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Blocked Account and Formal Obligation Letter

26.10.2021 - Artikel


As a part of the application process applicants are required to provide financial proof that they can cover their costs of living in Germany.

Depending on the purpose of application for a National Visa, the applicant has to deposit a certain amount in a blocked account for period of 6 months or 12 months.

Please check below table for details:

Zweck des Nationalvisumsantrag

Purpose of National Visa

Average monthly amount

Zustimmungsfreie Beschäftigungen, die nicht unter das Mindestlohngesetz fallen, wie z.B. bestimmte Praktika (nach §§ 16a und 16e AufenthG,vgl. § 22 Abs. 1 MiLoG)

Unpaid or below average paid internships (nach §§ 16a und 16e AufenthG,vgl. § 22 Abs. 1 MiLoG)

802 EUR netto/ 964 EUR brutto

Berufsausbildung und berufliche Weiterbildung (§ 16a AufenthG)

vocational training & apprenticeship (§ 16a AufenthG)

802 EUR netto/ 964 EUR brutto

Studium (einschl studienvorbereitende Sprachkurse,§ 16b AufenthG)

study (incl. language course, § 16b AufenthG)

934 EUR netto

Schulbesuch (§ 16f Abs. 1 AufenthG)

boarding school (§ 16f Abs. 1 AufenthG)

934 EUR netto

Sprachkurse, die nicht der Studienvorbereitung dienen. (§ 16f Abs. 2 AufenthG)

language course (§ 16f Abs. 2 AufenthG)

1027 EUR

Maßnahmen zur Anerkennung ausländischer Berufsqualifikationen. (§ 16d AufenthG)

recognition of foreign professional qualification (§ 16d AufenthG)

1027 EUR

Ausbildungsplatzsuche und Studienplatzsuche (§ 17 AufenthG)

apprenticeship / student admission seeker (§ 17 AufenthG)

1027 EUR netto

Arbeitsplatzsuche (§20 AufenthG)

job seeker (§20 AufenthG)

1027 EUR netto

Forscher (§ 18d AufenthG): nur Stipendiaten und Selbstfinanzierer, bei Beschäftigung: Mindestlohn)

Researcher (§ 18d AufenthG): only scholarship holders and persons who are funding themselves, in case of employment, the minimum salary bracket applies

1027 EUR netto

Blocked Account

This is a special bank account, where an applicant has to deposit a sufficient amount of money for the first 6 months / 1 year of his stay in Germany. Each month, the applicant shall not be allowed to withdraw more than 1/6 or 1/12 of the blocked amount. This ensures that enough funds are left on the account throughout the year and the applicant is not running out of money.

The German Ministry of the Interior has fixed the amount required per month. This amount varies depends on the purpose of application – please refer to the above table for the exact amount suitable for your case-. This is the minimum amount that needs to be deposited on the account. It is possible to deposit more money into the account.

To our knowledge, several banks as well as online service providers in Germany offer this service to foreign students at the moment.

However, you can approach any bank in Germany without personally being present in Germany.


Please contact the bank or the online service provider directly. The Consulate cannot help to download and to fill out the form.

Formal Obligation Letter

As a rule, only formal obligation letters (Verpflichtungserklärung §§ 66-68 AufenthG) issued at the competent Aliens’ Authority in Germany with the remark “financial capacity proven” will be accepted.

For any further questions regarding the formal obligation letter, please send an email to our consular section (visa@duba.diplo.de).


Formal Obligation Letters issued by German Foreign Missions do not suffice as proof for National Visa applications. Therefore most applicants opt to provide a blocked account as proof of holding adequate funds.



Disclaimer: Although the information in this leaflet has been prepared with utmost care, we cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein.

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