Free German Bank Account: DKB, comdirect, ING DiBa with free VISA Card

Are you looking to open a free checking account / free check account / free bank account / free bank giro account / free current account that includes a free VISA Card in Germany? There are only 3 banks that actually offer this type of service across Germany. These 3 direct banks / virtual banks are: DKB (Deutsche Kreditbank AG), comdirect Bank (fully-owned subsidiary of the well-known German Commerzbank AG) and the ING-DiBa (fully-owned subsidiary of the well-known Dutch Bank ING Group). All three banks are direct banks without branches that offer flexible and secure online banking from the comfort of your home. On top of these great services and advantages, you will receive a 50 EUR welcoming bonus that will go directly into your new bank account (this is an offer from comdirect and ING, valid for new clients only).

The most attractive feature of these banks is that money withdrawals with VISA Card have no fees all year long! In detail: with the DKB-Cash Bank Account and its DKB VISA Card you are able to get cash worldwide with no fees at all at the VISA-ATMs. The comdirect Bank account offers a VISA Debit Card with no fees outside Germany and with the ING-DiBa Bank Account and its VISA Debit Card there are no fees in Countries within The European Union (Countries with EURO currency).

The process of opening a bank account in Germany is very straight forward and it is needed whenever you start a new job or plan to live in Germany.

How do I open a bank account at DKB, comdirect or ING-DiBa?

Once you have compared the services that DKB, comdirect and ING-DiBa can offer you and have the national documents, you can open an online German bank account with the bank of your choice.

German bank accounts can be opened only through PostIdent Process

After opening the bank account online and filling out the application form provided by the bank, it is necessary to print it out, attach a copy of a valid ID document and then go to the closest Post Office (Deutsche Post or Postbank) for an address and ID check. This process should not take longer than 5 minutes. After a couple of days your account will be ready for your day to day banking needs. When you are outside of Germany, the process will take a bit longer.

Please keep in mind that you should have a German citizenship or a permanent residence card in order to open a bank account in any of these tree banks. And the new comers should be registered at the Resident Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt) before opening an account!

This process is called Post-Ident process and it is free to anyone who applies for a bank account in Germany. The PostIdent process in detail:

1. You should register at a German Einwohnemeldeamt
2. Apply for a bank account of your choice and fill out all data online
3. Print out all provided documents and sign them
4. Go to the nearest Post Office with the documents and your ID / passport
5. An employee of Deutsche Post or Postbank will verify your ID and address
6. In a few days you will receive all bank documents such as cards, login-data and security information which will be sent separately by your new bank

The DKB offers a flexible service with DKB-Cash International especially for those who live abroad. This means that German expatriates and/or new comers are able to open a German bank account in case of moving or working in another country.