A new Guide to Opening Bank Accounts that will make it easier for international protection applicants and people with status to open bank accounts has been published by the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI).
The guide states that banks in Ireland welcome international protection applicants as banking customers and will now accept temporary residence certificates (TRCs) as proof of identity, if applicants do not have passports or driving licenses.
The Guide will be provided in Arabic, French, Somalian, Georgian, Albanian, and English and will be provided to all centres providing accommodation to international protection applicants.
The Report of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation for Persons in the International Protection Process (the Catherine Day Group) recommended that the State take the necessary steps to ensure that EU Directive 2014/92/ is respected and that all banks operating in the State respect the right of applicants for International Protection to open and hold basic banks accounts.
Banks are obliged to respect the right of International Protection applicants (and others) to open and hold a basic bank account without undue difficulty, as provided in the EU Payment Accounts Directive which was transposed into national legislation in the EU Payment Accounts Regulations 2016.
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