Finance & Legal How to send money in the cheapest way from Europe

Actually governmental mass discrimination of foreigners is rife - it even happens here in the Philippines.

 

Did try to make the same comparison with a transfer from The Netherlands to the Phils but obviously Kabayan Remit is not operating there as only from UK. But between TW and WU, the last is the winner, the receiver gets a 812 more peso. Ok a few SML less, but who cares.....!

 

I admit that, in the diplomatic community, RP is in list of high fraud incidence countries; but methinks this is not the reason why DKB did not approve your Filipina wife's bank application. DKB had changed policy in 2014 to stop providing bank accounts to foreigners not residing in DE because such service had become unprofitable -- this is according to an article at DKB: No more accounts for foreigners!?

 

Your problem puzzles me. I read up on it to demystify, and so I learned that identity legitimation is now a vital component of banking practice to be able to adhere to local Anti-Money Laundering laws and Know Your Customer laws. Presently, there are four (4) ways by which banks in DE verify a bank account applicant's identity:

1. PostIdent - Bank account applicant appears before a German post office clerk who verifies identity from presented passport and acceptable ID/s;

2. Foreign bank or lawyer attestation - Applicant accomplishes forms from bank website and, with passport and acceptable ID/s, has these forms authenticated and her identity legitimated by a local bank and /or notary public;

3. VideoIdent – Applicant appears in video conference with her passport and acceptable ID/s for online identification by the bank in DE

4. German diplomatic office attestation - Applicant accomplishes forms from bank website and, with passport and acceptable ID/s, has these forms authenticated and her identity legitimated by an authorized DE diplomat.

If popular DKB is not approving, then you could also try N26 BANK GMBH or N26, COMMERZBANK AG or Commerzbank, DEUTSCHE POSTBANK AG or Postbank, and COMDIRECT BANK or Comdirect, as listed at Home - Banks Germany

N26 could be easier because, unlike most DE banks, it does not look into credit history but an address in Germany or Austria is required for sending the debit card to the new bank account holder. There's more info at How to open a German Bank account for non residents - Auswandern Handbuch

 

I think you have made a mistake transferwise must be better than WU?

 

Show Pony's idea could be worth trying in case all efforts to apply with DKB, N26, Commerzbank, Postbank, or Comdirect fail. After all, German embassies do handle Blocked Account (Sperrkonto) applications for foreign student visa applicants who are required to open bank accounts in advance before entering DE, Filipinos included. For example, there is this January 2018 guideline at http://www.seoul.diplo.de/contentblob/3036196/Daten/7918028/Blocked_Account_d.pdf As a last resort, you could perhaps also enroll online your young Filipina wife in some short-term pre-study class in DE to be able to achieve the objective of opening a German online bank account for a non-German not residing in Germany. A procedural example of how it is done is available at How to Open a Deutsche Bank Account/Blocked Account (Sperrkonto) for Foreign Students - Study in Germany for Free Cheers!

 

I hope I am not too far off the mark here, but;
In the long run would it not be easier to apply for a Tourist Visa, take her to Germany for a short Holiday, go into the Bank, open up a Joint Account together, then set the ground work for her return back to the Philippines with a legitimate German Account? I assume you want her to draw the money whilst living in the Philippines, is that correct? If so, then bite the bullet, do the yards, take her there, and do it how they want you to do it.
Problem solved?