Car loan in Germany: requirements, SCHUFA and documents
Getting a car loan in Germany as an expat or immigrant is possible — if you know what the bank looks at. Here are the requirements, how SCHUFA works and the pitfalls to avoid. You can apply online, no office visit needed.
What you need for a car loan
Most German banks look at similar criteria. The minimum requirements are:
- Net salary from 1 550 € — the baseline for most banks; higher income means a larger possible loan.
- Permanent employment contract (Unbefristeter Arbeitsvertrag) — with a fixed-term contract banks often decline.
- At least 3 months with your current employer — counted from the contract start date; some banks require 6 months.
- Registered address in Germany (Anmeldung).
- Clean SCHUFA — the most important factor: no negative entries, arrears or enforcement proceedings.
SCHUFA: the German credit rating
SCHUFA is Germany's credit bureau. It records your financial behaviour: loans, mobile contracts, rentals and bank accounts. Before approving a loan the bank requests your SCHUFA score (0–100 %). Car loans usually need 90 % or more.
Important: regular transfers via TransferGo, Wise, Azimo and similar services to foreign cards (especially to 3 or more countries) can lower your SCHUFA score or lead to a rejection — even if everything looks fine on paper. Banks see it as unusual financial behaviour.
An overdue credit card or a §24 entry is not always a dead end — we look at such cases individually.
How it works
- Choose a car in the catalogue — every car available with financing shows an estimated monthly payment.
- Check the down payment in the loan calculator: without a down payment you can usually finance about 11 times your net monthly salary.
- Apply online and upload your documents in your personal account — from your phone, in 10–15 minutes.
- We check the documents and submit the application to our partner bank. The bank makes the decision.
- Sign the contract and collect your car. You can follow the status of your application at every step.
Documents you will need
- German ID card or residence permit (both sides)
- Passport
- Payslip (Lohnabrechnung) for the last month
- Registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung)
- Rental agreement
Terms
Loan term from 24 to 84 months (up to 7 years). The interest rate and final terms depend on the bank, your SCHUFA and your income — you will see them in the bank's offer before signing. All figures on this site are estimates calculated at the maximum rate, so the real payment is usually not higher.
