Best German Bank for English Speakers [2023 Guide]

The best German bank for English speakers is Commerzbank (branch bank) and N26 (mobile bank). If you hold an EU passport, you can open an account with them directly after registering in Germany. However, if you are from a non-EU country, you may need to show your residence permit. In that case, you can use our tool below to find accessible banks for you before you get your residence permit.

This is our review of the best German bank in Germany for English speakers and foreigners.

Opening a German bank account is crucial for your everyday life when moving to Germany. For example, you need a personal German bank account to:

• receive your salary
• pay your rent
• register for electricity
• get internet for your apartment
• get your liability insurance
• and many more contractual services

With my wife Jen, originally from Guatemala, I’ve been helping internationals navigate life as a foreigner with Simple Germany (est. 2020). My mission with this guide is to research and share with you which is the best German bank for foreigners.

In this guide, I will highlight the consumer-friendliness of various bank accounts. More importantly, I will help you find a German bank that accepts you as a customer. Your nationality and residence status in Germany matter as to which bank accepts you. Depending on your passport, you will not be able to open just any bank account within your first weeks in Germany. 

Jen and I actively use two of the English-speaking banks in this review. We have tested their banking apps and customer service extensively. I have researched the policies of all five banks and analyzed their friendliness towards foreigners. In this guide, I share my findings with you.

Let’s get started.

Quick comparison of the best German bank for English speakers

In this guide, we will compare the best bank in Germany for expats:

1. Commerzbank – the traditional yet modern bank with the broadest offer and English service.
2. N26 – the established mobile fintech bank with full English service.
3. Tomorrow Bank – the sustainable mobile bank that plants trees and has full English service.
4. Vivid Money – the mobile bank with free investing and crypto options with full English service.
5. Bonus – Revolut – the best alternative for ‘exotic’ nationalities. Not a German bank, based in Lithuania but all services are in English.

🙋 What about other banks like Sparkasse, Volksbank, and DKB? I refrain from talking about these banks for various reasons. DKB is notoriously known for not accepting internationals, especially if they come from emerging economies. Sparkasse and Volksbank are very traditional and location-based. Even though they have branches all over Germany. A Sparkasse in Berlin is completely different than a Sparkasse in Munich. This means that if you ever move, you must move your bank account with you (a.k.a. more paperwork and bureaucracy). Plus, these traditional banks have a monthly fee you need to pay, and it takes several weeks for you to get an appointment to open a bank account.

Important Fact: Your Nationality Matters

Your nationality matters not only with regard to visa regulations but also with regard to which bank will accept you as a customer. This is mainly due to anti-money laundering laws in Germany. Every new bank customer needs to verify their identity before being able to activate the bank account. Online banks can only offer this process via video identification providers such as IDnow.

These providers don’t accept all passports. Some passports don’t comply with industry-standard security features. If that’s the case for you, Commerzbank is a great option. You can verify your identity personally at your local branch. If Commerzbank requires your residence permit and you don’t have it yet, Revolut could be your banking solution until then.

💡 Experiences from our community: My research shows that Commerzbank wants to see your residence permit as a non-EU citizen. However, I know for a fact that a Brazilian in Düsseldorf, a US-American near Stuttgart, and an Indian in Berlin didn’t need their residence permit. So you might want to try your luck.

We have created the tool below to help you search for the bank(s) that accept your nationality in Germany based on your residence status. We have built this tool to save you tons of time and spare you from unnecessary bank rejections.

Are you wondering why only four banks are listed? Simply because these are the only German banks that offer their services in English as well. All other German banks will only provide you with their services and customer support in German.

Read More: Are you also looking for a business bank account? Check out our guide on the Best Banks For Freelancers in Germany.

What is the Best German Bank for English Speakers?

Here are our top picks for the best bank in Germany for English speakers and foreigners.

1. Commerzbank

Commerzbank was founded in 1870 and is the second-largest bank in Germany. It is a private bank and part of the Cash Group (Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, HypoVereinsbank & Postbank). 

In the past years, Commerzbank has invested heavily to keep up with the competition from Fintech banks. It is the most digitized branch bank and offers at least parts of its website in English. More importantly, Commerzbank provides online banking, a mobile app, and customer support in English. On my iPhone app, the in-app chat is currently only available in German. You can reach customer service in English via phone or at your branch.

Next to their very good checking account, they offer a lot more banking options. You could open a securities account with Commerzbank, get a loan, and pick-up of foreign currencies in their branches. You can also ask for a personal consultant if you wish. Commerzbank accepts every nationality since you can verify your identity in person at a local branch.

