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Payment accounts for Ukrainian refugees

Last updated on 1 December 2025

Latest news: More options for Ukrainians in the Netherlands to apply for payment account

Refugees from Ukraine can open a payment account with a bank or other payment service provider after arriving in the Netherlands. Dutch providers of payment accounts are ready to welcome these refugees. With a payment account they can collect a living allowance or job wages and pay for daily groceries, amongst others. Every payment account comes with an IBAN, a debit card and the possibility to bank and pay online with a web browser or mobile app.

Refugees can apply for a payment account with almost all consumer banks and some other payment service providers in the EU. Applicants at a Dutch provider will receive a payment account with a Dutch IBAN. With each provider it is possible to transfer amounts to and from foreign countries. As a result, a Ukrainian in the EU doesn't need to pay or withdraw money with a Ukrainian debit card, which usually involves additional costs. Individual providers may offer additional services. The refugee may use the payment account as long as he or she is lawfully residing in the Netherlands.

Credit cards and debit cards from Ukraine

Ukrainian credit and debit cards from Mastercard and Visa can be used normally anywhere in the EU, as long as the cardholder has a sufficient balance. However, special restrictions may be imposed from Ukraine, for example by a Ukrainian bank that issued the card. ATMs and payment terminals in the EU have no influence over this.

In the Netherlands, there are still shops which do not accept credit cards, and Debit Mastercard and VISA Debit cards coming from outside the European Economic Aera. For example, in most Albert Heijn supermarkets, you cannot pay with above cards. This applies to anyone with such a card, including someone from Ukraine.

Follow these instructions to apply for a payment account as simple and smooth as possible

  • The applicant must be 18 years or older; for the time being, payment accounts can only be issued to adult refugees who were lawfully residing in Ukraine at the outbreak of the war.
  • Most banks ask for a so called BSN, a Dutch social service number. A few online providers allow Ukrainians to apply without a BSN, or allow them to provide their BSN within 3 months.
  • Some banks ask applicants to come to the nearest branch office. With other providers the application is entirely online or with a mobile app.
  • A payment service provider must be able to reach the new account holder by mail as a debit card and login device cannot be issued immediately after application; this takes several days. Therefore, the provider must know where the applicant resides. If the applicant changes residence, he or she must inform the payment account provider.
  • The applicant needs a smartphone or access to a computer to use mobile banking or internet banking.

Payment account providers typically ask for these personal details and documents

  • A so called BSN (Dutch social services number)
  • First names and surname
  • Date of birth, place of birth, country of birth and gender
  • Nationality
  • (Residential) address, phone number and e-mail address
  • An ID that is approved and accepted by financial institutions for onboarding Ukrainian refugees; a valid Ukrainian passport in English for travelling abroad is always accepted

Broad acceptance of ID's for Ukrainians

Since October 2022, adult Ukrainian refugees can apply for a payment account with the following ID-documents, at almost all Dutch payment account providers:

  1. An English-language Ukrainian passport for travelling abroad. The English-language passport must be valid or must be renewed by the Ukrainian embassy with renewal stamp that is still valid at the time of the account application.
  2. A internal Ukrainian passport combined with a so-called 'certificate of identity validation' issued by the Ukrainian embassy.
  3. A valid English-language Ukrainian identity card for domestic use.
  4. A Ukrainian permanent residence permit that was valid on 24 February 2022 (the first day Ukraine was invaded by Russia) in combination with a valid passport from another country outside the EU.
  5. A valid so-called O-document, that may be issued by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND) since June 2022, to Ukrainian refugees without acknowledged identity documents.

Some payment service providers accept alternate types of ID from Ukraine, such as driver's licenses.

Each bank or other payment account provider will state on its own website the specific conditions and guidelines they apply for issuing a payment account and exactly how to submit the application. At a growing number of banks, a valid international ID can be used to apply for an account through the regular process. Some banks require an application to be submitted physically at a branch office, while other providers can only handle online applications.

A parent or guardian residing in the Netherlands can apply for a payment account for a minor that is officially in his or her care. This must done at the same bank where the parent or guardian already has a payment account.

Temporary prepaid debit card from municipalities

Refugees who cannot yet open a payment account, for example because they do not yet have a valid ID, are eligible for a temporary prepaid debit card from the municipality where they are staying. The municipality can deposit a living allowance on the prepaid debit card. The card holder can use this card to pay for daily shopping and other purchases in the Netherlands.

Exchange of cash grivnas

Between June 15, 2022 and December 15, 2022, Ukrainians could exchange up to 10,000 grivna (about 310 euros) in cash into euros at GWK Travelex exchange offices. According to the Central Bank of Ukraine, refugees had sufficient time to exchange their cash.

NOTE: Cash grivna's cannot be exchanged at De Nederlandsche Bank or at branch offices from Dutch banks!

Links to providers of payment accounts

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