Hey bunqers 🌈,

What happens to your bunq account depends on the type of guardianship and the court order. Where the order covers your finances, your account keeps receiving incoming payments, but all outgoing payments are paused until your legal guardian asks us to release them. 

From the moment the guardianship is in place, we must act on instructions from your court-appointed guardian. So the fastest route to getting your account back is to ask your guardian to email guardianship@bunq.com with the court order, a filled in and signed Administrator Consent Form, and a copy of their valid ID.

Heads up: From December 28, 2021, we paused the opening of new accounts for people under legal guardianship. If you already have an existing account with us that you activated before this date, this change won’t affect you in any way!

What's legal guardianship?

A legal guardianship is a court-ordered measure that protects people who need support managing their money or their personal affairs. A court-appointed guardian takes over some or all decision-making authority on your behalf. The extent of granted authority they have depends on the type of guardianship and on your country. 

How does this affect my bunq account?

Step 1. We'll let you know

You get an in-app message from us as soon as we process the guardianship. We process it once your guardian has contacted us and sent the necessary documentation, including the court order.

To find your in-app notification from bunq:

1. Tap your profile in the top left corner

2. Tap "See More" under Activity

3. Look for the message about your guardianship

Step 2. Limitations on your accounts

You can still receive money. Where a block applies, every monetary account in your name is restricted to incoming payments only, so money coming in still arrives and payments going out are paused. That covers any joint accounts and any company accounts you're liable for without limit.

Whether a block applies at all depends on the type of guardianship, your guardian, and what the court order specifies. The block stays in place until your guardian contacts us with a request to release it or until the guardianship ends.

Your guardian may also instruct us to transfer your available balance, or a specific amount, to a dedicated account. They have the legal right to request permanent termination of your bunq account as well. In either case we're legally required to follow their instructions.

Important: bunq can't accept instructions or documentation directly from you while your account is under guardianship. The court has given that authority to your guardian, so every request has to come from them.

Step 3. Unblocking your account

Your account can be unblocked in one of two ways, and both start with your guardian:

1. Your legal guardian contacts us with a request to release your account and provides all of the following: the court order, a filled in and signed Administrator Consent Form, and a copy of their valid ID.

2. Your legal guardian contacts us with a court order confirming that the legal guardianship has ended.

Important: bunq can't accept copies of documents or screenshots from users, even when they're copies of exactly the right paperwork. All documentation has to reach us directly from your legal guardian.

When will my account be unblocked?

That's your guardian's decision rather than ours, so the timing depends on when they send us the request. bunq has no authority to unblock your account independently while the guardianship is in place, and every decision rests with your court-appointed guardian.

If you'd like your account released, contact your guardian directly and ask them to email us. Once we receive a complete request with the necessary documentation, we’ll unblock your account within 24 hours..

My account was blocked on request of my legal guardian. How can I reactivate it? 

Your guardian sends us the release request, and what they need to include depends on your country and the type of guardianship ruling.

🇳🇱 Netherlands — Bewind or Curatele

Your guardian, the bewindvoerder or curator, has exclusive authority over your finances, so the request has to come from them. To have your account unblocked, they contact us directly at guardianship@bunq.com with all of the following:

• The court order

• A filled in and signed Administrator Consent Form

• A copy of the guardian's valid ID

bunq can't act on your request alone. All instructions have to come directly from your guardian.

🇩🇪 Germany — Betreuung

How your account is handled depends on whether the court order includes an Einwilligungsvorbehalt, a reservation of consent covering financial matters.

Without an Einwilligungsvorbehalt: You keep full legal capacity over your finances, and your account stays unrestricted.

With an Einwilligungsvorbehalt: Your guardian, the Betreuer, contacts us at guardianship@bunq.com with all of the following:

• The court order, clearly showing the Einwilligungsvorbehalt and its scope

• A filled in and signed Administrator Consent Form

• A copy of the guardian's valid ID

Important: bunq can't accept copies of documents or screenshots from users. All documentation has to reach us directly from your guardian.

Other countries (🇧🇪, 🇫🇷, 🇪🇸, 🇮🇹 and others)

Guardianship rules vary from country to country, and the process with us stays the same. If you're banking with bunq outside the Netherlands or Germany, your guardian contacts us at guardianship@bunq.com with the relevant court order, a filled in and signed Administrator Consent Form, and a copy of their valid ID.

I have another question about legal guardianship. Who do I contact?

Your guardian is the right first stop for anything about your specific case, your rights, or the guardianship process. They have full visibility of your situation and can advise you on it.

For guardianship-related requests aimed at bunq, your guardian can reach us at guardianship@bunq.com.

When will my legal guardianship end?

The court and your guardian set that timeline, and bunq has no influence over it. Once a judge rules on the termination of the guardianship, we need the written verdict directly from your guardian before we can take any action on your account.

🇳🇱 Netherlands

If you're in the Netherlands, you can also check whether the end of your guardianship has been registered publicly by de Rechtspraak in Centraal Curatele- en Bewindregister.