One of the important steps in the procedure for applying for a German student visa, as well as extending a student visa while studying in Germany, is opening a German student account and transferring money.

Let's learn about these important processes with URIAH experts!

SPERRKONTO – Blocked Account

According to current procedures from the German government, international students need to open a blocked account (Sperrkonto) in Germany instead of a regular account.

The difference between a Sperrkonto and a regular account is that the owner of a Sperrkonto is not allowed to withdraw the entire amount of money in the account, but only a predetermined maximum amount per month – for example 800 EUR. This feature of Sperrkonto helps the German authorities to be assured that an international student who goes to Germany with a blocked account will be able to have money to cover living expenses until the end of a year (if that Sperrkonto has been loaded with enough money for a year).

For Sperrkonto, the owner can go to the bank to request a blocking certificate (Sperrvermerkt) to use it for student visa extension procedures.

Currently in Vietnam there are two banks that allow us to open blocked accounts in Germany, which are Deutsche Bank and Vietinbank.

Open a German student account with Deutsche bank

This has been the default choice since Deutsche Bank was the largest and oldest German bank representative in Vietnam. The bank branch system in Germany is also quite popular, so this is often the choice of international students when starting to apply to study in Germany. However, in Vietnam, Deutsche Bank only has one branch office in Ho Chi Minh City (Address: Unit 1001, 10/F, Deutsches Haus Building, 33 Le Duan, District 1).

Steps to open a German student account with Deutsche bank

Step 1: Download the application form to open a German student account with DEUTSCHE Bank according to your needs.

– Application form for opening a German study abroad account for customers under 18 years old

– Application form to open a German study abroad account for customers aged 18 and over.

– Attached application form.

– Account closure form.

Step 2: Fill out the form on the computer

Notes when filling out the application:

• On page 1: fill in your personal information. In which, “Meldeadresse” is the postal address where Deutsche Bank sends documents. When you arrive in Germany, you can change this address information.
• Page 3: Items that are not clear in information are not necessary to fill in (Name of German University, language school and city of residence). You need to fill in the appropriate amounts on this page.
• Page 3: In section 7 is where you can check “check” if you want to use Online Banking.
• Page 4: In section 10, you only sign sections 10 and 11 in front of the German Embassy/Consulate General staff.
• Page 5: In section 12, you only sign section 12 in front of the German Embassy/Consulate General staff.
• Zusatzblatt: This item is not necessary, you only need to care when changing the block amount.

Step 3: Make an appointment to certify your signature for opening a German student account with Deutsche Bank

– Documents you need to bring to certify your signature: Original passport, photocopy of passport, application form to open a German student account with Deutsche Bank, signature certification fee.

Step 4: Submit application to open a German study abroad account

– After the Deutsche Bank account opening application has been authenticated with a certified copy of the passport.

– Students need to send these two documents to the address:  Deutsche Bank, Privat- und Geschäftskunden AG, Frankfurter Straße 1, 04024 Leipzig, Germany

Step 5: Activate blocked account

After activating your account, Deutsche Bank will notify you of your account number and other details via email. You can now transfer funds to your account.

Step 6: Get back your account balance

The balance in the account is calculated after deducting the fees. If the remaining amount in the account is equal to or exceeds the required amount, Deutsche Bank will send an E-mail to notify the account holder and the German Embassy in Hanoi and the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City of the balance.

Step 7: Receive a certificate of residence registration from the Immigration Department

Once the student receives the confirmation of accommodation registration from the Immigration Office, you can now activate your account and apply for a bank card at a Deutsche Bank branch in Germany.

Open a German study account with Vietinbank

There is a Vietnamese bank that allows opening foreign currency (EUR) accounts in Germany, that is Vietinbank. In contrast to Deutsche Bank with a wide branch system in Germany but only 1 branch in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Vietinbank has a large branch system in Vietnam which is very convenient, but in Germany there are only 2 branches.

Here are the procedures for opening a Sperrkonto to study abroad at Vietinbank:

Step 1: Prepare application documents to open a German study abroad account

Find out information and open an account at all VietinBank branches in Vietnam  (according to the List of transaction locations in Vietnam) . The application for opening an account includes:

• Notarized copy of passport (valid for at least 06 months);
• Application for opening an account (issued by VietinBank);
• Notarized copy of the Admission Notice (Bedingter Zulassungsbescheid); or Certificate of Pre-registration for a place at a German school (Studienplatzvormerkung); or Certificate (final notice) of the University/College Application Review Agency (ASSIST-Bescheinigung – “endgültige Mitteilung”). In case  the original is not available , international students can submit  a photocopy , however,  a notarized copy must be provided  before receiving  the Account Balance Confirmation .

Step 2:  VietinBank branch in Vietnam supports international students to scan and transfer documents to VietinBank - German branch in  Berlin  (if studying in Eastern Germany) or  Frankfurt  (if studying in Western Germany) to open an account. After about  five working days , however, during the peak season for submitting admission documents, the opening process may take longer than expected, international students receive a scan of  the Account Information Notification  via the E-Mail address registered with VietinBank.

Step 3:  International students go to the VietinBank branch in Vietnam, where they submitted their account opening application, to complete the money transfer procedure.

VietinBank will support  the provision  or  loan of EUR  if the international student has a need. After a maximum of  two to four working days , the international student will receive a scanned copy  of the Account Balance Confirmation via the E-Mail address registered with VietinBank.

International students print out a scanned copy (accepted at the German Embassy in Hanoi and the German Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City) to supplement their visa application.
(International students can also ask relatives abroad to deposit money into their account according to the account information provided by VietinBank).

Step 4:  When officially going to Germany to study, international students bring their  Temporary Residence/Temporary Absence Registration Certificate in Germany  (Anmeldung) and  Passport to VietinBank - German Branch in Berlin or Frankfurt to activate their account and register to use other value-added services such as ATM card issuance, internet banking, payment authorization? In case international students cannot go directly to the German Branch, they can activate their account by post  according to the instructions of the Branch Staff.

International students can refer to the fees and contact information of VietinBank - German Branch in  the  attached Appendix .

For other information, international students can refer to the website www.vietinbank.vn or call  VietinBank's Customer Care Center  at:  1900.558.868 .

Transfer money to study in Germany

If you open a German study abroad account at Vietinbank, we can use Vietinbank's study abroad money transfer service with the following procedures:

• Documents to bring: School notice or invitation letter regarding the amount to be transferred.
• Bank account opening letter.
• Passport/ID card.
• If the parent pays for the child, a copy of the documents proving the relationship is required; a copy of the parent's valid ID card/passport.

In addition, Vietnamese students often use many other forms of money transfer between Germany and Vietnam or directly transfer money back and forth when needing to extend visas to save costs. However, it should be noted that direct transactions always have the risk of fraud, so the general advice for everyone is to only perform transactions and direct or indirect money transfers if there is full trust.

See more: Principles of financial proof when studying abroad in Germany

See more:  How to calculate blocked account for students studying vocational training in Germany