Step-by-step:
Open a JuniorDepot for your child
€100/month for 18 years at 7% real return ends up around €43,000 — a starter pack for university, a first car, or a flat deposit. Comdirect's JuniorDepot is free, ETF Sparpläne start at €1/month, and the tax rules favour minors. The catches: both parents must consent, and at 18 the depot becomes the child's — fully, legally, no take-backs.
Go directly to JuniorDepot opening →The 6 steps, in order
Application: about 15 minutes. Sparplan can run from the next execution date. Account in the child's name from day one.
Gather the required documents
Gather the required documents
For each parent or legal guardian: valid passport or EU ID, plus your Steuer-ID. For the child: birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde) and the child's own Steuer-ID (automatically issued by BZSt after Anmeldung — kids have their own from day one). If both parents share custody (the default), both must sign and verify.
Tip: Both parents must consent and verify — even if only one parent funds the depot. If you are unmarried, the father also needs the Vaterschaftsanerkennung on file. Plan accordingly if one parent is currently abroad.
Start the online application
Start the online application
Open the Comdirect JuniorDepot page and click "JuniorDepot eröffnen". Enter the child's details (name, date of birth, Steuer-ID), then the parents' details. Existing Comdirect customers log in first — your data and identity are pre-filled.
Tip: Existing customers save the IDnow VideoIdent step entirely; the application is then ~10 minutes instead of 20.
Both parents complete IDnow VideoIdent
Both parents complete IDnow VideoIdent
New customers: each consenting parent runs a separate 5–10-minute IDnow VideoIdent call. From the smartphone, with passport in hand, daylight on your face. Both verifications must clear before the depot activates.
Tip: Parents can verify from different locations and different times. If one of you is on a work trip, IDnow runs on any continent — just keep the timezone in mind for opening hours (7:00–22:00 CET).
Set up a Sparplan in the child's name
Set up a Sparplan in the child's name
Pick one or more ETFs from Comdirect's "Top-Preis-ETFs" list (500+ free Sparpläne). Choose the monthly amount (from €1), the execution day, and the interval. Broad-market ETFs (MSCI World, FTSE All-World, S&P 500) suit the 10–18 year horizon and need no maintenance.
Tip: Stick to one or two broad accumulating ETFs and let compounding do the work. Frequent ETF swaps trigger capital-gains tax and erase the time advantage that makes a JuniorDepot worth opening.
Activate the depot and set the Freistellungsauftrag
Activate the depot and set the Freistellungsauftrag
After both VideoIdent calls clear, you receive a photoTAN activation letter within 1–2 business days. Install photoTAN, scan the activation graphic, log in. First thing to set: the Freistellungsauftrag in the child's name — up to €1,000 per year tax-free, separate from yours.
Tip: The child has their own €1,000 Sparerpauschbetrag — your own Freistellungsauftrag does not count against it. With normal Sparplan growth, the child's €1,000 covers capital gains for many years before any tax is due.
Monitor and adjust through the app
Monitor and adjust through the app
The depot shows up in your Comdirect app and online banking with full read access. You can adjust Sparplan amount, ETF selection, or pause anytime. The account is in the child's name, but parents/guardians manage it until the child turns 18.
Open JuniorDepot Now
We've guided 10,000+ expats through German banking since 2014. Here's the JuniorDepot application — plus the BAföG, citizenship, and 18-Geburtstag traps that only matter once and are not in the small print.
Open JuniorDepot Now →Four things every expat parent should know about a JuniorDepot
At 18, the depot is fully the child's — no take-backs
On the day the child turns 18, German civil law gives them full control of the account. They can sell every share and spend it on something you would not have approved. There is no legal route to claw it back. If you want strings attached (university only, milestone payouts), a JuniorDepot is the wrong vehicle — talk to a Steuerberater about Schenkungsverträge or Treuhand structures.
BAföG eligibility breaks at ~€15,000 in the child's name
When the child applies for BAföG (German student aid), their own assets count. The current threshold sits around €15,000 — depot above that disqualifies them from BAföG until depleted. At a €100/month Sparplan over 18 years, you cross that threshold around year 10. Not a reason to skip the JuniorDepot — but plan a draw-down or spend-down strategy for the year before BAföG application if your family income is borderline.
US citizen child: PFIC applies to the child's depot too
If your child is a US citizen (by your citizenship, by birth in the US, or both), every Europe-domiciled ETF in their JuniorDepot triggers PFIC reporting on their US tax return — yes, even as a minor. Form 8621 per ETF per year, punitive tax rates. For US-citizen expat families: individual stocks, US-domiciled ETFs through a broker that accepts US persons, or skip the depot for the US-citizen kid. Comdirect will ask you to confirm the child's US-person status; answer truthfully.
Gift tax: practically not an issue (but know the rules)
Money you transfer to the child's depot is technically a gift. Each parent has a €400,000 tax-free allowance per child every 10 years. Even at €500/month for 20 years (€120,000), you are far below the threshold. The rule mainly matters if grandparents make large lump-sum transfers — their allowance is only €200,000 per child every 10 years, and once per grandparent.