Hi Simon,
1) Sogexia it's a prepaid card company, she put in the FAQ what she would, sure if she wrote, due to the EU rules, company can reject your UK IBAN... user can evtl. not order this prepaid card 🙂
2) défenseursdesdroits it's not a official FR agency, the official it's the DDPP (DGCCRF) and a lot of users (N26 customers in January this year) have open case to this official French Customers Agency and the reply was clear.
The EU rules it's applicable to technical payment service providers like Bank or Fintech connect to STET-CORE or TARGET2 for place SDD or SCT.
EU or EU rules (like the point 9) it's not for commercial company or gouvernement agency.
Many FAQ or support reply with wrong information and the customer think it's a obligation but not.
The French law have translate the EU without integrate the financial sentence because all bank was already SEPA compliant.
That was really a big discussion when N26 have receive his own Bank License and officially launch in FR.
But the authority have reply, the EU rules it's for payment service provider not for company, if a company wouldn't accept a IBAN outside FR she have the right, if she request a deposit of guarantee, she have again the right.
In FR every people have the right to obtain a account in FR bank, if 2 banks decline to open a account (example big financial troubles,...) the "Banque de France" contact one bank and force this bank to open a account and deliver debit card,...
In Germany I know that American Express or Diners Club decline to opening a account if you give a IBAN outside Germany.
French association (like Défenseursdesdroits) it's here for informing customers, but she can't force a company like Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom (mobile provider) to accept a IBAN not in FR.
Only the DDPP (DGCCRF) can take a action (financial sanction, close a company,...) if the customer right are not respected.
Example French Social prestation reject every IBAN not located in FR,...
People have open case to the DDPP, reply was, no obligation to accept N26 IBAN because that is not a technical payment provider.
French EU deputy was contacted for obtain a obligation again company / government agency to accept IBAN like N26, reply was... we need discuss about that to Brussels but for the moment it's not a emergency request.
So 2 cases,
French represents (and people) don't understand the EU rules and it's a obligation, in this case why Bunq, N26,... doesn't make a typical letter to send to the company for force it to accept Bunq IBAN.
French represents (and people's) understand that is a technical text and that the reason why company with Bank license doesn't make example letter to private company for force it to accept Bunq IBAN.
That not so easy I think, the EU text it's not so clear.
I would that all company must accept all EU IBAN, that would be really great, for the moment a lot accept IBAN in other country, but the most important and government agency decline IBAN in other country.
Technically that is the same if she made a SDD to a FR IBAN or a EU IBAN (8 weeks for reject SDD if a authorization is provided, 13 months if no authorization is provided, FIRST sequence was now optional the RCUR can now be directly used and the delay is now J+1...).
But for the moment no official text (EU or FR) wrote "private company have the obligation to accept IBAN not located in another country that the customer address".
And the article 9 doesn't not say that...
That would be really great if we can force all company and all agency to use IBAN not located in FR with a customer FR address.
We found FAQ who is written a deduction from the article 9...
The best it's that a Fintech (with a bank license) make a example letter for customers, the customer print it and send to the company (like mobile phone) and if after 2 months the IBAN it's not accepted, the Fintech open a complain to Brussels.
But for that, the law must be clear and force all company to accept IBAN like NL with a service based on FR and with a customer address in FR.