Banking in Germany as an American: FATCA forms, the Girokonto and your right to a basic account

Yes, you can open a German bank account with a US passport. It takes a little more paperwork than it would for your German coworkers, and your account will be reported to the IRS, but German law is on your side if a bank drags its feet.

The short version

• The US and Germany signed a FATCA agreement on May 31, 2013 [1]. German banks ask if you're a US citizen, collect your Social Security number and report your account details, which end up with the IRS.
• The everyday account in Germany is the Girokonto, the equivalent of a checking account. Rent, salary, utilities and the gym all run through it.
• Every consumer has a legal right to a Basiskonto (basic payment account) under the Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz, ZKG). A bad credit score isn't a valid reason to refuse it [3].
• Eligible deposits are protected up to EUR 100,000 (about USD 111,600) per customer, per bank [5].
• Uncle Sam still wants an FBAR once your foreign accounts top USD 10,000 combined at any point in the year, and possibly Form 8938 [2].

USD conversions in this guide use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026: USD 1.1163 per euro.

FATCA in Germany: what the bank asks and why

Under the FATCA agreement, German banks identify accounts held by "US persons" and pass the details to the German tax authorities, which exchange them with the IRS under a formal arrangement between the two countries [1]. The bank doesn't care whether you plan to stay in Berlin for two years or twenty. If you're a US citizen or green card holder, you're in the system.

When you open an account, expect:

• A self-certification form asking where you're tax resident and if you're a US citizen. Answer honestly. Dual US–German citizens get the same question, and a German passport doesn't take you off the list.
• Your US taxpayer number. That's your Social Security number for most readers.
• Your German tax ID (Steuer-ID). It arrives by mail a few weeks after you register your address. Banks can usually open the account first and add it later.
• Sometimes an IRS Form W-9. Some banks use it to document US customers on top of their own form.

A US birthplace in your passport, a US mailing address or a US phone number will flag the account for a closer look anyway, so fudging it only creates problems later. A frozen account the week rent is due is nobody's idea of fun.

Some German banks, especially smaller ones and investment platforms, are less keen on US customers because of the extra reporting. That's a business decision about products like brokerage accounts. For an everyday payment account, the Basiskonto rules below apply.

What to bring to the branch (or the video call)

Online banks verify you by video call or at a post office, usually through services called VideoIdent and PostIdent. These checks sometimes struggle with US passports or with applicants who don't yet have a German address. The consumer advice centers specifically mention problems with these identification procedures at online banks as a reason to use the BaFin complaint route if you're refused [4].

The Girokonto and how Germans actually pay

Back home you might juggle a checking account, a credit card with points and Venmo. Germans run their lives through the Girokonto, and a few habits will feel different:

• Direct debit (Lastschrift) is everywhere. Your landlord, phone company, health insurer and the broadcasting fee office will all ask for a SEPA direct debit mandate. You sign once and they pull money monthly. You can usually reverse an authorized direct debit within a set window if something's wrong.
• Transfers use the IBAN. A German IBAN starts with DE and has 22 characters. You'll give it out freely, the way you'd give a routing and account number for a direct deposit stateside.
• Cards. Many banks issue a Girocard (the classic German debit card), a Visa or Mastercard debit card, or both. Most Berlin stores and restaurants take cards now, but some cafés and corner stores (Spätis) still prefer cash.
• Credit cards are less central, and many German "credit cards" are paid off in full automatically each month. Your US credit history doesn't follow you. Germany has its own credit bureau, Schufa, which landlords also check.

Big banks, savings banks and digital banks

You'll see these names around Berlin. We list them factually, not as recommendations, and each bank sets its own policy on US customers, so ask before you apply:

• Savings and cooperative banks: Berliner Sparkasse and Berliner Volksbank have branches across the city.
• Large private banks: Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank and Postbank.
• Direct and digital banks: DKB, ING and N26 (which is headquartered in Berlin) run accounts mostly or entirely through an app.

