Germany blocked account for Pakistani students 2026: study visa

For a Germany study visa from Pakistan, the German Missions ask you to show €11,904 for one year, which is €992 a month, usually in a blocked account (Sperrkonto) in your name. This amount has applied to every visa application since 1 January 2025 and was still the official figure on 15 October 2026. After you arrive in Germany, you can withdraw only a fixed amount each month.

How much is the blocked account for a Germany study visa in 2026?

The German Missions in Pakistan state a presumed yearly requirement of €11,904, or €992 a month. It applies to all visa applications submitted from 1 January 2025. On 15 October 2026 their finance page still showed this figure, and DAAD's Study in Germany site gives the same €11,904 for one year.

Three points matter for your planning:

• It is your money, not a fee. It pays your living costs in Germany, and the provider's charges come on top.
• One year is the normal period. The Federal Foreign Office says a blocked account is usually opened for a year, unless your planned stay is shorter.
• The Missions can ask for more. They reserve the right to request a blocked amount covering up to two years in particular cases.

In rupees, the figure moves with the exchange rate, so check the euro rate with your bank on the day you transfer. The calculator above works out your total, and the gap to fill if you hold a scholarship.

How does a blocked account work?

A blocked account is a German account you can draw from only in fixed monthly amounts. The Federal Foreign Office explains it like this:

1. You pay in the full amount before you apply for the visa.
2. You name an account beneficiary. Before your visa is granted or used, that is the German mission where you apply. After you arrive, it is the foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) in your German city.
3. The beneficiary cannot withdraw your money. Its role is to make sure the account is not emptied or closed early.
4. After you arrive, only a certain amount can be withdrawn each month, so the money lasts the whole year. For students, the German Embassy in Muscat states this monthly limit as €992.

Which blocked account providers do German missions accept?

There is no official approved list today. The Federal Foreign Office used to publish one, but its blocked account page now says the list of providers "available up until the middle of 2022 has now been deleted". It makes no recommendations and accepts no liability if a provider fails to pay.

What the German Missions in Pakistan require instead:

• you have a free choice of provider;
• the provider must offer a login code for authorities, or a contact person, so the visa section can verify your account;
• your contract is with the bank, and the Federal Foreign Office has no influence on the bank's decisions.

Some German missions name examples. The German Embassy in Rome, on a page dated 1 July 2025, names Fintiba, Expatrio, Sparkassen (savings banks) and Deutsche Bank as providers in Germany. These are examples for applicants in Italy, not a ranking or an approval. Before you choose, compare each provider's fees, opening time and refund terms on its own website, and confirm it gives the visa section a verification login.

How do you open a blocked account from Pakistan?

The usual order is:

1. Choose a provider that offers a login code for authorities.
2. Apply with the provider, using your name, date of birth and passport number exactly as they appear in your passport.
3. Get your signature attested. The German Missions in Pakistan say your signature on the account opening documents must be attested by the Embassy in Islamabad, the Consulate General in Karachi or the Honorary Consul in Lahore. Bring your passport and a black and white copy of the page showing your signature. The fee is €25, about PKR 5,400, paid in exact cash. This appointment is booked separately from your visa application.
4. Transfer the full amount from Pakistan, as explained below.
5. Download the blocking confirmation once the provider confirms the money has arrived, and use it as proof of funds in your Consular Services Portal file.

DAAD says the paperwork and payment confirmation usually take about a week, but can take much longer near the start of the semester, so it recommends applying well in advance. Our guide to the Germany student visa appointment from Pakistan explains the portal, the documents to upload and the waiting time.

How do you send money to a blocked account from a Pakistani bank?

Students in Pakistan usually fund the account with an international transfer (outward remittance) in euros, from a bank account in Pakistan to the payment details the provider gives them. Paperwork differs between banks, so confirm the details with your own branch:

• Ask your bank first. Find out which documents it needs for a transfer for study abroad, how long the transfer takes, and what it charges.
• Make sure the full amount arrives. Intermediary bank charges can reduce what lands in the account. Read the provider's instructions on what happens if the amount arrives short.
• Use the exact payment reference the provider gives, and keep the bank's transfer slip and the statements that show where the money came from.

The source of the money matters as much as the amount. At the visa interview you can be asked who funded the account and how that money was earned. Our list of Germany student visa interview questions shows how these questions are asked.

What are the alternatives to a blocked account for the study visa?

The German Missions in Pakistan list two other ways to prove your funds:

• A formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung). A sponsor living in Germany makes this declaration in person at a migration office under sections 66 to 68 of the Residence Act. The sponsor must prove enough means, for example with payslips and bank statements covering at least six months, and takes responsibility for your costs in Germany.
• An official scholarship. The Missions accept German or foreign official scholarships. For awards from Pakistan, only a scholarship awarded by HEC is accepted. A scholarship from a Pakistani university is not sufficient.

If your scholarship covers only part of the €992 a month, other German missions explain that you block the difference. The German Embassy in Rome gives the example of a €300 monthly scholarship, which leaves €692 a month to show in a blocked account. Ask the Missions in Pakistan how they will treat your award before you transfer less than the full amount.

A bank statement or sponsor letter from your parents in Pakistan is not on the Missions' list of proofs. Our guide to the sponsor letter for a study visa explains where parents' letters do and do not work.

Will the blocked account amount change in 2027?

As of 15 October 2026, neither the German Missions in Pakistan nor the Federal Foreign Office has announced a new blocked account amount for 2027.

One change to watch: the Federal Foreign Office says the amount is based on the maximum BAföG rates, the German student grant. On 12 August 2026 the German cabinet approved a BAföG reform that would raise the housing allowance from €380 to €440 from 1 April 2027, and the basic rate to €503 from the winter semester 2027/28. The Bundestag and the Bundesrat still have to pass it. No official source says whether the blocked amount will follow, so check the Missions' page before you transfer for 2027.

What happens to your money if the visa is refused?

The blocking can be lifted only with the agreement of the beneficiary, which is the German mission until you arrive. The Federal Foreign Office says:

• if your visa application was refused, the refusal notice is enough to lift the blocking;
• if you did not apply, withdrew your application, did not use your visa, or left the Schengen area before receiving a residence permit, the mission can issue a consular certificate for your bank.

Providers set their own fees and refund times. Our guide to studying in Germany from Pakistan for free covers the other costs, from the semester contribution to health insurance.

Not sure where you stand?

If you are unsure whether your scholarship or sponsor counts, send your admission status, who will fund you, any scholarship letter and your target intake to a Via Nova counsellor on WhatsApp at +92 316 4448062. You will get an honest answer on what to block, when to do it and what else your file needs, through our Germany study visa service. Our counsellors work from Lake City Meadows (Ex State Life), next to DHA Phase 5, Lahore, and also advise online. The visa decision always rests with the German mission.