Payment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling) (Netherlands)
The Payment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling) is issued by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) under Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market (PSD2). It can be passported to the other EU/EEA states by notification. The legal decision period is 3 months from receipt of a complete application. The application fee is EUR 6,800. Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.
At a glance
| Official name | Payment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling)1 |
|---|---|
| Issued by | De Nederlandsche Bank |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands |
| Licence family | Payment institution (PI) |
| Legal basis | Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market (PSD2)2 |
| Passporting | EU/EEA passport available |
| Application fee | EUR 6,8003 |
| Statutory decision time | 3 months from receipt of a complete application4 |
What it lets you do
- Execution of payment transactions
- Money remittance
- Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions
- Payment initiation services
- Account information services
- Execution of payment transactions. Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account.
- Money remittance. Receiving funds from a payer solely to transfer them to a payee or another provider, without opening payment accounts.
- Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions. Issuing cards or other payment instruments to payers, and acquiring card and other payment transactions for merchants.
- Payment initiation services. Initiating a payment order at the user's request from an account held with another provider, as in open banking.
- Account information services. Providing consolidated online information on one or more payment accounts the user holds with other providers.
Where it is valid
Cost
How long it takes
Statutory: 3 months from receipt of a complete application4. Observed: not published. The statutory clock usually starts only when the regulator treats the application as complete, and pauses while it waits for answers to its questions.
Buying a company that already holds it
Prior approval required. Under Section 3:95 Wft and MiCA Articles 41 and 83, acquiring, increasing, or disposing of a qualifying holding (direct or indirect holding of 10% or more of voting rights or shares, or exercising significant influence) in a payment institution, EMI, or ART issuer requires a prior Declaration of No-Objection (DNO / VVGB) from DNB (the ECB assesses banks). Threshold bandwidth upper limits are set at 20%, 30/33%, 50%, or 100%. The statutory decision period is 60 working days from receipt of a complete application, extendable once by up to 30 working days for RFIs, governed by lex silencio positivo.5
Laws behind it
- Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market: Directive (EU) 2015/2366
Sources
- dnb.nl: licensing requirement for payment service providers overview · retrieved 2026-09-24
- eur-lex.europa.eu: HTML (32015L2366) · retrieved 2026-09-24
- wetten.overheid.nl: 2024 12 30 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: application process timeline · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dnb.nl: dno application time frame · retrieved 2026-09-24
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