Belarusians with Expired Documents Blocked in Revolut

On the night of October 31 to November 1, some Belarusians living in the EU faced the blocking of their Revolut accounts. Reform.news contacted the international fintech service for clarification.

The pattern was roughly the same: during the night, users first received a message asking them to update documents confirming their identity and legal right to stay in the EU, followed almost immediately by a second message informing them that their account had been blocked.

“As a globally regulated financial institution, Revolut is required to comply with the laws and sanctions regulations established by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and all other applicable sanctions regimes in all jurisdictions where Revolut operates. More detailed information is available in Revolut’s Global Sanctions Policy,” the company’s press service told Reform.news.

The issue relates to the EU’s 19th sanctions package against Russia and Belarus. The new rules prohibit credit institutions, including Revolut, from providing payment or electronic money services to citizens of Russia or Belarus, or to companies owned or controlled by them.

Exceptions apply only to those who have:

• a valid (non-expired) temporary or permanent residence permit issued by an EU member state, an EEA country, or Switzerland;
• a valid (non-expired) document confirming citizenship of an EU member state, an EEA country, or Switzerland.

Why Did EU Residents Face Problems?

The vast majority of Belarusian citizens legally reside in the EU, but they must periodically renew documents that expire. This is where the problems began. Revolut gives users sufficient time to upload new documents, but many clients simply forget to do so. Their accounts were blocked last night.

As Revolut explained to Reform.news, such clients are now being asked to provide updated documents confirming their residency. The process may take some time due to the high number of simultaneous requests.

Reform.news also asked representatives of the fintech service about holders of D-type visas — long-term national visas that EU countries (including Poland) issue to foreigners for stays exceeding 90 days, effectively replacing a residence permit. Previously, such visa holders could open a Revolut account.

No answer was received as to whether such Belarusian citizens will be able to continue using the service.

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Revolut is an international fintech service that provides banking and financial services through a mobile application. The company was founded in 2015 in the United Kingdom.

The service is available to residents of more than 30 countries in the European Economic Area, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Switzerland, and several other states.

Revolut Ltd holds an electronic money license issued by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In the EU, operations are managed by Revolut Bank UAB, a licensed bank registered in Lithuania and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania.

For users from Russia and Belarus, account opening and servicing are officially unavailable.