Complete guide to opening a business bank account in Germany
International business
22.08.2025
Sabrina Maly
Opening a business bank account in Germany is a necessary step in completing your business registration process.
German law mandates business bank accounts for several entities
These include GmbH, UG, AG, eG, KGaA, or eV
The challenge: You usually need to already have established a business in Germany and need documentation such as a commercial register extract.
We walk you through the process and suggest valuable alternatives to keep your financial expenses as low as possible from day 1.
Benefits of opening a business bank account in Germany
Once you have opened your business account in Germany, you are ready to starting business in Germany and profit from a lot of benefits when it comes to your financial transactions. First of all, you gain access to the SEPA network, similarly to the case of opening a business bank account in the Netherlands, which allows you to pay like a local within the 27 EU member states plus Switzerland, the UK, San Marino, Vatican City, Andorra, Monaco as well as the three EEA countries of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
Access to the SEPA network is streamlined with a German IBAN (DE-IBAN), allowing you to conduct transactions across Europe at local rates and reduce the costs typically associated with international transfers.
This is not only beneficial to you, but also to your customers and suppliers. If you rely on the SWIFT network for international transactions, high costs incur, which are either paid by the sender, by the receiver or shared by both parties. The SEPA network eliminates these additional costs and lets you pay throughout Europe at local transaction costs, which only comprise a small fraction of the SWIFT network costs. Further, when using a EUR account, you also save on conversion fees when conducting business in Europe.
What to consider when choosing a business bank account in Germany?
The right business bank account type in Germany mainly depends on your personal preferences. Before choosing a partner, it is worth comparing the following points:
Services: How much service do you need from your bank? Are online banks enough or do you prefer brick-and-mortar branches? This decision will also influence the fees and charges structure.
Fees: Look into account maintenance fees, transaction fees, overdraft fees, FX fees, additional fees for debit cards or ATM withdrawals and any other charges associated with the account. Compare these fees across different banks to find the most cost-effective option for your business.
Foreign currency account: If you are planning trade outside the European Union, you might consider an additional foreign currency account to receive, hold and spend currencies other than the Euro. Alternatively, you can check for online financial providers to conduct your international business payments.
Minimum balance: Some business accounts require a minimum balance to be maintained. Ensure that the minimum balance requirement aligns with your business’ cash flow and financial capabilities.
Additional features: Accounts may come with additional benefits such as interest payments on your account balance, physical and virtual debit or credit cards, various integrations and more.
Merchant account option: For many companies, establishing a merchant account alongside a traditional business account can provide added benefits for handling card payments and online transactions.
By considering these and other personal preferences, you are able to develop a framework of how to choose the best bank account for your business.
How to open a bank account in Germany
Most legal company forms (such as GmbH or UG) are required to deposit their share capital into a dedicated business account before registration can be finalised. Even for freelancers, a separate account is strongly recommended to keep personal and business finances apart.
To open a business account in Germany, banks usually ask for:
Valid passport or ID of the company owner(s)
Proof of residence (if available; for foreign founders this can sometimes be substituted with notarised documents)
Commercial register extract (Handelsregisterauszug) or, for companies still in formation, the notarised articles of association (Gesellschaftsvertrag)
Tax identification number (once available)
Non-resident founders often face stricter requirements. Many banks prefer at least one managing director with a German address. To avoid delays, international entrepreneurs are advised to use specialised legal or accounting firms in Germany to assist with the bank application and company setup.
Best business accounts in Germany
When opening a business in Germany as a foreigner, it is advisable to first of all check the larger German banks and compare their offers and requirements. The top 3 German banks are Deutsche Bank, DZ Bank as well as Commerzbank. Combined with amnis’ financial ecosystem, companies gain more features at lower costs.
After having established your outline, you can compare different business bank accounts.
See an example below:
Deutsche Bank
DZ Bank
Commerzbank
amnis
Profile
Germany’s largest bank, headquartered in Frankfurt, with global presence and traditional full-service banking.
