Uniform European payment system
Within the SEPA (Single Euro Payment Area), all euro payments, i.e. sending money within the SEPA area, and all direct debits across Europe are carried out according to the uniform SEPA payment procedures.
Easy to use
Private customers can send money within the SEPA area at any time, online, at self-service kiosks and at a branch. To pay with a SEPA direct debit, all you need to do is to provide the payment recipient with a SEPA direct debit mandate.
Maximum flexibility – worldwide
Sending money to countries outside the SEPA zone is simple and can be done using a conventional international payment (SWIFT payment).
To do so, you will need to provide the following information:
- Surname, first name or company name and address of the payment recipient.
- Account number or International Bank Account Number (IBAN) of the payment recipient (provided by the payment recipient).
- International Bank Identifier Code (BIC) of the recipient's bank.
- Your own IBAN.
SEPA direct debit
SEPA direct debits allow you to make payments across the whole of Europe.
To make a SEPA direct debit payment, you simply have to provide the payment recipient with a SEPA direct debit mandate. This will authorise the payment recipient to debit the amount due from your account. At the same time, via the mandate you instruct your banking institution to honour the direct
debit.
Every SEPA direct debit mandate has a unique mandate reference number (e.g. a consecutive number) issued by the payment recipient. This reference number has to be provided for all SEPA direct debits. In providing this number together with the identification number of the person paying the direct debit (the Creditor Identifier), each mandate has a unique identifier.
Both of these numbers will be shown on your account statements, which makes it easy to keep an eye on your direct debits.
Being able to select specific pay dates for your SEPA direct debits furthermore means that you will always know the day on which your account will be debited in advance and allows you to ensure that it holds sufficient funds.
Refund claims for SEPA direct debit payments can be submitted for up to eight weeks after the payment date. Unauthorised direct debits can also be claimed back within a period of up to 13 months.