Frequent questions about SEPA Direct Debits

More commonly known as a Direct Debit Authorization (DDA), mandate is the term used within the SEPA framework.

The debtor grants the creditor authorization to debit the account, which initiates the process of activating the SEPA DDA. Banks no longer accept SEPA DDAs for activation, and debtors no longer carry out this action either at ATMs or through their bank branches or online banking.

However, debtors can still perform the following actions through banks and self-service channels:

• Consultation
• Change of maximum debit amount
• Change of expiry date
• Deactivation/Reactivation: this functionality allows the debtor to deactivate the SEPA Direct Debit authorization, preventing new debits from being made. The reactivation functionality enables the authorization to be reinstated
• Any change of account (IBAN) must be requested directly from the creditor.

Debtors who are consumers, micro-enterprises, or businesses are entitled to special protection measures. For example:

• Set limits on debits, either by amount or frequency
• Block your account for any direct debit or choose which creditors are allowed to make SEPA direct debits on your account
• Refunds: up to 8 weeks after a debit, you can request a refund from your bank. After that, you still have 13 months from the debit date to request a refund if the debit was not authorized by you or was executed incorrectly