Closing a current account, with or without switching banks (Austria)
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This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
A letter to your bank in Austria closing your current account (Girokonto), whether you are leaving altogether or moving to a new bank through the account-switching service. It gives the IBAN, the account holder and date of birth, the closing date and the account for the remaining balance, ends the cards, overdraft and online banking linked to the account, and asks for written confirmation. Under the Austrian Payment Services Act (§ 51 ZaDiG 2018) you may terminate at any time, on at most one month's notice, and free of charge for an open-ended account. A choice covers switching under §§ 14 ff VZKG. In German.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Customer
- Customer's address
- Bank
- Address of the bank that holds the account
- City
- Date
- IBAN of the current account
- Customer number at the bank
- Date of termination
- Date of birth
- Switching banks (with or without the new bank's account-switching service)
- Account to transfer the balance to
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Can a current account in Austria be closed at any time, and may the bank charge for it?
- Yes. Under § 51 ZaDiG 2018 you may terminate the account contract at any time; an agreed notice period may not exceed one month. Termination is free if the contract was made for an indefinite period or for at least six months — the rule for a current account — and always before a change to the contract takes effect. The bank itself must give two months' notice; either side may terminate without notice for good cause.
- How does an account switch under the VZKG work in Austria?
- You instruct the new bank to carry out the switch. It contacts the old bank within two business days, the old bank sends the data on standing orders and direct debits within five business days, and the new bank sets them up within a further five (§§ 14 ff VZKG). Passing on this information is free. Without the service you move standing orders and direct debit mandates (Einziehungsaufträge) yourself; the letter then asks for a list of them.
- How should a notice closing an account reach an Austrian bank so that it can be proved?
- The law prescribes no form, but your account contract may require written notice. The safe course is the signed letter: hand it in at the branch against a receipt on your copy, send it as a signed PDF through the online-banking mailbox, or send it by registered post. The notice takes effect only when the bank receives it. For a joint account, the contract says who may terminate; when in doubt, all holders sign.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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