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Payment account for Ukrainian refugees

Ukrainian refugees have special status in the EU. Ukrainians in the Netherlands can therefore open a payments account with a recognized ID and a Dutch residential address.

Refugees from Ukraine can quickly open a payments account at banks and other payment service providers after arriving in the Netherlands. Dutch payments account providers are ready to assist these refugees. With a payments account, they can receive living expenses or wages and pay for daily groceries, among other things. Each payments account comes with an IBAN, a debit card, and the option to pay and bank via internet banking or a mobile app.

Refugees can apply for a payments account at almost all consumer banks and some other payment service providers in the EU. An applicant at a Dutch provider will receive a payments account with a Dutch IBAN. Transfers to and from abroad are also possible. This means that Ukrainians in the EU do not have to pay or withdraw money with a Ukrainian payment card, which usually entails additional costs. Depending on the provider, additional services may be offered. Refugees may use the payments account as long as they are legally residing in the Netherlands.

Payment cards and cash from Ukraine

In principle, Ukrainians can use their Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards anywhere in the EU as normal, as long as the cardholder has sufficient funds. However, Ukrainian authorities and banks may impose special restrictions, for example the Ukrainian central bank or a regular bank that issues payment cards. This does not affect payment terminals and ATMs in the EU.

In the Netherlands, there are still shops that do not accept credit cards, regardless of where those cards come from.

Cash hryvnias cannot be exchanged in the Netherlands.

Applying for a payments account

Follow these instructions to apply for a payments account smoothly and easily:

  • The applicant must be of legal age (18 years or older) and legally reside in the Netherlands.
  • Almost all banks require a BSN. A few online providers allow Ukrainians to apply without a BSN, or they can submit their BSN within three months.
  • Some banks ask Ukrainians to visit the nearest bank branch, while other providers allow the application to be completed entirely online or via a mobile app.
  • A payment service provider must be able to reach the new account holder by mail because a debit card and login device cannot be provided immediately after application. It is therefore important that the provider knows where the applicant resides.
  • The applicant needs a smartphone or access to a computer to use mobile banking or internet banking.

Required information and documents

Payments account providers request the following personal information and documents:

  • Usually a BSN (citizen service number)
  • First names and surname
  • Date of birth, place of birth, country of birth, and gender
  • Nationality
  • (Residence) address, telephone number, and email address
  • Proof of identity recognized and accepted by Dutch financial institutions to allow Ukrainian refugees to become customers (details below); a valid English-language Ukrainian passport for travel abroad is always accepted

Wide acceptance of proof of identity for Ukrainians

Adult Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands can apply for a payments account with one of the following forms of identification:

  1. An English-language Ukrainian passport for travel abroad. The English-language passport must be valid or have been extended by the Ukrainian embassy with an extension stamp that is still valid at the time of the account application.
  2. A Ukrainian permanent residence permit that was valid on February 24, 2022 (the first day Ukraine was attacked by Russia) in combination with a valid passport from another country outside the EU.
  3. A valid so-called O document(opens in new window) issued by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND).
  4. Only at Bitsafe/Yoursafe can a Ukrainian refugee apply for a payments account with a valid Ukrainian driver’s license (and without a BSN).

Ukrainian refugees without a recognized identity document can apply for one at service points of the Ukrainian Migration Service in Cologne and Berlin(opens in new window) .

Each payment service provider states on its own website the specific conditions and guidelines they apply to an application and how the application must be submitted. A growing number of banks allow refugees from Ukraine with a valid international identity document to apply for an account through the regular application process.

A parent or guardian residing in the Netherlands can apply for a payments account on behalf of a minor who is officially under their guardianship. They must then submit such an application to their own bank.

Temporary prepaid debit card from the municipality

Refugees who are not yet able to open a payments account, for example because they do not yet have suitable identification, are eligible for a temporary prepaid debit card from the municipality(opens in new window) where they are staying. The municipality can make living expenses available via such a prepaid debit card. This allows cardholders in the Netherlands to pay for daily groceries and make other payments at the point-of-sale, for example.

Providers of payments accounts