Dear someday Germanophile,
So today I opened a bank account. It was relatively painless. Mainly because I had someone helping me the whole way through.
The port of call was Commerzbank in Berlin, who have a group that can speak English. I can recommend them. They’re mainly dedicated to diplomats so wear a suit when you go in and look important.
They’ll want to see your passport and all your other identification. In fact, bring everything you have in a clear plastic sleeve. They’ll make copies of it all and enter it in. Remember in Germany, withdrawing money costs real money. From what I understand, withdrawing from Sparkasse, another German bank, would cost €5 for each ATM withdrawal. Being with the right bank or the right bank group is important.
I remember how it was when I moved to America. I sat sideways in a tiny cubicle staring at a woman peck her way through a questionnaire on her computer. In between she would look at me critically. She also wanted to see everything. Of course, you need a bank account to do anything, including getting an address. But you also need proofs of address to open a bank account. It was an awkward moment: she peered again at me and told me that if I didn’t like the Catch-22 I could go back to Europe.
They were much more polite here today.
Your,
Germanofile
