Germany Blocked Account 2026: Amount, Providers and Rupee Cost

  • Last Updated on: November 2, 2026 by
  • Swapna Kanchikacherla
Germany Blocked Account
Germany Blocked Account

In 2026, the blocked account Germany requires for an Indian student visa must hold EUR 11,904 for your first year of study, as the German Missions in India student visa checklist sets out. You open it with a private provider such as Expatrio, Fintiba or Kotak Mahindra Bank. In German it is called a Sperrkonto. Your money sits in it, and only a fixed sum comes out each month. For most families, the real question is the total in rupees after fees and tax.

Written by
Swapna Kanchikacherla
Head of European Desk
Specialises in Germany and France student admissions and visa documentation, with a focus on Campus France, APS, blocked-account and proof-of-funds files.
9 Years, 1100 Visas
Reviewed by
Sridhar Kongara
Managing Director
Mr. Kongara Sridhar, Director of AOEC India, has over 12 years of experience in overseas education consulting, admissions, and student visa guidance.
Over 12 years Experience

Key Takeaways

  • The 2026 student amount is EUR 11,904 (INR 12,68,371), released at no more than EUR 992 (INR 1,05,698) a month.
  • With 12 months of Expatrio or Fintiba fees, budget EUR 12,131-12,182 (about INR 12.9-13 lakh).
  • Kotak Mahindra Bank charges no fees and keeps the money in India.
  • From savings, TCS is 2% on the part above INR 10 lakh; on a loan from a financial institution, nil.
  • After a refusal, Expatrio refunds its fees; Fintiba keeps its opening and transfer fees.
  • A German or EU scholarship paying at least EUR 992 (INR 1,05,698) a month, or a Verpflichtungserklaerung from a sponsor living in Germany, replaces the account.
Table of Contents
Blocked Account or an Alternative: Which Proof of Funds Fits You Scroll here ↓ Germany Blocked Account Amount for 2026 in Rupees Scroll here ↓ Blocked Account Providers for Indian Students Compared Scroll here ↓ How to Open a Sperrkonto from India Scroll here ↓ Total Rupee Cost of a Blocked Account, Including TCS Scroll here ↓ Blocked Account Refund After a Visa Refusal Scroll here ↓ Monthly Payouts After Arrival and Funds for Year Two Scroll here ↓ Frequently Asked Questions Scroll here ↓

Blocked Account or an Alternative: Which Proof of Funds Fits You

Most Indian students need the blocked account, because it fits any self-funded or loan-funded file. A scholarship or a sponsor living in Germany replaces it only in the narrow cases below.

Your situationWhat you showWhen
Self-funded or loan-funded, no scholarshipBlocked account for the first yearBefore your visa appointment
German or EU scholarship paying the full monthly amountAward letter, no blocked accountWith the visa file
Scholarship covering tuition onlyBlocked account or VE as wellWith the visa file
Relative in Germany paying your costsVerpflichtungserklaerung signed at their immigration officeOriginal before the appointment
Seeking a university place, or Opportunity CardBlocked account at EUR 1,091 (INR 1,16,246) a monthBefore your visa appointment

All INR conversions use the live Google-published rate captured on 2026-10-15: EUR 1 = INR 106.55. Rates fluctuate intraday; figures are indicative.

Two common shortcuts don’t work under the German Missions in India National Visa FAQs. An education loan is extra proof beside the blocked account, not a replacement. An Indian affidavit of support can’t stand in for a blocked account or a Verpflichtungserklaerung (VE, a sponsor’s formal promise in Germany to cover all your costs).

Don’t plan around a VE unless your relative has already agreed to sign it; if they back out late, you’ll be rushing to open an account before your appointment. The scholarships in Germany for Indian students show which awards pay living costs.

Germany Blocked Account Amount for 2026 in Rupees

In 2026, the blocked amount for a German student visa from India is EUR 11,904 (INR 12,68,371) for the first year. No more than EUR 992 (INR 1,05,698) can be withdrawn each month, the rate in force since 1 September 2024 under the German Missions in India National Visa FAQs. It is the minimum deposit, before provider fees.

