Before you start

Passport and residence permit or visa
Meldebescheinigung from your Anmeldung, for most traditional banks
Steuer-ID, or an undertaking to supply it once issued
A German address

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital bank account before you arrive if you can
Several German and EU digital banks open accounts without a registered German address, which solves the problem of needing an account before the Anmeldung. It gives you a German IBAN for the deposit and first rent.
OnlineWho: YouBefore arrival
2
Open a traditional account once registered
Worth having alongside — the Sparkasse Aachen and the regional cooperative banks are what private landlords and older employers are comfortable with, and they understand the cross-border cases.
In personWho: You
3
If your employer is Dutch or Belgian, hand over the German IBAN early
Under the SEPA Regulation a euro-area payer may not insist on an account in a particular country. Give payroll the IBAN in your first week and, if you meet resistance, say so plainly — it is a compliance question, not a favour.
Via employerWho: YouWeek 1
4
Request your Schufa report before you start viewing
You are entitled to one free data copy per year under Art. 15 GDPR, and Aachen landlords expect a Schufa-Auskunft with the application folder — especially in the autumn, when the competition is several thousand students deep.
OnlineWho: YouBefore your first viewing
5
Know the deposit rules before signing
German law caps the rental deposit at three months' cold rent under §551 BGB, requires it held separately from the landlord's assets earning interest for you, and permits payment in three monthly instalments.
In personWho: You
6
Set up SEPA direct debits
Rent, health insurance, the Rundfunkbeitrag and utilities all run on direct debit here. Get the mandates in place early to avoid a cascade of reminder letters.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and residence permit
Meldebescheinigung
Steuer-ID once issued
Employment contract and a German-language employer letter
Proof of German address

Things most newcomers don’t know

A Dutch or Belgian employer cannot lawfully refuse your German IBAN.

SEPA makes euro credit transfers country-neutral, and a payer in the euro area may not require an account held in a particular member state. Aachen newcomers are still told by payroll departments that they need a local account, and opening one unnecessarily adds a second tax residence question you did not need. Push back once, politely, in writing.

Source: SEPA Regulation — euro credit transfers

The deposit is capped at three months and payable in instalments.

German law limits a rental security deposit to three months' cold rent under §551 BGB, requires it held apart from the landlord's assets earning interest for the tenant, and gives the tenant the right to pay it in three monthly instalments. Landlords rarely volunteer the instalment right.

Source: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, §551

Time your flat search against the semester, not against your start date.

The rental market here is set by an intake of thousands every September and a much quieter market from about November. The same flat, the same landlord and the same folder produce completely different odds depending on the month. If you have any choice, view in winter.

Source: community-reported

Germany runs on direct debit, not on cards.

Rent, insurance, utilities and the broadcasting fee are collected by SEPA direct debit. Cards are far less central than in the US or UK, and plenty of Aachen bakeries, kiosks and smaller restaurants still take cash only — a contrast you will notice the moment you cross into the Netherlands, where cards are universal and cash often is not accepted at all.

Source: community-reported