How much do you need in your Sperrkonto?
Visa duration, dependants, and your specific scholarship status set your exact Sperrkonto minimum. 2026 figures from the Auswärtiges Amt.
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Frequently asked questions
How much do I need in my Sperrkonto for a German student visa in 2026?
For a 12-month student visa, the German Foreign Office requires 11,904 EUR (992 EUR per month) in a blocked account. The figure is anchored to the BAfoeG maximum support rate (paragraphs 13 and 13a(1) BAfoeG) and has been unchanged since the Winter Semester 2024 update, including for 2026. Shorter visa durations scale linearly: 5,952 EUR for 6 months, 992 EUR per month for any partial year.
What's the difference between the student visa and Chancenkarte amounts?
The Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card) uses a higher monthly figure of 1,091 EUR for 2026 because the visa is a job-search permit, not a student visa, and the German Foreign Office assumes you have no university stipend or BAfoeG fallback. For a 12-month Chancenkarte stay you need 13,092 EUR, compared to 11,904 EUR for a student visa.
Does a scholarship replace the blocked account?
If your scholarship covers at least the BAfoeG floor (992 EUR per month) and comes from a recognised German or EU public source like DAAD, Erasmus, or Deutschlandstipendium, the embassy will usually accept the scholarship letter as proof of funds and waive the Sperrkonto requirement. The Chancenkarte does NOT have this scholarship exemption: you still need liquid funds in a blocked account.
Which blocked-account provider should I pick?
Expatrio (89 EUR setup, 5 EUR per month) is the most cost-efficient and bundles travel and health insurance in their Value Package. Fintiba (159 EUR setup, 9.90 EUR per month) is the longest-running provider and has the strongest brand recognition with embassies; choose them if you want zero embassy friction. Coracle is currently not accepting new accounts (verified May 2026). Deutsche Bank stopped offering blocked accounts in July 2022.
Can I withdraw the full amount as soon as I arrive in Germany?
No. The Sperrkonto only releases up to 992 EUR per month for a 12-month student visa, regardless of how much you deposited. The monthly disbursement cap is the entire point of the account: it's a structural guarantee that a student doesn't burn through their funds in the first three months. Providers may charge a small fee (Expatrio 5 EUR, Fintiba 9.90 EUR) to administer the monthly transfer.
What happens if my visa is rejected?
Both Expatrio and Fintiba have 'money-back if visa rejected' clauses; you upload the embassy rejection letter and they refund your deposit minus the setup fee. Deposits in the blocked account itself are never lost; the bank simply transfers the full balance back to your origin account once the visa rejection is verified.