The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, acting on a letter from the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, has issued a recommendation enabling refugees and asylum seekers to access a range of banking services without discrimination, thereby ensuring measures of equality and protection from discrimination in the area of financial inclusion for refugees, asylum seekers, and individuals with granted temporary protection.
Namely, the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, in a letter dated September 18, 2024, highlighted the difficulties these individuals face when opening bank accounts and proving their legal stay in Serbia.
The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality has recommended that banks allow refugees, individuals with subsidiary protection, and asylum seekers to access banking products and services (such as opening and using a basic payment account) without discrimination. In its recommendation, issued on December 27, 2024, the Commissioner reminds banks that they must ensure access to banking products and services, including the opening and use of basic payment accounts, without discrimination based on any actual or presumed personal characteristic. It is essential to consider the specific status of refugees in terms of residence, right to work, the appearance of personal documents, and documents issued in the asylum procedure.
The Law on Payment Services, in Article 73b, clearly prohibits discrimination when opening accounts for individuals with legal residence in Serbia, including refugees and asylum seekers. Article 73n of this law stipulates that banks must allow the opening of a payment account with basic services for any consumer with legal residence, and the conditions for its use must be non-discriminatory.
Providing access to financial services is crucial for refugees and asylum seekers, as without a payment account, they cannot receive wages, social assistance, or other financial benefits. Additionally, denying access to basic financial services can lead to a higher risk of irregular transactions and impact the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.
We remind you that the Belgrade Center for Human Rights has been raising public awareness about this issue for years, and before the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, it has filed several complaints and conducted one situational test, through which discrimination in access to banking services for this category of individuals was established.
The Belgrade Center for Human Rights will carefully monitor the implementation of the Commissioner’s recommendation, hoping that such cases will become less frequent.
