Blocked account (Sperrkonto) for Germany: 2026 amounts, providers and alternatives

When you apply for a German national visa you must show that you can cover your living costs. The blocked account is one of the ways to do it for certain visa categories ¹. You open it with a bank or similar provider, almost always online, and you also pay the bank's fees ¹.

Three rules define the account ¹:

• Fixed monthly withdrawal. You can only withdraw a set sum each month, so that the monthly minimum is always available.
• Beneficiary. Before the visa, the beneficiary of the block is the German mission abroad; after you arrive, the foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde). The beneficiary cannot withdraw money.
• Length. It is normally opened for one year, unless your stay is shorter.

The amount is based on the maximum rates of aid for German students (BAföG) and varies with the purpose of your stay ¹.

These are the monthly figures published by the German Embassy in Quito ²:

Purpose of the visa	Monthly amount	Total for 12 months
University studies	992 euros	11,904 euros
Internships	992 euros	11,904 euros
Language course	1,091 euros	13,092 euros
University access (for example, looking for a place)	1,091 euros	13,092 euros
Chancenkarte	1,091 euros	13,092 euros
Degree recognition measures	1,200 euros	14,400 euros

The totals for 12 months are the monthly figure multiplied by twelve. The Embassy in Bogotá confirms 992 euros a month and 11,904 euros for studies ⁴, and 1,091 euros a month and 13,092 euros for the Chancenkarte ⁵. The Embassy in Yaoundé warns that the amounts are adjusted every year ⁶.

Old figures circulate online, such as 934 or 861 euros a month, which still appear on embassy pages from 2024 ⁷. Always use the figure of the embassy where you apply, on the day you transfer.

The Federal Foreign Office removed the list of providers it published until mid-2022. It now states that you choose freely, that it does not recommend any and that it is not responsible if a provider does not pay ¹. The Embassy in Quito adds that the account must be with an institution authorised to operate in Germany and that opening it is each bank's decision ².

Before choosing, compare:

• Opening fee and monthly fee.
• Time until the blocking confirmation is issued.
• Whether the confirmation shows the total amount and the monthly amount available: Bogotá rejects the application without those two data ⁵.
• How, and at what cost, you send the money from your country. The international transfer is usually the highest cost of the process.

You can only submit your visa documents after the German bank confirms the full deposit ².

Embassies accept other proof, alone or combined with a smaller blocked account.

Declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung). A person commits in writing before the foreigners authority in Germany to cover your costs, under sections 66 and 68 of the Residence Act; you hand in the original and a copy ⁴. In Ecuador it can also be signed at the Embassy in Quito: it must be done by a single person with a bank account in Germany, in person, and the fee is 29 euros ³.

Scholarship. For studies, the Embassy in Bogotá accepts a scholarship of at least 992 euros a month; if it is lower, you cover the difference with another option ⁴.

Income from part-time work. For the Chancenkarte, a contract or binding offer of permitted part-time work can reduce the amount you must block ⁵.

For your own funds, the Embassy in Bogotá states that the only way to prove them is the blocked account ⁴.

The block is lifted with the agreement of the beneficiary ¹. If your visa is refused, the refusal decision is enough. In other cases the embassy can issue a consular certificate to release the money ¹:

• You never applied for the visa and never travelled to Germany.
• You withdrew your application.
• You obtained the visa but did not use it.
• You entered with the visa but left the Schengen area before receiving the residence permit.

In the first case you contact the embassy of your country of residence; in the other three, the embassy where you filed the application. If you are already in Germany, you contact the foreigners authority ¹.