Central institution for about 700 cooperative banks; corporate and investment banking specialist.
One of Germany’s major banks with about 400 branches; offers full services including international trade support.
Swiss payment platform offering digital, multi-currency business accounts for SMEs that can be opened within seconds.
Account Options
Business bank account, starting at EUR 14.90/month
Business bank account, details depend on the offering institution
Business bank account, starting at EUR 15.90/month
Multi-currency and IBAN accounts, starting at EUR 19/month
Business debit cards
1 free debit card in the basic model
Virtual and physical card available for EUR 1/month
Commerzbank Girocard included, Business Card Premium Debit available at EUR 5.90/month
50 virtual and 10 physical multi-currency debit cards in the Launch subscription plan at EUR 19/month
amnis
amnis is a Swiss fintech solution that serves as foreign-currency add-on to traditional banking. It offers a multi-currency business account with local IBANs, digital onboarding, and access to local payment schemes such as SEPA, FPS and more. Further, companies profit from multi-currency debit cards, expense management tools and cashback on select foreign currencies – no matter which bank you choose, amnis upgrades your financial capabilities.
Deutsche Bank
With a revenue of EUR 30.1 billion and a net income of around EUR 4.48 billion in 2024, Deutsche Bank remains Germany’s largest financial institution. Deutsche Bank offers 3 business accounts, which offer different features, such as the amount of business debit and business credit cards issued. Its international network makes it especially suitable for companies with global ambitions.
DZ Bank
DZ Bank is the central institution of the cooperative financial network and the second-largest bank in Germany. It provides business banking solutions alongside its role in supporting cooperative banks and corporate clients. Account opening typically requires proof of business registration and tax identification, as well as standard identification documents. With its cooperative roots, DZ Bank is closely linked to regional Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, which offer different services depending on the institution.
Commerzbank
Commerzbank is one of Germany’s leading commercial banks with a strong focus on SMEs. Business accounts are available in different service models, ranging from cost-efficient basic options to premium packages with broader features. Online eligibility checks allow entrepreneurs and foreign founders to assess whether they qualify for an account.
Alternatives of a business bank account in Germany
As you have seen, opening a bank account in Germany is associated with a lot of red tape. This is even a bigger problem for young startups, which need quick access to the European financial market. Luckily, there are a few things, which can be done to minimise your transaction and FX conversion costs from the get-go.
You might be inclined to open a foreign currency account at your local bank before coming to Germany, as you are able to conduct transactions in Euros. With a foreign currency account, you can both receive and make payments in currencies other than your home currency.
A better and faster alternative to a foreign currency account at your local bank is creating a EUR IBAN at amnis – to gain access to an advanced financial toolkit, which saves you time and money.
Create a EUR account with amnis
With amnis, you gain access to a financial ecosystem to optimise your financial processes and reduce unnecessary transaction costs. You gain full control over all your expenses and pay like a local wherever you are, no matter where your company is located. Further, you are able to make use of physical and virtual multi-currency debit cards.
Further, when choosing to open a business checking account in Germany with amnis, you have all the means necessary to streamline your financial transactions. Clever cash management automations enable you to automatically convert incoming funds to your home currency and send them to your house bank account. Alternatively, you can buy Euros or other currencies automatically on a weekly or monthly basis to make sure you always have enough balance and to mitigate currency fluctuation risk.
Even better: With the EUR account from amnis, the Launch plan already includes up to 10 physical and 50 virtual business debit cards – enabling you to set up your financial processes professionally right from the start. Account opening is fully paperless and completed within 48 hours, so you can start benefiting right away.
Last but not least, your safeguarded funds at amnis help you earn interest on your business account balances. As one of just a few providers, amnis is forwarding interest on foreign currency accounts.
Ready to simplify your European transactions? Try the free demo and experience seamless euro payments with your German IBAN (DE-IBAN) through amnis. You can even link this DE-IBAN to PayPal to receive euros directly into your amnis account – at the lowest cost!