Wegweiser Consumers · Your rights when buying and contracting Deutsch

🏦 Bank account, basic account and bank fees

Anyone legally resident in the EU is entitled to a basic account (Basiskonto). The bank must make an offer within ten business days.

Basic account (Basiskonto) Current account Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz) Bank fees Switching accounts Refusal Asylum seekers § 31 ZKG

In brief

Even if you cannot get an ordinary current account, you are entitled to a basic account. This applies to consumers legally resident in the EU. People without a fixed address, asylum seekers and people with a Duldung (tolerated stay) are included too.

  • You apply to a bank that offers accounts to consumers.
  • The bank must offer the contract without delay, at the latest within ten business days.
  • The bank must confirm receipt of the application in writing.

Step by step

  1. Submit the applicationIn writing or at the branch, have receipt of the application confirmed.
  2. Enclose proofID or substitute documents, proof of residence; ask for details.
  3. Note the deadlineTen business days from receipt.
  4. If refusedVerbraucherzentrale or arbitration; if refused, consider the supervisory authority.

Deadlines

10 business days
Offer of the basic account contract after receipt of the application§ 31 Abs. 2 ZKG
Watch out – common mistakes
  • Fees for the basic account must be reasonable; their amount was not checked here.
  • Grounds for refusal: §§ 34–37 ZKG.
  • Without proof of identity the application can fail: clarify substitute documents.
  • This page is not legal advice.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Entitlement, § 31 ZKG

Under § 31 Abs. 1 ZKG, an institution that offers payment accounts to consumers must conclude a basic account contract with an eligible person if their application meets the requirements of § 33. Eligible are consumers legally resident in the EU, including people without a fixed address, asylum seekers and people without a residence title who cannot be deported. Under para. 2, the contract must be offered without delay, at the latest within ten business days of receipt of the application; receipt must be confirmed in writing with a copy.

Remedy

Administrative procedure at the BaFin (§ 48 ZKG); in case of unlawful refusal the BaFin can issue an order (§ 49 ZKG).

Not checked

Pricing rules, termination by the bank, the account switching service and the fee transparency of the institutions were not retrieved in this research.

Who is responsible
  • Credit institution
  • BaFin (administrative procedure in case of refusal, § 48 ZKG)
  • Verbraucherzentrale
  • The bank's arbitration body (not checked individually)
Further reading
Reminders, debt collection and SchufaAdvice and contact points

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Bank account, basic account and bank fees“?
Anyone legally resident in the EU is entitled to a basic account (Basiskonto). The bank must make an offer within ten business days.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
10 business days: Offer of the basic account contract after receipt of the application (§ 31 Abs. 2 ZKG)
What should I do first?
  • Submit the application: In writing or at the branch, have receipt of the application confirmed.
  • Enclose proof: ID or substitute documents, proof of residence; ask for details.
  • Note the deadline: Ten business days from receipt.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • Fees for the basic account must be reasonable; their amount was not checked here.
  • Grounds for refusal: §§ 34–37 ZKG.
  • Without proof of identity the application can fail: clarify substitute documents.
Evidence
  • gesetze-im-internet.de, § 31 ZKG, retrieved 20 September 2026
  • Verbraucherzentrale, Beratung bei den Verbraucherzentralen, retrieved 20 September 2026
  • Bundesamt für Justiz, Liste der Verbraucherschlichtungsstellen (search result), retrieved 20 September 2026
As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

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