provider releases your money in equal monthly instalments, around €992 at a time, for up to twelve months. You cannot withdraw the full sum at once. That is by design: the structure exists to guarantee you have funds spread across the whole year, not just enough to clear passport control.

Other visa purposes use different monthly rates, so do not assume the standard student figure automatically applies to you:

Company-based Ausbildung and dual vocational training are calculated differently again, as a shortfall against a gross and net income threshold rather than a flat monthly rate. If your situation is anything other than a standard degree program, the fastest way to get your exact number is the Blocked Account Calculator on this site. Pick your visa purpose and the number of months you need to cover, and it works out the total for you, including these edge cases.

Sperrkonto vs Girokonto: Two Completely Different Accounts

This is where a lot of incoming students get confused, and it is worth being precise about it, because mixing the two up can cost you real time during your first weeks in Germany.

A Sperrkonto (blocked account) is a one-time visa tool. You open it before you travel, fund it with the full required amount, and use the confirmation letter it generates as part of your visa application. After that, it sits quietly in the background and releases your monthly allowance. You cannot pay rent from it, receive a salary into it, or link it to a German Lastschrift (direct debit) for your phone contract or insurance.

A Girokonto (current account) is the everyday account you open once you have arrived: the one your employer pays your Werkstudent salary into, your landlord debits rent from, and your health insurer and phone provider charge automatically. You typically open this once you have a German address, though neobanks like bunq let you do it from your phone before your Anmeldung appointment.

The order matters. Sperrkonto first, while you are still preparing your visa application from home. Girokonto second, once you have landed and settled in. Some providers, including Expatrio, bundle a basic everyday account alongside the blocked account, which is convenient for receiving your monthly release. Most students still upgrade to a dedicated Girokonto for salary, rent, and bills once they are here. The next two sections walk through both halves of that sequence.

How to Open a Blocked Account: Step by Step

German embassies accept blocked accounts from a small number of licensed providers. The three names you will see most often are Expatrio, Fintiba, and Coracle. All three are accepted across German missions worldwide, all three run a fully online process, and all three can issue your confirmation letter within a few business days of you funding the account.

I went through this myself before moving to Germany from Vietnam, using Expatrio for my own visa application. Here is the process end to end:

1. Register online. You create an account with your passport details and basic personal information. No German address or Anmeldung is needed at this stage.

2. Upload your documents. Typically a passport copy and your university admission letter. The provider verifies your identity remotely.

3. Fund the account. You transfer the full required amount (€11,904 for a standard 2026 degree-study visa) by international bank transfer or card, depending on the provider.

4. Receive your confirmation letter. Once your funds clear, the provider issues an official confirmation document, the actual piece of paper your embassy wants to see.

5. Submit it with your visa application. Attach the confirmation to your documents and bring the original, or a certified copy if your mission requires one, to your appointment.

Why I point people toward Expatrio specifically: beyond the blocked account itself, its Value Package bundles several arrival essentials into a single signup: the blocked account, travel health insurance for your first weeks in Germany, an option for TK public health insurance once you enroll, and a free basic bank account for receiving your monthly release. That is four arrival problems solved through one registration, which mattered to me when I was juggling a dozen things at once from another country.

Open your blocked account with Expatrio →* (We earn a referral fee if you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you. This does not change our recommendation. Expatrio is one of the providers German missions actually accept, and it is the one I used myself. New sign-ups through this link can also come with a referral bonus; confirm the current offer on Expatrio's site, since terms change.)

Whichever provider you choose, double-check three things before you commit: that your specific German mission accepts that provider, that the fees and exchange rate on the international transfer are reasonable for your situation, and that the confirmation letter will be ready well before your visa appointment date.

After You Arrive: From Blocked Account to Everyday Banking

Your blocked account's main job ends the moment your visa is approved and your monthly releases start flowing. From here, your financial life shifts to a regular Girokonto.

Most students reach this point within their first one or two weeks in Germany, right around the same time they are registering their address (Anmeldung), enrolling at university, and getting ready for their first Werkstudent paycheck. A bank account that does not require Anmeldung makes this transition far smoother, since the alternative, waiting on a traditional bank like Sparkasse or Commerzbank, can add days or weeks you do not have.

bunq is a strong fit for this exact moment. It issues a German IBAN the same day, runs entirely from your phone, and does not require a German address to get started. That makes it possible to have a working salary account before your first day on the job, instead of scrambling once your employer asks for your bank details.

Open a bunq account here →* and confirm the current plan details and student-discount eligibility before signing up.

Once your Girokonto is active, the rest of the sequence falls into place. Your blocked account provider deposits your monthly allowance into it, your employer pays your Werkstudent salary into it, and you can set up the direct debits for rent, phone, and insurance that daily life in Germany runs on. You can also start estimating your take-home pay with the Werkstudent salary calculator. For the full walkthrough of what to set up in your first weeks on the job, see our first salary checklist, for the insurance side specifically, our health insurance guide for working students, and for how tax and social security deductions work on your Werkstudent payslip, our working student tax guide.

Common Mistakes That Delay Visa Applications

A handful of mistakes come up again and again with blocked accounts. Avoiding them can save you weeks of waiting.

Funding the wrong amount. A number from a forum post or a friend's experience from two years ago can easily be out of date. The 2026 figure is €11,904, or €992 per month, for standard degree study, but other visa purposes use different rates (see the table above). Run your exact case through the Blocked Account Calculator, then confirm it with your mission before transferring.

Starting too late. Between registering with a provider, transferring funds internationally, waiting for them to clear, and receiving your confirmation letter, the whole process can take one to two weeks even when nothing goes wrong. Visa appointment slots can also book out weeks in advance. Start as soon as you have your admission letter, not after you have already booked your appointment.

Treating it like a regular bank account. As covered above, you cannot use a Sperrkonto for rent, salary, or daily spending. Plan to open a separate Girokonto once you land.

Not confirming details with your specific mission. Requirements can vary slightly by country and by case: which providers are explicitly accepted, whether certified copies are required, how far in advance funds must clear. The Federal Foreign Office is explicit that the embassy or consulate handling your case has the final say, not any guide or provider, including this one.

Assuming you need one as an EU/EEA citizen. You do not. If you hold an EU or EEA passport, skip the blocked account entirely and go straight to opening a Girokonto once you land.

If you are still mapping out your full pre-arrival timeline, our interactive Road to Germany roadmap walks through every step from admission to your first paycheck, including exactly where the blocked account fits relative to your visa appointment, insurance, and enrollment. And once you are working and want to understand how your visa day budget and the 20-hour rule interact with everything else, our working student visa rules guide covers that in full.