Can you disable Verification of Payee?
Short answer: a payer can choose to proceed despite a warning, but banks and PSPs generally cannot opt out — Verification of Payee is mandatory under the Instant Payments Regulation.
What you can and can't switch off
Verification of Payee is designed to be informative, not blocking: it shows the payer whether the name matches before they confirm. The payer can still decide to send, correct the name, or stop. In that sense, no one is forced to obey the result.
However, offering the check is mandatory for payment service providers. Under the Instant Payments Regulation, every PSP that offers euro credit transfers must provide a free VoP check to payers — so a bank cannot simply turn the feature off.
It depends who you are
If you're a payer
You can't remove the check, but you're never forced to follow it — you decide whether to proceed after a warning.
If you're a bank or PSP
You must offer VoP on euro credit transfers; opting out isn't permitted under the regulation.
If you're a business
You can't disable the scheme, but you can integrate it cleanly so legitimate bulk payments aren't slowed down.
Seeing a VoP check you didn't expect?
If a name check appeared on a payment, it's your bank meeting the EU's Verification of Payee requirement — a safeguard against sending money to the wrong account. It's free and adds only a fraction of a second.
FAQ
Not as a feature. VoP is mandatory for PSPs under the Instant Payments Regulation. As a payer you can't switch it off, but you can choose to proceed after a no-match warning — the check is advisory, not blocking.
Yes. VoP informs the decision; it doesn't block the payment. After a close match or no match the payer can still confirm, correct the name, or stop.
No. Any PSP offering euro credit transfers in the EU must provide a free Verification of Payee check, with deadlines of October 2025 (euro area) and July 2027 (non-euro EU).
Because your bank now offers Verification of Payee to comply with EU rules. It confirms the payee name matches the IBAN before you send, to reduce misdirected payments and fraud.
Implementing VoP for your institution?
We'll help you offer a compliant, low-friction Verification of Payee check.