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12,000 payment accounts opened for Ukrainian refugees

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Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, around 12,000 Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands had been able to open a payment account by Tuesday 19 April. That was almost one-third of the estimated 39,000 refugees who had arrived in the Netherlands by then. The total also includes many minors who are not yet eligible to apply for a payment account.

payment card with chip lies above a payment terminal, as an illustration of card payment and digital payment at the counter.

Dutch payment service providers, together with the Dutch Payments Association and the Dutch Banking Association (NVB), have introduced measures to enable payment accounts to be opened for the rapidly growing number of refugees from Ukraine. They are also working closely with the Minister of Finance, supervisory authorities, public authorities and aid organisations.

Independent banking and payments

To open a payment account, a refugee must be aged 18 or over, have a recognised and valid identity document and, in many cases, have received a citizen service number (BSN) from a Dutch municipality. A payment account enables a refugee to receive wages or living allowances independently, pay in shops, cafés and restaurants, withdraw cash and, more generally, participate more easily in society.

For refugees who do not have an accepted Ukrainian identity document, the government and payment service providers are working together on a reliable and workable solution.

Temporary prepaid debit cards

Refugees who cannot yet open a payment account, for example because they do not yet have a recognised identity document, are eligible for a temporary prepaid debit card from the municipality where they are staying. BNG Bank has already supplied 13,000 prepaid debit cards to Dutch municipalities for this purpose. A municipality can load living allowances onto such a card, which the cardholder can use almost anywhere a regular debit card is accepted.

For more information on banking and payments for Ukrainian refugees, see Payment account for Ukrainians.

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