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 — Sparkasse Dortmund and the Volksbank are what smaller private landlords and older employers are comfortable with, and the city has plenty of both.
In personWho: You
3
Request your Schufa report early
You are entitled to one free data copy per year under GDPR, and landlords expect a Schufa-Auskunft with every application. A newcomer's is nearly empty — request it early so it is ready when a viewing appears.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
4
Know the deposit rules before signing
German law caps the rental deposit at three months' cold rent, requires it held separately from the landlord's assets earning interest for you, and permits payment in three monthly instalments.
In personWho: You
5
Build a Schufa record deliberately
A mobile contract, a registered address and an account in good standing all populate the file. Avoid opening several credit products at once, which reads poorly on a thin file.
OnlineWho: 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, which some banks request
Proof of German address

Things most newcomers don’t know

The deposit here is small in absolute terms, which changes the arrival maths.

The three-month cap under §551 BGB is a percentage, and Dortmund's rents are among the lowest of any German city over half a million. A central one-bed deposit is frequently under EUR 2,000 where the same flat in Munich would need EUR 4,500 — and you may still pay it in three instalments. Arriving here needs materially less cash than arriving in southern Germany.

Source: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, §551

A thin Schufa file is survivable here in a way it is not in Munich.

The Schufa problem is federal and identical everywhere; its consequence scales with how many applicants a landlord has. With a handful per viewing rather than dozens, Dortmund landlords routinely accept an employer letter, a larger deposit or a guarantor instead of a scored file.

Source: community-reported

You are entitled to a free Schufa data copy every year.

Under data protection law you can request a full copy of your data at no charge. Schufa also sells a certificate marketed at landlords, but the free version contains the same information and most Dortmund landlords accept it.

Source: Schufa — data copy under Art. 15 GDPR

Germany runs on direct debit and cash, 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 around the stadium, the kiosks and plenty of Ruhr pubs it is cash only — carry notes.

Source: community-reported