Visa purposeMonthlyFirst year
Student visaEUR 992 (INR 1,05,698)EUR 11,904 (INR 12,68,371)
Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte, a job-search card)EUR 1,091 (INR 1,16,246)EUR 13,092 (INR 13,94,953)
Visa to seek a university placeEUR 1,091 (INR 1,16,246)EUR 1,091 (INR 1,16,246) for each month of your stay

The blocked account Germany requires is tied to its student grant: the EUR 992 matches the maximum rate of BAfoeG (Germany’s state grant for its own students), as the Berlin residence permit page confirms. When BAfoeG rises, the blocked amount follows.

As of October 2026, a government bill to change BAfoeG would raise its housing allowance from EUR 380 to EUR 440 from summer semester 2027. It isn’t law yet, so EUR 11,904 still applies. If you open the account in 2027, check the mission’s checklist first. Our guide to studying in Germany maps the rest of the route.

Blocked Account Providers for Indian Students Compared

No provider is officially approved. You’re free to choose: the Federal Foreign Office recommends none, and the missions in India show no preference.

ProviderSet-up feeMonthly feeFees for 12 monthsWhere the money sitsBufferIf your visa is refused
ExpatrioEUR 119 (INR 12,679)EUR 9 (INR 959)EUR 227 (INR 24,187)German IBAN in your nameNo extra buffer for accounts opened from 7 Jul 2026Full fees refunded
FintibaEUR 159 (INR 16,941)EUR 9.90 (INR 1,055)EUR 277.80 (INR 29,600)Fintiba blocked account; paid out to your German bank account after arrivalAdd one if you send by SWIFTBlocked amount back; opening and transfer fees kept
Kotak Mahindra BankNo chargeNo chargeEUR 0 at KotakIndia, earning interest; after arrival you move it in one transfer to a blocked account at a German bankNot listedNothing deducted; money unblocked after Kotak checks your rejection letter with the German Embassy
CoracleNot published (listed as Coming Soon)Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedEUR 80 (INR 8,524), returned with the first payoutNot published
ICICI Bank GermanyClosed to new blocked accounts since 8 July 2024

On fees alone, Expatrio costs EUR 50.80 less than Fintiba over 12 months. Pick Kotak only if your family wants the rupees kept in India. It adds steps: after you arrive, you open a blocked account at a German bank and move the full sum into it in one transfer. If you want rupees back instead, you need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the German Embassy.

One catch with Fintiba: its monthly fee starts the day your money lands, so opening months early pays fees for nothing.

How to Open a Sperrkonto from India

Opening the account takes six steps. Do them in order, because each step produces the paper the next one needs. It’s the order we follow at our Hyderabad office, and running two providers at once only doubles the identity checks.

  1. Get your admission letter first; our Germany application process guide covers that stage.
  2. Pick a provider and apply online. With Kotak, the money must come from you, your parents or a blood relative, and a loan needs its sanction or disbursement letter.
  3. Transfer the money. Expatrio bank transfers usually take 1-5 business days; Fintiba international transfers can take up to two weeks. Flywire (a payment service) delivers the amount you see, but a SWIFT bank wire loses fees on the way, so add a buffer, as Fintiba’s funding guide advises.
  4. Download the blocking confirmation (Sperrbestaetigung) once the money is credited. It states the monthly cap your visa file needs.
  5. Buy health insurance from your arrival date. Expatrio’s Value Package and Fintiba’s package both bundle it with the account.
  6. Apply through the Consular Service Portal (Germany’s online visa system); the booking link comes only at the end. Our German student visa guide lists the rest of the file.

Open the account as soon as your admission letter arrives. Fintiba recommends about 3-4 weeks before your visa appointment, and a bank transfer alone can take two weeks. Don’t leave it late: national visa processing may take several months, the National Visa FAQs say. Kotak typically opens its account in 2-4 days on complete documents.

Total Rupee Cost of a Blocked Account, Including TCS

From 1 April 2026, Tax Collected at Source (TCS) on a self-funded education remittance is 2% of the part above INR 10 lakh. On a loan from a financial institution it is nil, under Section 394 of the Income-tax Act, 2025. From savings, that comes to about INR 5,700 to 5,900; by loan, nothing.

ProviderAmount you sendIn INRTCS if self-fundedTCS if loan-funded
ExpatrioEUR 12,131INR 12,92,558INR 5,851INR 0
FintibaEUR 12,063INR 12,85,313INR 5,706INR 0

How the TCS column is worked out: 2% of the rupee amount above INR 10 lakh, if this is the family’s first payment abroad this financial year. Expatrio’s figure already includes 12 months of fees; Fintiba’s worked example covers the blocked amount plus its set-up fee, and its EUR 9.90 monthly fee runs while the account is open.

