Note for Indian students (02/09/2020): We are aware that the Indian embassy have updated their information on the Blocked Amount for international students (requiring a Blocked Amount of €863 per month). In our opinion, this does not go hand in hand with the underlying regulations (which are requiring a Blocked Amount of €861 per month). We are in touch with the officials.
Background
As we have described in our blog article "New German law: increased Blocked Amount for visa required" last year already, the monthly Blocked Amount is a dynamic amount and increases from time to time to reflect inflation rates and the increased cost of living.
Since August 1st, 2020, the monthly Blocked Amount has increased again. This time, there is a slight increase from €853 to €861 per month. This means that as of this date, you need to prove that you have deposited €861 per month of stay in Germany when applying for a visa.
Though the German Federal Foreign Office's website reflects and informs about the increases that happened in the past, it has unfortunately not been updated to reflect the most recent change yet (Expatrio is in touch with the officials). In contrast, some universities have already updated the information on their websites accordingly (for example Hochschule Furtwangen on this page under "practical information").
Do you need a Blocked Amount of €861 per month?
If you are applying for a visa after August 1st, 2020, it is likely that you will need a Blocking Confirmation stating that you have blocked €861 per month. However, we cannot guarantee that this is the case. Therefore, we recommend to double check the amount with the German authority handling your visa application (e.g. embassy or consulate in your country or - if you are in Germany already - the Ausländerbehörde in your city).
How you can increase your Blocked Amount if needed
If you need to provide proof of a monthly Blocked Amount of €861, there are two possibilities: (1) you have not yet set up your Blocked Account, or (2) you have already set up your Blocked Account with a lower monthly Blocked Amount. We will explain both situations in the following.
(1) If you have not yet set up your Blocked Account, you can simply do so by clicking here and choosing €861 as your "Blocked Amount per month" on the Blocked Amount calculation page.
(2) If you have already set up your Blocked Account, please visit your Expatrio User Portal to change your Blocked Account details. After signing in, you will see a pop-up informing you about the Blocked Amount increase (see below). Here, you can simply click 'update data' which will open a new overlay.
In this new overlay (see below), you are able to choose your needed monthly Blocked Amount as well as your planned length of stay.
