Step-by-step:
Open Your Business Account
Most expat freelancers run their first year through a personal account, then lose a weekend to untangling 800 transactions at Steuererklärung time. Open a real Geschäftskonto in 15 minutes and skip that headache.
Go directly to account opening →The 6 steps, in order
Application: 10–15 minutes. Account live in 1–2 business days. Card in your mailbox within a week.
Check your right to be self-employed
Check your right to be self-employed
Non-EU citizens: your residence permit must explicitly allow self-employment. EU Blue Card holders need an additional Nebentätigkeitserlaubnis from the Ausländerbehörde for side-income above a small threshold. A regular work visa (§ 18 AufenthG) usually forbids self-employment without a separate § 21 AufenthG permit. EU/EEA citizens skip this step.
Tip: Open the bank account anyway — Commerzbank does not check your permit. But invoicing clients before your permit is in order can void your visa renewal. Sort the permit at the Ausländerbehörde first.
Prepare your documents
Prepare your documents
Freiberufler (consulting, IT, design, writing, etc.) need: passport or EU/EEA ID, Anmeldung, and 11-digit Steueridentifikationsnummer. Einzelunternehmer (commercial activity) also need a Gewerbeanmeldung from the Gewerbeamt (~€26). Non-EU: residence permit. Optional but useful: existing IBAN and a one-line description of your business activity.
Tip: Steueridentifikationsnummer (11 digits, permanent, on your Anmeldung letter from BZSt) is not the same as Steuernummer (format varies, assigned by your Finanzamt after you register as self-employed). The application asks for the Steueridentifikationsnummer.
Start the online application
Start the online application
Open the Commerzbank business-account page and click "Geschäftskonto eröffnen." Pick your business type (Freiberufler or Einzelunternehmer) and enter your details: full name as in passport, date of birth, nationality, German address from Anmeldung, email, phone. Add a short business-activity description and the Steueridentifikationsnummer.
Tip: The form is German only. Keep this guide open in a second tab and translate field-by-field — the order matches. Address must be identical to the Anmeldung, including any "c/o" line.
Choose your account model
Choose your account model
Three tiers: KlassikGeschäftskonto (€15.90/month, 6 months free — covers most freelancers), PremiumGeschäftskonto (€8.90/month for 2 years, then €34.90 — for growing businesses with more transactions), PremiumGeschäftskonto Plus (€54.90/month — high-volume). All include the €100 online bonus on activation.
Tip: Start with KlassikGeschäftskonto if in doubt. The 6 free months let you measure your real transaction volume, and upgrading later is a one-click change in online banking — no new IBAN.
Verify your identity
Verify your identity
Video-Ident is the fastest path: IDENT app, 5–10 minutes, daily 7:00–22:00. PostIdent at any Deutsche Post counter is the backup. In-person at a Commerzbank branch also works. Bring the physical passport (not a photo) and the Ident-ID from your confirmation email.
Tip: Daylight beats apartment lighting for the Video-Ident call. The agent will ask you to tilt your passport to verify holograms — practice the angle so it does not take three tries.
Receive your Girocard, set up the app
Receive your Girocard, set up the app
IBAN by email in 1–2 business days after verification — you can already invoice with it. PIN by post (2–3 days), Business Girocard in a separate envelope (4–7 days). Download the Commerzbank Corporate Banking app, activate photoTAN within 3 hours of the unlock email, and connect your accounting tool (Lexoffice, SevDesk, DATEV) via HBCI/FinTS from day one.
Tip: Set up the accounting integration before you send the first invoice. Re-importing six months of transactions later costs more time than the integration itself.
Open Your Business Account Now
We've walked 10,000+ expats through German banks since 2014, including hundreds of Freiberufler and Einzelunternehmer. Here's the application — plus the visa, tax, and KSK checks most banks will not warn you about.
Open Your Business Account Now →Five things most expat freelancers learn the hard way
Kleinunternehmerregelung — the VAT shortcut
Under €22,000 revenue in the current year and €50,000 forecast for next year, you can opt out of VAT under § 19 UStG. Simpler invoices (no VAT line, no quarterly Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung), simpler bookkeeping. Tick the box on your Fragebogen zur steuerlichen Erfassung. Tradeoff: you cannot reclaim VAT on business expenses, so it pays off only when most clients are private or small businesses.
Quarterly tax prepayments hit in year two
Your first tax return tells the Finanzamt what you earned. From then on, they collect Einkommensteuer-Vorauszahlungen every quarter (March, June, September, December) at ~25% of expected profit. Plan for it — many freelancers spend their full first-year profit and then panic when the first Vorauszahlung lands. Keep 30–35% of every invoice in a separate Tagesgeld account.
KSK for media/creative work (the cheap social insurance)
Designers, writers, translators, photographers, musicians, and most journalists can apply to the Künstlersozialkasse. KSK pays half your statutory health insurance and pension contributions — same deal as an employer would. Cuts your social-security costs roughly in half. Application is paperwork-heavy and takes 3–6 months; start it as soon as you have your first invoices.
Separating business and personal: not required, very recommended
Freiberufler are not legally required to keep accounts separate. But a single account with mixed transactions multiplies your Steuerberater's hours, makes a Betriebsprüfung painful, and looks unprofessional on invoices. The €15.90/month for a real Geschäftskonto is cheap insurance — and deductible.
Before you start
Have passport, Anmeldung, Steueridentifikationsnummer, and Gewerbeanmeldung (if applicable) ready. Set aside 20 quiet minutes including Video-Ident. Match the Anmeldung address character-for-character. If your name has special characters or multiple middle names, type them exactly as on the passport machine-readable zone.