💡 Real-Life Community Feedback: On two occasions, Iranians did not get accepted.

The only drawback is the online account opening process. Although they pride themselves on offering the fastest online sign-up in Germany, it is only available in German. To guide you through the account opening step-by-step, we have written an in-depth on how to open a Commerzbank account online.

Related Guide: How To Open A Commerzbank Account Online [Step-By-Step English Guide]

Their checking account is free as long as you activate paperless banking and have an incoming payment of at least 700 euros per month. You will get a physical girocard, the most accepted payment card in Germany. You will also get a virtual debit card for easy online payments.

My experience: I have been a Commerzbank customer since 2005. I use it primarily as my salary account. I am a very happy customer and have never encountered any issues. The online banking and app are easy to use. The app shows me the nearest branch and ATM that I can use with my girocard to withdraw or deposit money (even coins). The mobile app is protected by security measures (password or face ID). I mainly pay with Apple Pay and use the girocard in restaurants and stores that don’t accept Visa or Mastercard. Those are usually smaller local shops. 

Commerzbank benefits:

✅ 450 branches in Germany
✅ English banking app & customer service
✅ Free checking account (with a minimum of 700 euros monthly input)
✅ Free virtual Mastercard debit card
✅ Free girocard
✅ Free unlimited cash withdrawals at more than 7.000 Cash Group ATMs in Germany with the girocard
✅ Easy to use clean mobile banking app
✅ Securities account option & consulting
✅ Apple & Google Pay
✅ Open free checking account in 8 minutes online
✅ Available for all nationalities
✅ Free joint account (Gemeinschaftskonto)

Commerzbank drawbacks:

⛔️ No English online sign-up 
⛔️ Checking account fees of 9,90 euros with less than 700 euros monthly input
⛔️ Physical Mastercard credit card costs 39,90 euros a year
⛔️ 1,75% foreign currency fees for payments in other currencies with credit card
⛔️ 1,95% fees / minimum 5,98 euros on cash withdrawals in foreign currencies with credit card + 1,75% foreign currency fees

Follow our in-depth step-by-step guide on how to open a Commerzbank account online: How To Open A Commerzbank Account Online [Step-By-Step English Guide]

2. N26

N26 was founded in 2013 and has since become the biggest mobile bank in Europe. It challenges the status quo of traditional banks. They cater to the digitized generations with a clean and easily navigable mobile real-time banking app.

International money transfers are easy and cheap with N26. They have integrated Wise into their app. Additionally, N26 also offers the option to request a loan for up to 25.000 euros and overdraft. 

The entire product is available in English, from sign-up to mobile banking to customer service. It is one of the favorite German bank accounts for foreigners and accepts the largest number of nationalities among online banks. However, nowadays, any non-EU passport holder must have a residence permit to open a bank account.

N26 offers four different bank account types. From the free Standard account to the premium Metal account. N26 no longer offers a free physical debit Mastercard with the free Standard Account. You will get a virtual-only debit Mastercard. Should you still wish to have a physical banking card, you can order it with a one-time 10 euro fee.

For all the premium N26 accounts, starting with the N26 Smart for 4,90 euros a month, the physical debit Mastercard is included for free. For in-depth information on N26, take a look at our N26 review.

Our experience: Jen has been an N26 customer since 2018 and used it as her daily transactional account. We switched it from a private account to a business account for Simple Germany. The downside is that you can only have one account, private or business. The in-app banking experience is very smooth and comprehensive. Sometimes the app crashes on my iPhone. The mobile app is protected by security measures (password or face ID).

N26 benefits:

✅ EVERYTHING in English
✅ Free Standard checking account with no required monthly input
✅ Free virtual debit Mastercard
✅ Up to 3 free ATM cash withdrawals per month in Germany at any ATM with NFC technology
✅ No exchange fees on card payments for any currency
✅ Free integration with Wise
✅ Full real-time control via the app
✅ 2 free sub-accounts called spaces
✅ Apple & Google Pay
✅ Open free checking account in 8 minutes online
✅ Available for 143 nationalities

N26 drawbacks:

⛔️ No branch offices 
⛔️ No real credit card
⛔️ One-time 10 euros fee for a physical debit Mastercard
⛔️ No securities account option 
⛔️ 1,7% fees on cash withdrawals in foreign currencies
⛔️ A joint account is only possible with a premium account with what N26 calls Spaces

Open your free N26 checking account now and immediately start banking online.

