Things to know about blocked accounts for vocational study in Germany

Vocational training in Germany is an attractive choice for many young Vietnamese people thanks to the wide-open job opportunities with desirable salaries. However, to Apply for a German vocational study visa, one of the mandatory requirements is that you must open a blocked account to prove your personal finances. So What is a blocked account?Why is it necessary and how to open an account? Let's go together SHD Academy Find out more in the article below! 

>> Reference:

• Does studying in Germany need financial proof?
• Summary of the highest paying occupations in Germany 2025
• Study and work in Germany: Summary of detailed information

What is a blocked account? 

Blocked account (Sperrkonto) is a type of bank account reserved for foreigners, including students and trainees participating in German vocational study abroad programOpening a blocked account is one of the mandatory requirements of the German Embassy in Vietnam when applying for a vocational study visa, to ensure that students have sufficient financial capacity to cover living expenses during their study period in this country.

Basically, it can be understood that international students need to open and transfer a minimum amount of money as prescribed into a blocked account before being granted a visa. Study study in Germany. According to the regulations of the German Embassy in Vietnam, from January 2025, the minimum amount students need to transfer to their blocked account to apply for a German vocational training visa is 11,904 Euros per year (about 345 million VND). Each month, international students can only withdraw a maximum of 992 Euros (about 28.7 million VND) from the blocked account. This helps ensure that each month international students have the necessary amount of money to spend during their stay in Germany.

>> Reference: What is the age of studying in German vocational training? Latest information 2025

Who needs to open a blocked account?

What is a blocked account? Who needs to open a blocked account? Opening a blocked account in Germany is mandatory for people coming from countries that are not part of the European Union or a Schengen member state and are applying for one of the following types of Visa:

• Student Visa: International students want to study in Germany.
• Job search visa: Foreign workers want to come to Germany to look for job opportunities.
• Training or apprenticeship visa: Individuals participating in vocational training programs in Germany.
• Aupair Visa: People who come to Germany join the Aupair program to learn about German culture and life.
• Visa for recognition of foreign qualifications: People who need to certify the value of a foreign degree or qualification in Germany.
• Language study visa: People who want to learn German quickly in Germany.

>> Reference: Which major should you choose to study vocational training in Germany? Top 7 hottest majors in 2025

How to calculate the amount to be deposited into the blocked account 

The calculation of the amount to be deposited into the blocked account will be based on two cases, specifically as follows:

Case 1: Students with a B2 German certificate are sufficient. conditions for vocational study in GermanyIn this case, during the training process, the trainee will receive monthly internship salary from the enterprise according to the pre-signed vocational training contract. 

• If the trainee's internship salary is 992 Euro/month or more (after tax deduction), there is no need to open a blocked account. 
• In case the internship salary is less than 992 Euro/month (after tax deduction), the trainee needs to must open a blocked account and close it amount of money is (992 – salary) x 36 months.

For example: If students study restaurant - hotel industry, the internship salary is 730 in year 1, 850 in year 2, 900 in year 3. Thus, with the minimum amount of money blocked according to the Embassy's regulations of 992 Euro/month:

• Year 1 short: (992 – 730) x 12 months = 3,144 Euro.
• Year 2 short: (992 – 850) x 12 months = 1,704 Euro.
• Year 3 short: (992 – 900) x 12 months = 1,104 Euro.

=> The total salary difference during the apprenticeship is 5,952 Euros. Thus, the amount to be deposited into the blocked account will be 5,952 Euros.

Case 2: Students who only have a B1 German certificate in Vietnam are required to take a 6-month German course to obtain a B2 certificate in Germany before officially joining the vocational training program. In this case, the calculation of the amount to be deposited into the blocked account is as follows:

• Living expenses in Germany for the first 6 months of studying for the B2 certificate in Germany.
• Additional money is added to the internship salary if the monthly internship salary is lower than 992 Euros.

For example: German B2 certificate course fee for 6 months: 861 × 6 = 5,166 Euro

Students learn mechanical and electronic industry in 3 years, receive internship salary:

• Year 1 receive 800 Euro/month: (992 – 800) x 12 = 2,304 Euro.
• Year 2 receive 850 Euro/month: (992 – 850) x 12 = 1,704 Euro.
• Year 3 receives 900 Euro/month: (992 – 900) x 12= 1,104 Euro.

=> The total difference in the apprenticeship is: 5,112 Euros

Thus, the amount of money that needs to be deposited into the blocked account during the apprenticeship period in Germany is: 5,166 + 5,112 = 10,228 Euro.

If you are worried about opening a blocked account when studying vocational training in Germany, SHD Academy will help you remove this concern. Thanks to a network of cooperation with more than 40 prestigious businesses in Germany, SHD Academy commits to ensuring employment immediately upon arrival in Germany with a minimum salary of 992 Euro/month. This income is enough for students to cover Expenses for studying in German vocational training such as living expenses, rent, etc. And there is no need to prove financial resources or open a blocked account.