Branch banks often charge a monthly account fee. Online banks are often cheaper but harder to reach when something goes wrong. If you'll need help in English, ask about it up front.

Your legal right to a basic account (Basiskonto)

This is the part most Americans don't know about. Since 2016, the Zahlungskontengesetz requires banks that offer payment accounts to consumers to open a basic account for any consumer who applies [3]. It covers the essentials: deposits and cash withdrawals, transfers, standing orders, direct debits and card payments, plus online banking if the bank offers it for regular accounts [4].

How it works [3][4]:

1. Use the official application form. Banks must provide it, including online. Hand it in with your passport.
2. Get a dated receipt. The bank has to confirm receipt of a complete application on a copy.
3. Wait up to 10 business days. Once the application is complete, the bank must open the account within 10 business days, or tell you within that time that it's refusing.
4. If refused, get it in writing. A refusal must be in text form and explain your rights. Banks can refuse only on narrow legal grounds, such as you already having a working account in Germany. A poor Schufa score is not a valid ground.
5. Ask BaFin to review. The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) can review a refusal for free. If it finds the refusal unjustified, it orders the bank to open the account. You can also sue the bank directly.

The fine print: a Basiskonto isn't free. The law allows "appropriate" fees, and the consumer advice centers found basic accounts costing up to EUR 27.83 (about USD 31) a month in a 2023 comparison [3]. Think of it as the fallback that guarantees you a German IBAN, not the cheapest option.

Deposit protection: Germany vs the FDIC

Germany's statutory deposit guarantee covers savings up to EUR 100,000 (about USD 111,600) per customer at each bank if the bank fails [5]. That's lower than the FDIC's USD 250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category, so spread out large balances. Many banks also belong to voluntary protection schemes that cover more, but banks aren't required to join one [5]. BaFin's free account comparison site lists fees and features under the ZKG.

Like FDIC insurance, deposit protection doesn't cover investment funds or stocks. And a heads-up: German investment funds and ETFs are usually PFICs under US tax rules. A US expat tax preparer can check your situation before you buy any.

Moving money between the US and Germany

Most Americans in Berlin keep a US account open for Social Security, a 401(k), US credit cards and online orders shipped to a relative's address. The question is how to move dollars into euros without bleeding fees.

Inside Europe, SEPA transfers in euros between banks are routine and usually free or cheap. Instant euro transfers have become standard at most banks too. The expensive step is the currency conversion, so compare the rate you're offered with the official rate on the day. A small spread on a big number adds up fast.

What you still owe the IRS

Your German accounts don't fall off Uncle Sam's radar just because the bank already reports them [2]:

The FBAR is filed through FinCEN's BSA E-Filing System, not with your 1040 [2]. German interest is taxable on your US return, and the US–Germany tax treaty and the foreign tax credit usually keep you from paying twice.

Your first-month checklist

1. Register your address (Anmeldung) and get your Meldebescheinigung.
2. Open a Girokonto, bringing your passport, permit, Meldebescheinigung and SSN.
3. Answer the FATCA form honestly.
4. If a bank refuses, apply for a Basiskonto on the official form and keep your dated receipt.
5. Add your Steuer-ID once it arrives.
6. Set up direct debits for rent, phone and health insurance.
7. Decide how dollars will move, and keep your US account open.
8. Start your FBAR list with each account's highest balance.

Want to swap notes on which Berlin branches handle US paperwork well? Ask in our community group for Americans in Germany.

Sources

1. IRS: Competent Authority Arrangement between the United States and Germany (FATCA)
2. IRS: Comparison of Form 8938 and FBAR requirements
3. Verbraucherzentrale: Was ist ein Basiskonto?
4. Verbraucherzentrale NRW: Das Recht auf ein Basiskonto für neu in Deutschland Angekommene
5. BaFin account comparison: Deposit protection

Keep reading

• Schufa: Germany's credit score
• Anmeldung: registering your address in Berlin
• Banking as an American abroad: when banks say no
• FBAR: reporting your foreign bank accounts