3. Tomorrow Bank

Tomorrow Bank is an ethical mobile banking service provider. They use their banking services to reinvest in sustainable projects. It was founded in 2017 in Hamburg and provides its bank accounts via its partner Solarisbank.

Tomorrow offers three different types of checking accounts starting at 3 euros per month. It includes a free Visa debit card and climate contribution. Of course, it comes with a consumer-friendly real-time banking app, and everything is 100% in English.

Tomorrow benefits:

✅ EVERYTHING in English
✅ Free Visa debit card
✅ No exchange fees on card payments for any currency
✅ Full real-time control via the app
✅ Apple & Google Pay
✅ 1 free sub-account called pocket
✅ Open checking account in 8 minutes online
✅ Available for 78 nationalities (USA not accepted)

Tomorrow drawbacks:

⛔️ No branch offices 
⛔️ Monthly fee starts at 3 euros
⛔️ 2 euros per ATM cash withdrawal with the cheapest account
⛔️ No real credit card
⛔️ No girocard
⛔️ No securities account option 
⛔️ Not available for US citizens
⛔️ A joint account is only possible with a premium account

Open your Tomorrow checking account now and immediately start banking online.

4. Vivid Money

Vivid Money was only founded in 2019 in Berlin. Vivid provides its checking account via its partner, Solarisbank. Their focus lies on crypto and share investing, which is possible within their app. Everything is available in English with great customer service.

Vivid benefits:

✅ EVERYTHING in English
✅ Free checking account with no required monthly input
✅ Free metal Visa debit card
✅ No exchange fees on card payments for up to 40 currencies
✅ Full real-time control via the app
✅ Apple & Google Pay
✅ Up to 15 free sub-accounts called pockets with separate IBAN
✅ Open free checking account in 8 minutes via app only
✅ Up to 20 euros cashback per month
✅ Commission-free investment options for stocks & ETFs
✅ Commission-free investing in 50 crypto coins
✅ Available for 46 nationalities with photo ID verification and 73 nationalities for video identification
✅ A joint account is free with a free account through what Vivid calls Pockets

Vivid drawbacks:

⛔️ No branch offices 
⛔️ No real credit card
⛔️ No girocard
⛔️ Sign up currently only possible through the Vivid App
⛔️ Only up to 200 euros free ATM cash withdrawals per month globally if the withdrawal amount is above 50 euros (otherwise 3% fee)
⛔️ Limited possibilities to deposit cash with high fees

Open your free Vivid checking account now and immediately start banking online.

5. Bonus: Revolut

Revolut is not a German bank. However, I list Revolut as a bonus option. It is a great alternative if German banks do not accept your nationality or you don’t have your residence permit yet. Revolut seems to accept any nationality as long as you reside in Germany. 

You verify your identity with your passport and visa and don’t need any other documents.

Revolut is a fintech based in the UK, with a license in Lithuania since Brexit. This allows you to have a European bank account with an IBAN based in Lithuania (starting with LT – the IBAN of a German bank account starts with a DE). You can use this bank account in Germany without any additional fees. 

Revolut also offers other features such as foreign currency exchange and crypto and raw material trading. They also have 3 paid premium account models. 

Revolut benefits:

✅ EVERYTHING in English
✅ Free checking account with no required monthly input
✅ Free virtual crebit card
✅ Free currency exchange in 30+ currencies (Monday-Friday up tp 1.000 euros/month) 
✅ Full real-time control via the app
✅ Apple & Google Pay
✅ Open free checking account in 8 minutes via app only
✅ Available for all nationalities
✅ No Anmeldung needed

Revolut drawbacks:

⛔️ No German IBAN (Lithuanian IBAN starting with LT)
⛔️ No branch offices 
⛔️ No real credit card
⛔️ No girocard
⛔️ Shipping fee for a physical debit card
⛔️ Only up to 200 euros (or 5 times) free ATM cash withdrawals per month 
⛔️ Currently no joint account option
⛔️ No cash deposit possible

Open your free Revolut checking account now and immediately start banking online.

Conclusion

• Commerzbank is the best branch bank for English speakers and available to all nationalities.
  
• N26 is the most established online bank and a favorite amongst expats.

• Tomorrow is the only sustainable bank with great features for everyday banking.

• Vivid is great if you want a mobile option to invest in stocks and crypto.

• Revolut is the best alternative for internationals who struggle to open an account with any of the above options.

It is perfectly ok to open several bank accounts in Germany. Just don’t open them at the same time. Let some weeks or months pass in between, so that your credit score does not get affected. Jen and I each have two to three bank accounts which we use for different purposes.