Is it possible to get an German, Spanish or Italian IBAN?

Claudio-Navy-Lynx

Yeah, is it possible?

Kevin-Golden-Hummingbird-3019010434

Hi Claudio,

This is currenty not possible, because we're not set in Germany 😊 However, let's add this to our Wishlist and we'll keep you guys updated whenever this is possible 👍

lampie6206

Would be very good of I it was possible

PH

I don‘t see the need for a Country IBAN. In the whole EU every IBAN need to be accepted like any other. I like my NL IBAN ( It‘s something special about it ) and I never had problems with it.

NiB

There's little benefit. NL IBAN is shorter and, easier remember, especially since they start with NLxx BUNQ ....

While in fact foreign IBAN aren't universally accepted yet, the situation has gotten much better over the last few months. Found it remarkable though, how some banks and credit card companies were amongst the most stubborn to refuse acceptance of foreign IBANs (of all companies, cause who else should've known better?).

lampie6206

I live in Germany and Vodafone can not take money from a Dutch bank so there for I need a German bank

Rembrandt

You don’t need a German bank, Vodafone needs to start to obey the law and accept IBAN’s from all over the EU.

Gunnar

Hi Lambert

Habe die BUNQ IBAN manuell im Vodafone Shop vor 4 Monaten eintragen lassen, seitdem buchen die ordentlich ab. Telefonisch und per Faxformular ging es nicht.

Gruss

MrAksu

Apart from the problems with companies declining direct debit from the Dutch IBAN (yes, illegal, but widespread and I just want it to work) many banks have limits in their online banking for transfers to foreign countries, which in many cases are set to (or close to) zero. Just as a precaution against fraud.

So to fully use t bunq account like a German one, i would have to get everyone who would like to transfer money to me to change their transfer limits first.

This is a deal breaker for me. Sorry bunq, without German IBAN I cannot use you.

Phil

I haven’t seen any German bank limiting transfers to foreign accounts - could you please name one as an example? 😊

SimonM

I had problems with Sparkasse, they banned foreign transfers by default, I had to call them, for deactivating this security feature (of the past)...

MrAksu

Commerzbank and Comdirect block foreign transfers by default, or have significantly lower transaction limits.

MrAksu

I'd like to add: I don't blame these banks, I think this is a valid protection against fraud.

Few customers ever transfer money to foreign countries.

RubenEngels

They are indeed required to accept all IBAN numbers, but for example the Dutch zip code lottery only accepts Dutch IBAN numbers

Tobi-H

Axel, I cannot confirm comdirect having a default limit, or at least not until the amounts I have tried.. (on the other hand, almost all Dutchies had to first unlock this to send me money to my German account)

I also disagree that this behavior is understandable, as it is completely contradicting the idea of SEPA

uSuRa

The whole idea is choice. If customers want 'localised' IBAN', you give them localised IBAN's. The fact that 'you' do not need need it, does not mean someonelse might not have a need for this.

btw: ipagoo builds a whole business model around this.

MrAksu

Right.

An concerning the SEPA "idea": we're not living in an ideal world, and fraudsters get the SEPA idea as well.

I wish you luck getting your money back that was somehow transferred to Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania. Within your own country this usually works, that's why many banks restrict foreign transfers, just to reduce attack surface. Why do you need to let people do stuff they probably never need.

NiB

@uSuRa: The fact that ipagoo have failed to show any activity in 2018 (no app updates, no social media posts etc. since late 2017) seems to cast some doubt on the success of their "business model".

I don't think offering local IBAN would be impossible. Yet outsourcing it would go against bunq's very own business and development model. And doing it themselves by establishing their own branches in the respective countries creates too many regulatory headaches - and ultimately costs. And it's not like there's no competitors who have proven that you can successfully establish a pan-European bank without offering dedicated country IBAN - just look at N26.

NiB

@Axel: In the instance of Germany the situation regarding IBAN discrimination has gotten much better lately, though some companies still seem to employ some "softer" form of discrimination, by making you jump through additional hoops to accept foreign IBAN (over the phone or in writing, instated of accepting online form input). Still, I don't think there's that much benefit anymore.

Also, it's not like offering DE IBAN alone would enable you (quote) "to fully use bunq account like a German one" as bunq don't offer German girocards - though there's still places (smaller merchants) that will only accept girocard, often by way of creating plain SEPA direct debits from card data. Which would create additional implementation headaches.

Individual country IBANs are a pipe dream, not going happen in the foreseeable future. It's just not realistic. I'd be betting big money on that if I could.

Maria-Pink-Leopard

Ruben, they litterally aren't allowed to discriminate. If they do, they should be reported. :-)