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Cash:
The euro is similar to the US dollar accepted almost worldwide. In exchange you get about 1.05 Euro for 1 US dollar. Similar to the dollar the euro is divided into a small coint the "euro cent" and paper money. There are Euro cent coins from 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents (copper-colored) and 10 cents, 20 cents and 50 cents (gold). Euro coins are available with a value of EUR 1 (silver with a golden border) and 2 euros (golden with silver border). The paper bills are worth 5 (Grey), 10 (red), 20 (blue), 50 (orange) and 100 (green). There are 200 euro bills (yellow) and 500 euro bills (purple) but these are not common and few shops accept them as payment. If you receive bills you should always check thoroughly to exclude counterfeits. You can recognize valid banknotes especially with the clearly detectable imprint. On both sides of the bills are holograms that are visible when you move the bill. For coins you need to especially make sure that all the elements are clearly imprinted and recognizable. Please contact the police if you have come into possession of counterfeit money.Bank accounts:
usually you can't open a bank account if you don't have a residence in Germany, which must be proven with a registration certificate of the registration office. If you come from a country outside the EU, a work permit in Germany is also required, which must be presented at the bank. In any case, you need an identity card or passport in order to apply for an account. To open an account as asylum seekers / refugees in Germany is difficult. This is especially true when identity papers etc. are missing. Recently issued by the immigration authorities toleration papers, however, apply as a valid substitute for a passport.Banks:
Germany is among the countries with most banks, bank branches and financial institutions worldwide (approximately 2.000 banks with about 40.000 branches). These are mainly banks with many branches for private persons. These include for example Postbank, Commerzbank, the German bank and the Sparkasse. In addition to banks with local branches, there are many so-called direct banks. These have only a few stores and specialize in banking transactions via telephone or Internet.