What is Verification of Payee (VoP)?
Verification of Payee (VoP) checks that the recipient’s name matches the name on their bank account.
The scheme runs across the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) to help keep payments from European customers to EUR recipients safe, and stop money being sent to the wrong account due to scams or typos.
How does it work?
When you send money to a new or existing EUR recipient, we’ll check with their bank to make sure that the name and IBAN match their account details.
If the name matches, the transfer can go ahead as planned.
If the name doesn’t match, we’ll let you know so that you can double-check the details before continuing.
What will I see with VoP?
There are four possible outcomes:
Match: The IBAN and name match exactly. You can continue with your transfer.
Close match: The name is similar but not exact (e.g. 'Jon Smith' instead of 'John Smith'). You can update the name, or go ahead anyway.
No match: The IBAN and name don’t match. You’ll need to update the recipient’s name or account details before sending.
Verification not possible: This may be because the VoP service is unavailable, there’s a technical issue, or the recipient’s bank hasn’t yet launched VoP. You should confirm the details directly with your recipient. Transfers can’t proceed until there’s a match or a close match.
Why is VoP important?
Verification of Payee helps keep your money safe. It reduces the risk of sending payments to the wrong account by mistake or falling victim to scams where fraudsters pretend to be someone else.
VoP also supports new security rules introduced by European regulators to make payments safer across SEPA. By checking that names and account details match before money is sent, VoP gives you more confidence that your payment is going to the right person or business.