Step-by-step:
Open Your GiroKonto in 6 Minutes
Most expats pick the bank closest to their flat and pay for it later. Here's the GiroKonto we've recommended since 2014 — and exactly how to open it.
Go directly to account opening →The 6 steps, in order
About 6 minutes for the application itself. Plan a week from start to card-in-hand.
Fill out the online application
Fill out the online application
Click "Open GiroKonto" to start. Pick "GiroKonto Basic", enter your name, date of birth, nationality, and the address from your Anmeldung. Choose your username and PIN. Submit — your IBAN comes back on the next screen.
Tip: Have these ready before you start: passport or EU ID, Anmeldung (Meldebescheinigung), email, and a German phone number. No Anmeldung yet? You can still open the account; bring it later for full activation.
Save the email confirmations
Save the email confirmations
Commerzbank sends four emails right after submission: application confirmation with your IBAN, the Ident-ID for identity verification, pre-contractual documents, and the order confirmation. All four matter for the next steps.
Tip: Check spam if nothing arrives in 5 minutes. Save the Ident-ID separately — losing it means restarting verification.
Verify your identity
Verify your identity
Use the IDENT app for Video Chat (5–10 minutes, done from your couch). PostIdent at any Deutsche Post counter also works. Bring your passport and the Ident-ID from step 2.
Tip: Daylight beats apartment lighting for the video call. We've seen Video-Ident fail more often over a dim webcam than over a bad connection.
Activate photoTAN
Activate photoTAN
After identity check (usually next business day), download the photoTAN app, log in with your participant number and PIN, and scan the activation graphic. Two-factor approval for every login and transfer from then on.
Tip: Activate within 3 hours of the unlock email. Miss the window and Commerzbank mails you a paper activation letter — which adds 3–5 days to the timeline.
Wait for your Girocard PIN
Wait for your Girocard PIN
The PIN arrives by post, usually 2–3 days before the card itself. Two separate envelopes is normal; it's a fraud-protection rule, not a delay.
Tip: Store the PIN in a password manager or somewhere off-paper. Most card-loss reports we hear start with "I wrote it on the envelope".
Activate your Girocard
Activate your Girocard
The card lands 4–7 days after the PIN. First use at any ATM with your PIN switches it live. From then on: cash withdrawal, contactless payment, salary deposits — done.
Open Your GiroKonto Now
We've walked 10,000+ expats through this flow. You'll know which buttons to click, which documents to upload, and where most people get stuck.
Open Your GiroKonto Now →What to know before you start
Have ready
Passport or EU ID, Anmeldung, German mobile, a quiet 15 minutes. Use a stable Wi-Fi for the Video-Ident step.
Where most people slip
Three patterns we see again and again: address typed differently from the Anmeldung (rejected), photoTAN not activated within 3 hours (paper letter delay), and special characters in the username (rejected silently). All avoidable.