Parents: your bank collects TCS under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS, India’s rules for sending money abroad) when you send money for the blocked account Germany requires. Until 31 March 2026 the rate was 5%, as the Finance Bill 2026 memorandum shows, so an older quote may overstate it. If you also pay tuition from savings in the same financial year, the INR 10 lakh limit counts both payments together, so more of the deposit is taxed.

Add the visa fee from the German Missions in India National Visa page: INR 8,300 if you’re over 18 or INR 4,200 if under 18, paid in rupees at the appointment. The service provider adds its own fee. Our cost of studying in Germany breakdown adds tuition and rent.

Blocked Account Refund After a Visa Refusal

A refused visa doesn’t lock your money in, but the refund needs the right papers. Before you travel, the account names the German mission that handled your visa as the office that must agree before the block is lifted; it cannot take the money itself. After a refusal, the rejection notice is enough to lift the block, under the Federal Foreign Office closing rules.

  • Expatrio: under the Expatrio fair use policy, a rejected visa gets back all fees, set-up and monthly.
  • Fintiba: you get the blocked amount back, minus the opening fee and any transfer fees. Closing before arrival needs an official embassy or consulate confirmation plus your rejection letter, as the Fintiba account closing guide explains, so request that confirmation as soon as you are refused.

Keep the original rejection letter, and fund the deposit from one account: Fintiba sends refunds back to each sending account, split across all of them. The visa fee isn’t refunded, so count it as spent.

Monthly Payouts After Arrival and Funds for Year Two

Once you land, the office whose agreement is needed to close the account early switches from the mission in India to the foreigners authority (Auslaenderbehoerde, the local immigration office) in your German city. Only a fixed amount comes out each month, so you can’t draw the year’s money at the start.

With Expatrio, activation takes 24 hours to check your documents, then it can take 2-3 business days for the money to arrive. The payout covers the minimum, not the full cost of an expensive city; our guide to part-time jobs in Germany covers how students fill the gap.

  • Year two: when you extend your residence permit, you show funds again. That proof usually doesn’t have to be a blocked account, and the rules can vary by foreigners authority.
  • Berlin example: an extension rests on six months of bank statements or proof of other income, under the Berlin study residence permit rules.
  • Over 12 months with Expatrio: open a 12-month account, then request an extension in its user portal.

From our counselling desk: year one rarely causes trouble for families. Year two does: at the residence-permit renewal, the students we support are asked for fresh proof of funds or a part-time work contract. Plan the second year's money before you fly.

Get in Touch

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Missions in India don’t accept an Indian affidavit of support instead. The accepted routes are a blocked account, a Verpflichtungserklaerung from a sponsor in Germany, or a German or EU scholarship paying at least EUR 992 (INR 1,05,698) a month. A fixed deposit isn’t on that list.

Yes. With Expatrio, a total blocked amount over EUR 25,000 (INR 26,63,750) needs written confirmation from the authority handling your visa application. An Expatrio account for longer than 24 months also needs written confirmation from the German visa authorities, as its longer blocked account help page sets out.

Yes. Before your visa is granted or used, the block can be lifted only with the agreement of the German mission where you applied; after arrival, only with the foreigners authority’s agreement. Neither can withdraw your money. The Federal Foreign Office accepts no liability if a provider fails to pay, though, so keep every transfer receipt and blocking confirmation.

Yes, as the source of the money; Kotak then asks for the loan sanction or disbursement letter. The visa officer still treats the loan as extra proof, not a replacement, so you still need the account. A loan from a financial institution also avoids TCS on the transfer.

Usually, yes. Providers such as Expatrio open blocked accounts for language courses and Studienkolleg (a preparatory college before degree study). The India student visa checklist covers preparatory college and language courses for intended studies, and it uses EUR 11,904 (INR 12,68,371). Other purposes of stay can carry a different amount.

Ardent Overseas has worked with Indian students on European study-visa files since 2014, from offices in Hyderabad and Tirupati. Our Germany desk handles Sperrkonto set-up, proof-of-funds checks and national visa files. We prepare complete files; we don’t promise visa outcomes.

Sources

Official sources first, then provider pages.

Show 15 more sources

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