Background
The amount of money you need to have while living in Germany is set by the Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (BAföG). The purpose of opening a blocked account is to ensure that you have the required financial means to live in Germany - the Monthly Blocked Amount is meant to be used to cover your living expenses per month.
As we have described in our blog article "New German law: increased Blocked Amount for visa required", 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 standard monthly Blocked Amount is €861 per month for students. Please note: depending on your individual case, Visa application details and scholarships, embassies or consulates may sometimes request amounts that differ from the general amounts.
One way to get information is visiting the German Federal Foreign Office's website, however we can not guarantee that this site will be always up to date. In general, we recommend to check the Visa requirements listed by the Visa office handling your application.
When will the monthly amount change next?
As per our latest information the monthly blocked amount requirement will be raised for Visa applications for the Winter semester starting in the autumn of 2022. 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 update your monthly amount, 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 adding the correct amount 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 set up. After signing in, please go to the Blocked account section, and use the 'Change details' button there to start the process. If you have no funds in the blocked account yet, the update will be immediate. If you already have funds, our customer support team will process your change request within 1 business day.