​

Musk and Weidel conversation

You must have already heard or read about it. However, I would recommend listening to the 1.5 hours of their conversation. They have talked about several topics, such as

• Banning illegal immigration
• Bringing back nuclear energy to boost the economy
• High taxes and social security
• Need to improve the education system
• Ukraine war
• Israel war

Of course, the AfD leader pointed out how the opposition has done everything wrong. However, I was hoping to hear some ideas or solutions AfD has to solve these problems. But I guess that is too much to ask.

You can find the complete conversation here.

You can sue the public authorities if they don't process your application within three months

Did you know that German law allows residents to sue the public authorities if they delay the processing of their applications without a good reason?

Just to clarify, a staff shortage or high workload is not a good enough reason for the administrative courts.

So, if you applied for a resident permit, German citizenship, or any other bureaucratic document, you don't have to wait for years to get an answer. As per the law, the public authorities must reply within three months after receiving your application. If they don't, you have the right to file a lawsuit.

Moreover, you don't need a lawyer to file this lawsuit, but it is highly recommended that you hire one. This lawsuit is called "failure to act" or "Untätigkeitsklage" in German.

You can learn more about it in our guide on "what is failure to act lawsuit."

Does filing a lawsuit help?

Yes, definitely. Filing a failure to act lawsuit accelerates your application process. You read the use case of one of our readers here.

He had been waiting for a decision on his German citizenship application for more than 12 months, so he decided to file a lawsuit.

He received the citizenship invitation within three months of filing the lawsuit. Moreover, the immigration authorities reimbursed him for all the legal costs.

Of course, if you have legal insurance, it'll cover the legal costs.

How many bank accounts should you have in Germany?

Experts recommend having at least two to three bank accounts in Germany for the following reasons.

• German banks don't need a reason to block your account. They just block your account, and if you ask why, they say we don't have to give you a reason. That's the kind of customer service we love about Germany. 😛 This has happened to many and can happen to you, too. So, when this happens, having a second bank account will help you pay your bills till the first bank releases your funds.
• Diversify. Why trust one bank with all your hard-earned money? Distribute it among different banks. Of course, German banks offer 100,000€ deposit insurance. However, if the bank goes bankrupt, it can take months to get this amount.
• It's free to open an account. Banks like C24 and N26 offer free checking accounts that you can open online, so you have nothing to lose.

​C24* is the clear winner in offering the best free checking account. However, it offers services only in German.

So, your next option is N26* and Revolut if English services are a must.

In traditional banks, Commerzbank* and Deutsche Bank* are decent options. However, they offer only partial English support.

Community Shoutouts!

• Thanks to the feedback of one of our readers, we further improved our German citizenship test preparation course. We also updated the course by adding the ten new questions Bamf added in 2025.
• Based on recent changes, we updated the Health Insurance Finder and Public Health Insurance Calculator.
• We stress the importance of creating a "Lasting Power of Attorney" and getting Term life insurance if you don't have one.
• Don't be lazy and pay more for public health insurance. Switch to TK for free and save hundreds of euros every year.

Whether it's a must-visit place, a life hack, or an inspiring story, we’d love to hear from you.

Your feedback matters

​​​​

​

New on GermanPedia

Launched rental contract termination letter generator You must give your landlord the rental contract termination notice in writing. Moreover, there are special scenarios where you can cancel the rental contract without notice. With our termination letter generator, you can create a proper letter for your landlord. Create Rental Contract Termination Letter

Expats guide to buying a house in Germany Grab your copy German healthcare demystified Free Download German healthcare demystified for students Free Download ​ Deals for you Ask an expert ​Health insurance expert​ ​Mortgage advisor​ ​English speaking tax advisor​ ​German citizenship lawyer (immigration lawyer)​ Important types of insurance you should have in Germany ​Public health insurance ​ ​Register with TK​ ​Private health insurance ​ ​Consult an expert for free​ ​Dental Insurance ​ ​Deutsche Familienversicherung AG* Allianz ​Private liability insurance Die Haftpflichtkasse (Einfach Komplett). You can get it via comparison portals like Check24* and Verivox*. ​Legal protection insurance ​Arag* ​KS-Auxilia* WGV ​Car Insurance​ ​Verivox* ​Tarifcheck* ​Term life insurance​ ​Allianz* Personal Finance Free trading accounts ​Scalable Capital* ​Finanzen.net Zero* Tax Software ​Wundertax* ​SteuerGo* ​Smartsteuer* Free Checking account ​C24* ​N26* NOTE: Investing involves the risk of loss Fixed account for 12 months (Festgeld) Up to 3.56% interest. Check offers from different providers here*. Tagesgeld account for 6 months Up to 3.77% interest. Check offers from different providers here*. Personal loan ​Verivox* ​Tarifcheck* ​Finanzcheck* ​Smava* Go to Deals*

​