Opening a bank account in Germany: what the bank asks for, by law
The anti-money-laundering law sets it. Before opening an account, a bank must record your name, place and date of birth, nationality and address, and check them on an official ID with a photo, which it has the right and the duty to copy. It may use these data only to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. It must also record your tax ID and ask where you are resident for tax. Anyone lawfully in the EU, with or without a fixed address, is entitled to a basic account.
What the official texts say, for information; not legal advice.
What the bank records
About you · all of them
- first names and surname
Vorname und Nachname
- place and date of birth
- nationality
- your home address; for a basic account without a fixed home, a postal address
eine Wohnanschrift
What proves who you are
Identity · one of
- a valid official ID with a photo: passport, ID card or a paper that stands in for them, in the original
eines gültigen amtlichen Ausweises, der ein Lichtbild des Inhabers enthält
- the online ID of a German ID card, an eID card or an electronic residence permit
- a qualified electronic signature, with a first transfer from an account in your name
- a notified European electronic ID scheme
- under 16 without an ID of your own: the birth certificate, with your legal representative's ID checked
die Geburtsurkunde in Verbindung mit der Überprüfung der Identität des gesetzlichen Vertreters
- for a basic account only: the certificate of suspended deportation (Duldung), or an asylum seeker's proof of arrival
The copy
- the bank has the right and the duty to copy the papers it checked; it keeps the copy for five years and destroys it after ten at the latest
das Recht und die Pflicht, Kopien dieser Dokumente oder Unterlagen anzufertigen
Also asked
May be asked
- the purpose and type of account you want; for a current account, the type of account shows the purpose
- whether you, a family member or a close associate hold a prominent public office
politisch exponierte Person
- whether you act for someone else (the beneficial owner)
- your German tax ID; if you do not give it, the bank asks the Federal Central Tax Office for it
- a self-certification of where you are resident for tax
eine Selbstauskunft
- for a basic account: the official application form
- only where the risk is higher: where the money comes from
What the bank may not do
- use these data for anything but preventing money laundering and terrorist financing
nur verarbeiten, soweit dies … für Zwecke der Verhinderung von Geldwäsche und Terrorismusfinanzierung erforderlich ist
- for a basic account: call the official form incomplete once you have filled it in completely
kann sich der Verpflichtete nicht darauf berufen, dass der Antrag unvollständig sei
- for a basic account: refuse it for reasons other than those the law lists, such as an account you can already use in Germany or a termination by the bank in the last year
nur aus den in den §§ 35 bis 37 genannten Gründen
- for a basic account: make you buy other services
Sie sind nicht verpflichtet, zusätzliche Dienstleistungen zu erwerben
Sources
- Geldwäschegesetz, §§ 10, 11, 11a, 15 (what is collected, and for what) · last amended on 29 June 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 197)
- Geldwäschegesetz, § 12 (the papers that prove identity) · last amended on 29 June 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 197)
- Geldwäschegesetz, § 8 (copies, five and ten years) · last amended on 29 June 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 197)
- Zahlungskonto-Identitätsprüfungsverordnung, § 1 · last amended on 17 July 2017
- Abgabenordnung, § 154 (tax ID) · last amended on 3 July 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 199)
- Finanzkonten-Informationsaustauschgesetz, § 13 (tax residence) · last amended on 22 December 2025
- Zahlungskontengesetz, §§ 31–38 (basic account) · last amended on 9 April 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 97)
- Zahlungskontengesetz, Anlage 3 (basic account form) · last amended on 9 April 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 97)
- BaFin, Auslegungs- und Anwendungshinweise zum Geldwäschegesetz · as of July 2025
Checked on 20 October 2026.
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