Verification of payee (VOP)

Where and how often must SEPA transfers and SEPA instant transfers be signed?

The order types for SEPA transfers and SEPA instant transfers are linked to the Verification of Payee (VOP) by default. This means that an additional signature is always required. So if you are authorized to use a single bank-specific signature in the EDS, you must sign twice with VOP. If you sign bank-specifically with an A or B signature, you must also sign twice and the second user must sign once.

The process with VOP and two users with signatures A and B is therefore as follows:

User 1

User 2

FAQ 288

Can I switch off the verification of payee (VOP)?

The verification of payee (VOP) can be switched off, either completely or for a specific order. Complete deactivation is only advisable if a bank does not perform any verification of payees.

Complete deactivation

  1. Open the properties of the affected bank connection via the context menu.
  2. Click on the heading SEPA payments.
  3. Uncheck Permit verification of payee (VOP) for a complete deactivation.

Note: The following setting, Enforce verification of payee (VOP) for single payments, allows the verification of payee to be disabled when signing a single payment. This is not compliant with the rules and shall therefore only be done after an agreement with the bank.

Deactivation for a specific order

  1. When signing open payments or send files, the checkbox Verify payees (VOP) is available below the order data.
  2. To disable the verification, remove the check mark. Please note:
    • For an order with only one payment record, switching off is only possible if this has been permitted in the bank properties.
    • If you sign several orders together, there is one checkbox per order.

FAQ 289

For most orders, I don't need the verification of the payees (VOP), but I have to uncheck the box every time I sign. Can I change this?

BL Banking is preset so that the checkbox Verify payees(VOP) is checked by default when signing. You can change this with a preference.

  1. Open Preferences from the menu Edit and then File transfers – Verification of payee (VOP).
  2. Uncheck Activate the verification of the payee (VOP) by default.

When signing, the checkbox is now no longer pre-checked for you personally. Single payments are excluded, as VOP is mandatory for these. Your personal preference will only apply to single payments if the bank settings allow to disable VOP for them.

FAQ 290

The result of the verification of payees (VOP) indicates that payees are incorrect. Can I approve the order despite this?

Orders can be released regardless of the result of the verification of payees. The bank will execute the order as requested. However, you must then ensure that the money reaches the intended payee on your own responsibility.

FAQ 291

When signing, the checkbox Verify payees (VOP) is missing. What is the reason for this?

When signing an order, the checkbox Verify payees (VOP) is only visible under the following conditions:

FAQ 292

When signing open payments/directly sent files, I am asked if I want to see results from previous verification of payee. What does this mean?

BL Banking generates a tabular overview of the negative results from previous payee verifications that occurred at one of your banks. This overview is intended as an assistance, e.g., to correct the payee and the open payment or file in question before submission. This does not substitute a current verification of payee, but it increases the chance of getting a correct verification result for the new order.

If you do not want to see this message at all, you can check the box Do not show this message again within the message. In the preferences, you can reactivate the message under File transfers – Verification of payee (VOP) if you wish.

FAQ 293

The bank has rejected a SEPA transfer/SEPA instant transfer because the verification of payee (VOP) is missing. What shall I do?

As a corporate customer, you can only submit orders with several payments without verification of payee in accordance with the regulations. Resubmit the rejected order with verification of payee. Verification of payee (VOP) is mandatory for individual payments. When signing an open payment or a transmission file for the first time, the checkbox Verify payees (VOP) must therefore be checked. If in doubt, contact your bank.

The checkbox Verify payees (VOP) is missing? See FAQ 292

FAQ 294

Which program version do I need to use verification of payee (VOP)?

Verification of payee is available in BL Banking for the first time in version 1.18.100. If you do not have this version installed, you must update your software. The installed version is displayed in the program's title bar.

  1. To update BL Banking, select Help – Update application from the menu.
  2. If a new version is available for you, a dialog box will be displayed from which you can start the installation wizard.
  3. Follow the instructions provided by the wizard. Install BL Banking in the existing installation directory.

You can now request verification of payee for SEPA transfers and SEPA instant transfers. If you have an older version and are unable to update as described, please contact the support team.

FAQ 295

A bank rejects SEPA transfers/SEPA instant transfers with verification of payee (VOP). What can I do?

SEPA transfers and instant transfers with verification of payee (VOP) are submitted to the bank with a different order type than those without verification. Both are stored in the send parameters of the bank by default. If the bank cannot or does not have to offer the verification of payee, the VOP-connected order types will not be executed. Contact the bank to find out which is the case.

To use all order types without verification of payee, simply uncheck the Permit verification of payee (VOP) checkbox in the bank properties under SEPA payments. Then, BL Banking always uses order types without verification of payee.

FAQ 296

The results of the verification of payee (VOP) contain recommended names. Where can I enter them?

Apply recommended names to saved recipients

  1. In the perspective Payments, open the tab Recipients.
  2. Refresh the view (F5) and sort by the column Result of the verification of payee (VOP)..
  3. SEPA recipients for whom a name is recommended have the entry Close match (RVMC) in this column. Double-click to open one of them.
  4. In the line Recommended name, click the button Apply to change the field Name and click Finish to save the recipient.

Modify recipient when recording an open payment

  1. Enter a SEPA transfer or SEPA instant transfer and select a saved recipient. The recommended name from the previous verification of payee is displayed at the end of the line VOP result under the field Name.
  2. Enter the name manually in the field Name and check the box Save recipient. This will also add the recommended name to the saved recipients.