In particular, students can also study the B2 course for free in parallel with the vocational training program without having to worry about additional costs. With these advantages, SHD Academy offers German vocational study itinerary Comprehensive, helping students feel secure in studying and developing their careers in Germany.

>> Reference:

• Is learning German difficult? How long does it take to achieve a certificate B1
• Latest information on German vocational training contracts from AZ
• How much is the cost of living in Germany for international students?

Instructions for opening a blocked account for vocational study in Germany 

After knowing what a blocked account is, let's continue to learn about the process of opening this account with SHD Academy. The process of opening a blocked account will have certain differences, depending on the bank you choose. Below is the process of opening a blocked account of Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade - VietinBank:

Step 1 – Open a blocked account

Application documents for opening a blocked account include:

• Notarized copy of citizen identification card and passport valid for at least 6 months.
• Application for opening a blocked account issued by VietinBank.
• Notarized copy of the Admission Notice (Bedingter Zulassungsbescheid) or Certificate (final notice) from the University/College Application Assessment Agency (ASSIST-Bescheinigung – “endgültige Mitteilung”).
• Opening a Euro Account: Fill in the International Student Account Application Form and sign with two signatures. At least one of them must be the same as in your passport.
• Open VND account: To buy and exchange foreign currency from VND account to Euro account.

You can choose to use a blocked account at VietinBank Germany branch in Berlin or Frankfurt (the one closest to your school). After 2-5 working days, you will receive the account number via Email from the VietinBank branch you choose in Germany.

Note: When registering to open a blocked account at the bank, remember to bring the minimum amount to open/maintain the account which is 50 Euro or converted into Vietnamese currency with the amount of 1,500,000 VND. If you are under 18 years old, you need to have your parents sign the Application to open a blocked account with your parents' ID card or passport.

>> Reference: 

• Is the income of Vietnamese people in Germany high?
• SHOULD I STUDY AT A VOCATIONAL COLLEGE IN GERMANY?

Step 2 – Block and confirm account balance

After being given an account number by the bank branch in Germany, please bring the bank's account opening letter, passport and directly deposit money into the Euro account or transfer money from the VND account in Vietnam where you registered to open the account.

After 2-5 working days, you will receive a scanned copy of the Account Balance Confirmation via the Email registered with VietinBank. At this time, you need to print the Account Balance Confirmation to add to your Visa application or send it to the company's Email to complete. German vocational study profile.

Total cost of opening a blocked account: 155 Euro (about 4.1 million VND), including:

• Minimum amount to maintain account: 50 Euros paid in advance.
• Fee for transferring documents to a bank in Germany: 45 Euro
• Remittance fee: 50 Euro
• Blocked account balance confirmation fee: 10 Euro

Step 3 – Activate blocked account

When you set foot in Germany to study a profession, first of all you need to register for temporary residence (Anmeldung) and open a personal account at any bank. Then, bring your temporary residence registration and passport to the bank branch where you registered to open an account to complete the account activation and usage procedures. 

The time to activate a German blocked account can last from 15 to 30 days. Therefore, before flying to Germany, you should prepare some extra cash to cover living expenses, accommodation, shopping and tuition fees for the first month in Germany.

>> Reference: TOP 10 most prestigious German vocational study centers today

Frequently asked questions about blocked accounts for vocational training in Germany

How long does it take to open a blocked account??

The time it takes to open a blocked account depends on the time of money transfer, paperwork, etc. Normally, after at least 01 week, the bank card will be sent by post to the address you provide. However, during peak season, the time to open a blocked account can take several weeks because the banks are overloaded. Therefore, students need to prepare carefully and complete this procedure early to have time to submit the Visa application.

Cost of opening a blocked account how much

Currently, there are many banks in Germany that provide blocked accounts for international students such as Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse, Commerzbank, Expatriot or Vietinbank of Vietnam which also has 2 branches in Berlin and Frankfurt. Each bank will have different conditions and fees for opening a blocked account, usually ranging from 110 - 150 Euro (about 2.9 - 4 million VND). 

How to withdraw money from a blocked account?

The blocked account will be activated after the student arrives in Germany and you cannot withdraw money directly from this account but must go through another bank account in Germany, also known as a current account (Girokonto). Once the current account is activated, the first month's 992 Euro will be transferred from the blocked account to this account within 2 working days.

For the following months, the blocked account will automatically transfer money into the current account with the exact amount the student received from the first month. After withdrawing money from the current account, students need to plan their spending properly to ensure they have enough money to pay for their monthly living expenses.

>> Reference:

• Is it easy to settle in Germany? Conditions and popular settlement areas
• Instructions for self -preparation of German vocational studies 2025

Hope this article will help you know What is a blocked account? as well as the process of opening a blocked account. It can be seen that opening a blocked account is an important step in the process of applying for vocational study in Germany. To avoid unnecessary mistakes, you can register to participate in the vocational study in Germany program together. SHD Academy to receive advice and support from a team of experienced experts step by step during the application preparation process.