First IBAN Acceptgiro forms processed

An important milestone in the transition to European payments (SEPA). The Netherlands is moving towards payments using IBAN, the new European bank account number.

Since Monday 1 July 2013, consumers can receive either an Acceptgiro or an IBAN Acceptgiro. This is one of the many steps towards SEPA, and the migration is now gathering pace. Businesses must complete their own transition to SEPA in the coming period, as the necessary adjustments can easily take several months. After 31 December 2013, businesses may no longer issue the old Acceptgiro and must have switched to the IBAN Acceptgiro or an alternative.

Like the Acceptgiro, the IBAN Acceptgiro can be paid through online banking. When completing a paper Acceptgiro or IBAN Acceptgiro, consumers must check carefully whether they need to enter their old account number of up to nine digits or their 18-character IBAN.

UPSS processes paper documents such as Acceptgiro forms for banks. In 2012, it processed more than 46 million paper Acceptgiros. Over the next six months, it will process both Acceptgiros and IBAN Acceptgiros. At the start of this week, UPSS immediately scanned several hundred paper IBAN Acceptgiros. “Now that the first IBAN Acceptgiros have passed through our systems, we can confirm that they are processed without technical problems,” says UPSS Director Rob Fopma. “This is another important milestone in the transition to SEPA on 1 February 2014, after which the Netherlands will have completed the move to IBAN payments.”

Welzijn Neerijnen is one of many organisations already fully prepared for IBAN. Director Albert van Schaik is pleasantly surprised that some of the IBAN Acceptgiros issued by his organisation were among the first processed by UPSS. “We quickly realised that there was no point postponing the transition to IBAN. Our foundation switched as soon as possible so that we would be ready for the near future.” In 2013, all businesses and organisations issuing Acceptgiros must move to the IBAN Acceptgiro or one of its alternatives.

Consequences for consumers

Between 1 July 2013 and 1 January 2014, businesses may issue both the old Acceptgiro and the new IBAN Acceptgiro. Consumers can enter both types in their online banking environment in the same way.
Consumers must pay extra attention when completing paper Acceptgiros and IBAN Acceptgiros during the next six months, as the forms require different account numbers: either the old account number or an IBAN. A paper Acceptgiro completed incorrectly may not be processed. After 1 January 2014, creditors may no longer issue the old Acceptgiro, and consumers will receive only the IBAN Acceptgiro.

Although the two forms look very similar, consumers can clearly see whether they have received an Acceptgiro or an IBAN Acceptgiro. The main difference is the number of boxes for the bank account number: the old Acceptgiro has ten, while the IBAN Acceptgiro has eighteen. More information about the differences is available on the English Acceptgiro page.

Your own IBAN can be found in your bank’s online banking environment or app, on your bank statement and sometimes on your debit card. Read more about Dutch IBANs.