Blocked Account for a Minor (Under 18) in Germany: Which Providers Open One

If the student is under 18, the blocked account can't be opened in their own name — a parent or legal guardian opens and holds it for them. That single rule is why most minors hit a wall: the provider isn't rejecting you, it just needs an adult as the account holder. As of mid-2026 the practical answer is Fintiba (built for minor accounts) or Expatrio (only with a parent on the account). Coracle has paused new applications and Deutsche Bank stopped offering blocked accounts in 2022.

This guide is general information, not financial or immigration advice. Provider policies and required amounts change — confirm the current rules with the provider and the German mission handling the application.

Can a minor open a blocked account?

No — a person under 18 cannot legally be the holder of a German blocked account on their own. German banking rules treat a minor as not having full legal capacity to contract, so a parent or legal guardian must open and manage the account on the minor's behalf. The money still proves the student's means and the official documents are issued in the student's name, but the adult is the legal account holder.

This is the part that trips people up. The required deposit is identical to an adult student's — €11,904 for a full year (€992 per month) as most recently set, tied to the official student maintenance rate and reviewed yearly, so confirm the current figure on the Federal Foreign Office financing pages before transferring. The amount was never the blocker; the account-holder requirement is. Once you know to look for a "minor" or "under 18" account, the shortlist gets small fast.

Which providers open a blocked account for a minor

Not every provider supports a minor setup. Here is where the main ones stand:

• Fintiba — yes, set up for minors. Fintiba explicitly offers a blocked account for people under 18: a parent or legal guardian is the account holder, completes the identity check, and Fintiba issues the visa documents in the child's name. It's the most straightforward route for a minor.
• Expatrio — only with a parent on the account. Expatrio can include a minor, but only as part of an account opened in a parent's name, and it will not open one for a minor coming to Germany without a parent involved.
• Coracle — paused. Coracle has not been accepting new applications (system upgrade since August 2025), so it's not a current option.
• Deutsche Bank — discontinued. Deutsche Bank stopped offering blocked accounts in 2022; ignore older threads that point there.

So if the student travels with a parent who can be the account holder, both Fintiba and Expatrio work; if you specifically need a minor account handled cleanly with documents in the child's name, Fintiba is the default. See the blocked account guide for the full provider comparison beyond the minor question.

How the parent-as-account-holder setup works

The mechanics are the same idea everywhere, with small differences per provider:

1. A parent opens the account in their own name as the legal account holder and payer. The application asks for the parent's details plus the child's.
2. The parent completes identity verification (video legitimation). The parent's passport must be eligible for the video check, and the parent doing the verification needs to handle it in English or German.
3. You provide both passports. Typically the parent's passport and the child's passport are the core documents for opening.
4. The provider issues the blocking confirmation (Sperrbescheinigung) in the child's name. Even though the parent owns the account, the visa paperwork names the student — which is exactly what the embassy needs.
5. The full year's amount is transferred plus the provider's fee, and monthly payouts are set up for after arrival.

Because the parent is on file as guardian/payer, confirm the exact setup with the provider before you transfer anything — the specifics (who signs, which name appears where) vary a little. If the student is enrolling at a specific university, the international office (for example KIT's) can also tell you what name and document format they expect to see.

What this unblocks in your visa timeline

The blocked account isn't a standalone errand — it's a dependency that gates the visa appointment. Without the Sperrbescheinigung in the student's name, the embassy won't accept the financial proof, and the appointment can't proceed. Resolving the minor-account question is what lets the rest of the chain move:

• Blocked account opened (parent-held) → Sperrbescheinigung issued in the child's name → financial proof ready → visa appointment booked.

Once the account is sorted, the next dependencies are the rest of the student-visa file (health insurance proof, admission letter, the appointment itself), then the after-arrival steps. Build a study-visa plan and it places the blocked account, the confirmation, and the appointment on one timeline tied to your actual dates — so the minor-account step doesn't quietly stall the whole application.

Common mistakes and FAQ

• Trying to open it in the student's name. A minor can't be the account holder — start the application as the parent from the beginning to avoid a rejected setup.
• Assuming the amount is lower for a minor. It isn't — the same yearly deposit applies; check the calculator for the current figure and monthly payout.
• Leaving it to the last week. A parent's video legitimation plus an international transfer takes days; begin as soon as the admission is in hand.
• Not confirming the document name with the university. Make sure the Sperrbescheinigung names the student as the university and embassy expect.

Does the minor have to travel with the parent?

For the account, no — a parent can be the account holder remotely. But Expatrio specifically won't open a minor account if no parent is involved at all, so use a provider (such as Fintiba) that supports the parent-as-holder model, or have a parent on the account.

Whose name is on the visa documents?

The student's. The parent is the legal account holder, but the blocking confirmation used for the visa is issued in the child's name.

Is the deposit different for an under-18 student?

No. The required amount follows the standard student maintenance rate (most recently €11,904 per year / €992 per month) regardless of the student's age — always confirm the current year's figure before transferring.