A landlord or employer rejected my non-German IBAN

Question

Accepted Answer

Your salary, rent, or a direct debit was refused because your IBAN is not German — even though it is a valid euro account from another EU country. You are told to open a German account or lose the arrangement. Refusing a valid EU IBAN is against the rules — you can push back with the rule in hand. Know the rule: IBAN discrimination is prohibited across the SEPA area. A business may not insist on a German IBAN for a euro payment or direct debit when you offer a valid EU/EEA one. State it plainly, in writing: any SEPA-reachable euro account must be accepted for incoming and outgoing euro transactions. Most refusals are ignorance, not malice, and fold once cited. Still refused? Report it — the Bundesbank runs a SEPA-complaint channel for exactly this, and simply naming it usually resolves matters. That said, a German account still helps in practice (some legacy systems, cash, instant transfers). Opening one can be pragmatic even while you assert the rule. Never treat "German IBAN only" as the law — it is the opposite of the law. Rule for next time: keep this rule handy; IBAN discrimination is one of the few things where a short, cited email reliably wins.