FAQ 297

The result of the verification of payee (VOP) indicates that payees are incorrect. How can I correct a payee in the order?

If you want to correct orders due to negative VOP results, several steps are required. It is not possible to change recipients in the original order or delete payments with incorrect payees from the order. Since the order has already been submitted to the bank, it must be cancelled and resubmitted, even if you have not yet signed it bank-specifically .

You do not need to record the payments completely from scratch if you proceed as described here. This also applies to payments from directly sent files, i.e. you do not need a new file from the source system to send it to the bank.

  1. Open the EDS in the perspective Orders and select the order in question.
  2. Select Import as open payments from the context menu and click Finish. Leave the checkbox Apply recipient unchecked to avoid applying the wrong recipients.
  3. Select Cancel order from the context menu and confirm with your password. The order will now no longer be displayed on the page for open EDS orders. At the bottom of the page, you can switch to Cancelled if desired.
  4. Switch to the perspective Payments s;– Open payments. All payments from the cancelled order are available here again as open payments, including payments that originally came from a directly sent file. 5.To edit a payment with an incorrect payee, open it by selecting Properties from the context menu. Change the payee's name in the dialog box Edit SEPA transfer. If you need this recipient again, check the box Save recipient and click Finish. Proceed in the same way for other payments with incorrect payees.
  5. Resubmit the order to the bank.

You can uncheck the box Check recipient (VOP) this time, if possible, because a verification was recently done. Then, your first signature in the EDS is counted bank-specifically and the approval process is thus shortened by one signature.

Further information on these topics can be found in the sections Import payment and Cancel order.

FAQ 298

What do the results of the verification of payee (VOP) mean?

The verification of the payee (VOP) compares the name of the payee in the order with the name that the payee's bank has stored for the IBAN. There are four categories for the results:

RCVC – Full match

RVMC – Close match

RVNM – No match

RVNA – Verification not applicable

While waiting for the result, PDNG may also occur. In the case of a close match, a proposal for correction is provided; if there is no match, you must research the correct name yourself by contacting the recipient or by a research in a commercial register etc. The difference between a close match and no match may be minor. If the verification was not possible, contact your bank to find out the reason.

FAQ 299

Why do two order types for SEPA transfers and SEPA instant transfers exist?

In EBICS, the order type is used to determine whether or not verification of payee (VOP) is required for an order so that the order can be processed accordingly. This means that you need both order types.

Default values for German banks (order type | BTF)

SEPA transfer with VOP: CTV | SCT::VOI_pain.001 SEPA transfer without VOP: CCT | SCT::VOO_pain.001

SEPA instant transfer with VOP: CIV | SCI::VOI_pain.001 SEPA instant transfer without VOP: CIP | SCI::VOO_pain.001

Note: For banks with Austrian or Swiss country code, other default values are provided, which you can see in the bank properties under Send parameters. For the VOP results, there is an additional order type that can be used to retrieve the status report (notification). By default, this is VPZ | REP:DE:VOP_pain.002:ZIP.

FAQ 300

Where does BL Banking get the results of the verification of payee (VOP) and how long does a verification take?

BL Banking does not verify payees itself. The request is transmitted via the ordering bank (your bank) to the payee's bank. The payee's bank can perform the verification itself or pass it on to a service provider.

The verification result should be available within a few seconds. BL Banking automatically retrieves VOP results after 60 seconds. You can change this time limit in your preferences under File transfers – Verification of payee (VOP). Technical problems with the bank server or the payee's bank can cause delays. If you have to wait too long, contact your bank.

FAQ 301

I have been using recipients without any problems so far. However, the verification of payee (VOP) reports errors. What is the reason for this?

The verification of payee (VOP) only accepts payees as correct if the name you use is stored with the payee's bank for the IBAN. An error does not necessarily mean that the IBAN is incorrect. If a company owner is registered as the account holder, the company name will be considered incorrect. If you use the same name for different accounts belonging to the same payee, the results may vary depending on which account holder is registered with the payee's bank.

It is generally advisable to enter names in accordance with the payee's bank. However, if you are sure that your payments have reached the intended recipient so far, you can, for once, ignore an incorrect result from the verification of payee and still approve the order.

FAQ 302

After introducing verification of payee (VOP), I am receiving error messages from a bank. What may be the reason for this?

To ensure that SEPA transfers/SEPA instant transfers work properly, measures must be taken on both sides (client and server). BL Banking is designed for the default use case of verification of payee (VOP), which stipulates that all banks must offer the VOP service and that corporate customers have a choice with bulk payments. The bank properties and preferences are preset accordingly; see the sections SEPA payments, Send parameters and User profile als well as Notifications in chapter Bank properties and the section Verification of payee (VOP) in chapter Preferences.

On the bank side, additional order types with VOP processing must be set up for this standard scenario, and VOP notifications must be sent. Bank customers or their subscribers must be permitted for the send order types with and without VOP. If an error occurs here, individual subscribers may not receive all the necessary permissions, for example. It is also possible that a bank has opted for a procedure that deviates from the standard. In such cases, you must change the relevant settings in BL Banking after consulting with the bank.

Example: A bank only accepts SEPA transfers with VOP. All orders without VOP are rejected.

If unexpected errors occur, first check the following:

FAQ 303

Why do I get different VOP results for the same payee?

There may be various reasons why the verification of payee evaluates the same payee differently:

FAQ 304