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Last year (2019) I(non-european) did an exchange in Aachen, Germany (for 1 year) and had to open a bank account in Germany. I left it open on purpose when I left (around October) because I had an internship lined up. (The internship was in Belgium, so I had to go back due to a couple of visa issues - aka I had to get a Belgian student permit but could only do this in my country). A lot of problems happened and I was not able to go back.

Now my questions:

  • I work as freelancer and sometimes I receive payments in Euro. Can I keep this account at least as a savings account? (My country's currency is messed up.)
  • If not how could I close this account?
  • Bonus: how can I check if I owe something to Rundfunk (not sure if I paid everything correctly)? I have sent them a couple of emails and no reply :(
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    It might be relevant where you live now. "my country's currency is messed up" implies it's not the Eurozone (not that the Euro could not be described as "messed up" in certain ways, but if that would be your reason then having an account in Germany wouldn't help with that problem).
    – Philipp
    May 27, 2020 at 12:28
  • Euro is far less susceptible to depreciation than my country's currency. I will update that I don't live in an European country. Btw, I live in Brazil and things are not good here.
    – Aracy
    May 27, 2020 at 12:48
  • I would not anticipate any problems. Anecdotally, I moved from Germany to Switzerland and kept my accounts in Germany, with nobody batting an eye. Things may be different if you get a US Green Card or acquire US citizenship, since this opens a can of worms banks are reluctant to deal with, so there are all kinds of specific US-related hoops to jump through. As Michael writes: ask the bank.
    – Stephan Kolassa
    Jan 20, 2021 at 16:04

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Can I keep this account at least as a savings account? (My country's currency is messed up.)

Ask the bank. It may depend on where exactly your country is. Some banks even allow foreign residents to open accounts, but this is typically restricted to a short list of countries. Keeping the account after opening it brings mainly two requirements:

  • The handling of taxes for any interest payments. The bank may have to classify you as a "Steuerausländer".
  • Some kinds of communication between the bank and you require paper mail, so the bank needs your foreign address and send international mail, which may result in longer delivery times that mess with their processes.

Some banks may refuse to deal with these problems and tell you you have to close the account.

If not how could I close this account?

Ask the bank.

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