Can I get a Local Currency account as a refugee?

bunq

Hey bunqers 🌈,

Since the beginning of March 2022, we offer bunq accounts for refugees who can use the bunq Core plan for free for up to 3 months. However, there’re some requirements you need to meet to open a Foreign Currency account with us.

What do I need to open a Foreign Currencies Account?

If you’re a refugee who opened a bunq account, and want to use the Foreign Currency feature to send, receive and hold balance in different currencies, make sure you go through the following:

Open a bunq account
Be physically located in a country within the European Economic Area
Finish the process to receive the necessary residency documents specific to the country where you currently reside, complete with a Tax Identification Number and Proof of residence 📄
Reach out to bunq support via the app (your Profile in the top left corner > Settings > Need help? Get support)
Ask them to remove your refugee status for wanting to open a Foreign Currency account

❗️ Once your Refugee status is removed, it cannot be added again! This means that your account with bunq will be invoiced monthly. More info on plans and pricing can be found here.

Additional documents needed

Go through an additional ID verification process tailored to your country of residence. We have explained the steps here ✅
Provide a document that we can use as Proof of Residence. You can check out the list of accepted documents here ✅
Provide a document stating your tax number. You can check this useful link for more info ✅

What happens next?

Once done, our registrations team will check the provided information to complete the process. After a successful verification, you’ll be notified via the app and you can immediately proceed to upgrade your plan & set up a Foreign Currencies Account 🙌

Keep in mind that with your new Foreign Currency Account, you will be free to process incoming/outgoing payments only to countries permitted in the jurisdiction of Currencycloud. You can check this link to find the full list.