Schufa and German banks: building credit from zero in Berlin

In Germany you arrive with a clean slate, which sounds lovely until a landlord asks for proof that you pay your bills.

The short version

• Schufa is Germany's main credit agency. It holds data on about 68 million people, and landlords, banks and phone companies check it [3].
• Your Australian credit history doesn't transfer. Schufa builds your file from German contracts only, so you start with little or no data.
• A new Schufa score launched in March 2026: 100 to 999 points from 12 published criteria. Account age and on-time payments matter most [3][4].
• You can see your own data for free with a copy under Article 15 GDPR [4][5].
• Everyone has a legal right to a basic bank account (Basiskonto), and a bank must open it within ten business days [1].

What Schufa is, and why everyone asks for it

The Schufa Holding AG is a private credit agency, not a government body. About 10,000 contract partners (banks, mail-order retailers, energy suppliers and others) report accounts, credit cards, loans and other contracts to it, and it adds public data such as debtor registers [3]. More than 90% of the people it holds data on have only positive entries [3].

In Berlin you'll be asked for it in three places:

• Flat hunting. Landlords and agents routinely ask for a Schufa-Auskunft alongside payslips. In a tight market with dozens of applicants per viewing, a missing Schufa can push you down the pile.
• Phone and internet contracts. Providers run a check before handing over a subsidised handset.
• Credit cards, overdrafts and loans. Banks look at your score before giving you credit.

Why your Australian history doesn't count

In Australia, your credit report sits with bureaus such as Equifax, Experian and illion. None of that data flows to Schufa. German lenders only see what German contract partners report. A decade of perfect home loan repayments in Melbourne won't show up in Berlin.

That's not a black mark. It just means "thin file". Under the new score, the people most likely to see their score shift are those with little data on file [3], and Schufa says regional data is only used in rare cases where someone has no credit-relevant data at all [3].

Keep your Australian file healthy too. If you plan to move home or buy property back there, see our guide on your Australian credit score while overseas.

The new 2026 score: what actually moves it

On 17 March 2026 Schufa introduced a new score that replaces the old base score and sector scores. It runs from 100 to 999 points, and for the first time the 12 criteria are public so you can work out your own number [3][4]. Old sector scores may still circulate for a while, because at launch only about a quarter of Schufa's contract partners were using the new one [4].

Two useful details. Several enquiries from banks or merchants within 28 days count as one search, so comparing offers in a short window is fine [3]. And long relationships with the same provider are rewarded, so switching accounts and cards often can cost you [3].

Seeing your own data for free

1. Request a free data copy under Article 15 GDPR (Datenkopie nach Art. 15 DSGVO) through Schufa's website. It's free, comes by post and now shows the new score [4].
2. Or open a free online account with Schufa; registration needs an identity check, which can be done with a PIN letter [4].
3. Check for mistakes such as wrong addresses or contracts you never signed, and ask for corrections.
4. Don't pay for upgrades you don't need. Paid subscriptions exist, and Stiftung Warentest called most of their extras gimmicks [5].

The "Schufa for landlords"

A landlord doesn't need your full file. Many renters buy Schufa's paid credit report (BonitätsAuskunft) for applications, which costs €29.95 according to Stiftung Warentest's 2025 review [5]. Some renters hand over the free data copy instead with unnecessary details blacked out. If your file is thin, add an employment contract, recent payslips and, if you have one, a reference from a previous landlord. Our Berlin renting guide covers the full application pack.

Opening a German bank account

You'll need a German IBAN for your salary, rent, health insurance and the broadcasting fee. Plenty of employers and landlords won't pay into, or debit from, a foreign account in practice, even though EU rules say they should accept any SEPA account.

Traditional bank or online bank?

Berlin's Sparkasse is the Berliner Sparkasse, with branches across the city. Many Australians start with an online bank to get an IBAN quickly, then add a traditional account later.

If a bank says no: your right to a Basiskonto

Under the Payment Accounts Act (Zahlungskontengesetz), every consumer has the right to a basic account [1]:

• You apply using the standard BaFin application form, and the bank must confirm receipt in writing [1].
• The bank must open the account within ten business days of getting your application [1].
• It covers deposits and withdrawals, transfers, direct debits, standing orders and card payments. There's no overdraft and no credit card [1].
• It isn't necessarily free. Banks can charge a "reasonable" fee, and some charge a lot [1].
• If the bank stalls, you can complain to the financial regulator BaFin or the banking ombudsman [1].

Girocard vs Visa debit

Your new account comes with a card, and Germany has two kinds [2].

• Girocard (once called EC-Karte). The traditional German debit card. Widely accepted in shops and supermarkets, but built for domestic use, and cash withdrawals are usually only free at your own bank's ATMs [2].
• Visa Debit or Debit Mastercard. The international kind, standard with online banks and spreading fast. Works online and abroad, and is often free to withdraw with at other ATMs [2].

Some small shops, bakeries and Spätis still prefer cash or Girocard, partly because international debit cards can cost the merchant more [2]. Carry a little cash. Berlin is still less card-friendly than Sydney or Melbourne.

A first-month plan

1. Bring a working Australian card with low foreign transaction fees for your first weeks.
2. Register your address at the Bürgeramt, so you have a Meldebescheinigung. Our German paperwork guide explains how.
3. Open one German current account as soon as you can. Its age is a score criterion [3].
4. Pay every bill on time. Payment problems are the single biggest factor [3].
5. Don't open five accounts and three cards at once. New contracts in the last 12 months count [3].
6. Get a credit card later, once you have payslips. Its age will count in your favour over time.
7. Request your free data copy after six months to check what's on file [4].

The Australian side of your German money

• Moving money. If you carry more than €10,000 in cash or equivalent when entering or leaving Germany to or from outside the EU, you must declare it. Smartraveller warns of fines if you don't [6]. Transfers are easier; see our guide on sending money home.
• Tax. Interest earned on German accounts may need to go in an Australian tax return if you're still an Australian tax resident. See Australian tax residency after moving.
• Keep the Aussie account. You'll want somewhere for super, HECS and tax refunds to land.

Swap notes on which banks took an Australian passport without fuss in Cooee Germany, our Facebook group for Australians in Germany.

Sources

1. Basiskonto – Ihr Recht auf ein eigenes Bankkonto – Verbraucherzentrale Niedersachsen
2. Was ist der Unterschied zwischen Debitkarte und Girocard? – heise online
3. Auskunfteien: Wie der neue Schufa-Score funktioniert – Stiftung Warentest (2026)
4. Neuer Schufa-Score: Die wichtigsten Infos – Verbraucherzentrale (2026)
5. Schufa: Jederzeit Zugriff auf Basis-Score – Stiftung Warentest (2025)
6. Germany travel advice – Smartraveller (Australian Government)

Keep reading

• Phone and internet in Berlin: SIMs, contracts and how to get out of them
• Renting in Berlin as an Australian
• German income tax for Australians: tax classes and your first return
• Your Australian credit score while overseas