Opening a Bank Account for Your Child: The Age Rules Both Parents Need to Sign Off On

The Official Rule

Opening a bank account for a child in Germany involves a real age structure and a signature requirement that catches a lot of newcomer parents off guard, mostly because it requires more coordination between parents than they initially expect.

With parental consent, a child can have their own account from as young as age 7. This is commonly referred to as a Kinderkonto or Taschengeldkonto, and some banks specifically design and market Jugendkonten (youth accounts) with features aimed at slightly older children, often starting around age 11, still requiring parental consent at that stage too. Without any parental consent involved at all, the legal minimum age for opening a bank account independently is 18.

The consent requirement has a real procedural detail worth knowing before you start: it’s generally not enough for just one parent to sign. Both parents typically need to sign the account-opening application, and both retain account authority and access rights until the child turns 18, this is the standard structure and applies regardless of whether the parents live together. The one clear exception: if a single parent holds sole custody, that one parent’s signature is sufficient on its own.

The documentation required is straightforward but worth gathering in advance. You’ll need the completed and signed account-opening application, the child’s own Steuer-ID as well as the parents’, and identification, a Personalausweis, passport, or birth certificate for the child, alongside standard ID documents for the parents.

Turning 18 changes everything about the account’s legal structure at once. Full legal capacity arrives at that point, meaning the now-adult child no longer needs parental consent or a signature for anything related to the account, opening, modifying, or closing it entirely on their own. Parents’ account authority, which existed specifically because of the child’s minor status, ends at the same point, it wasn’t a separate, ongoing parental right, it was tied directly to the child being under 18.

What Real People Say

Parents opening their first child’s bank account consistently describe being surprised that both parents need to sign, even in otherwise cooperative co-parenting situations, and the practical advice that comes up repeatedly is coordinating both signatures before the bank visit itself, rather than assuming one parent showing up alone will be sufficient.

The age-7 threshold for a genuine Kinderkonto surprises some newcomer parents who assumed a much later starting age, several describe being pleasantly surprised at how early real, legitimate banking options exist for teaching money management, once they understood the actual age rule rather than assuming it matched conventions from elsewhere.

Step by Step

1. Confirm your child’s age against the actual thresholds: 7 with parental consent for a basic Kinderkonto, versus 18 for full independent capacity.
2. Gather both parents’ signatures on the opening application, unless one parent holds sole custody, in which case a single signature suffices.
3. Collect the necessary documentation in advance: the child’s own Steuer-ID, both parents’ Steuer-IDs, and identification for everyone involved.
4. If your child is around 11 or older, ask specifically about Jugendkonto options, some banks offer features better suited to that age range, still requiring the same parental consent structure.
5. Know that parental account access and authority end automatically when your child turns 18, plan for that transition rather than being surprised by it.

Compliance Note

This page explains the general age and consent framework for opening a child’s bank account in Germany, but specific bank policies and required documentation can vary. For your specific situation, confirm current requirements directly with your chosen bank.