SEPA in France Useful links French Banker s Association for Standardisation (in French language) http://www.cfonb.org/ SEPA Migration Plan by Comité National SEPA Download the PDF Additional optional service (AOS) SEPA Credit Transfer Reversal - SCTR Pages Quick facts International Bank Account Number (IBAN) IBAN structure IBAN accounts have 27 characters Country code 2 letters Check digit 2 numbers Legacy code Banque 5 numbers Legacy code Guichet 5 numbers French national account number 11 numbers and/ or letters French check digit (clé RIB) 2 numbers Position 1 and 2 Position 3 and 4 Position 5 to 9 Position 10 to 14 Position 15 to 25 Position 26 and 27 FR 12 12345 12345 1234567A890 12 22 SEPA Country Sheets - France
IBAN conversion services RBS offers you legacy French account to IBAN conversion services and, if needed, automated enrichment of your payment files, as part of RBS SEPA Accelerator. To learn more about these services please contact your RBS representative. Local payment formats Legacy file formats that can be used until 1 February 2014 CFONB160 CFONB320 For French domestic non-urgent euro transactions For cross-border non-urgent euro transactions within SEPA zone By 1 February 2014 you are required to use ISO 20022 XML (CGI) files as a replacement for the abovementioned file, except for niche products TIP and Télérèglement. RBS offers you value-added solutions to file translation and enrichment, so that your legacy files are translated for you, as part of RBS SEPA Accelerator. To learn more about these services please contact your RBS representative. Payment instruments: convergence to SEPA Legacy payment instruments Domestic single and batch ACH payment ( Virement ) SEPA payment instrument SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) International Standard Payment (in SEPA zone and in euro) Legacy collection instruments Domestic Direct Debits ( Prélèvement ) Domestic Direct Debits ( Prelevement accelere ) Legacy French instruments SEPA collection instruments SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) Core SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) Business to Business Which will be continued TIP - Titre interbancaire de Paiement Is a niche product and will remain unchanged until 1 February 2016. Télérèglement Is a niche product and will remain unchanged until 1 February 2016. 23 SEPA Country Sheets - France
Derogations Derogation Applicable date Applicable Significance for you Translation from BBAN to IBAN Start 01-02-2014 End 01-02-2016 No You are required to provide ordering and beneficiary account numbers in IBAN format for all non-urgent euro transactions within SEPA zone after 1 February 2014. Niche products Start 01-02-2014 End 01-02-2016 ISO 20022 XML Start 01-02-2014 End 01-02-2016 IBAN and BIC Start 01-02-2014 End 01-02-2016 Source: European Central Bank Yes No No Legacy products TIP and Télérèglement will not yet migrate to SEPA and will be continued until 1 February 2016; SEPA requirements (IBAN and XML) do not apply to niche products. You are required to use only SEPA payment instruments for all other non-urgent euro transactions within SEPA zone after 1 February 2014. You are required to use only ISO 20022 XML messages for bulk non-urgent euro payment and collections files within SEPA zone after 1 February 2014. You are no longer required to provide BIC codes for national SEPA payments and collections after February 2014; IBAN will suffice for identification of your national counterparty. Comparison on legacy and SEPA Credit Transfers Scheme Virement SEPA Credit Transfer File format CFONB160 (plain text) XML Pain.001.001.03 Supportive of SCT Debtor and creditor account details Eligible beneficiaries Delivery timelines for debit on day D No Legacy accounts and bank codes ( R.I.B. ) and no IBAN Consumer and business, but only in France D Yes IBAN accounts and BIC codes Consumer and business, in 32 SEPA countries D 24 SEPA Country Sheets - France
Scheme Virement SEPA Credit Transfer RBS cut-off time on D* Book date / value date (when received prior to cut-off time) Access Direct / SWIFTNet FileAct 10h00 CET Access Online / Local Electronic Banking / SWIFTNet FIN - 10h30 CET Debit: D Credit: D 12h00 CET (14h00 from September 2013) Debit: D Credit: D Clearing and settlement National clearing EBA/Step 2 *Cut-off times are applicable for those formats/channels that support legacy scheme in the country. Additional optional service (AOS) The SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) Reversal AOS is a mechanism that allows banks to reverse wrongly sent SCT transactions in an automated way. However, there are strictly defined conditions applicable to this service: it can only be used for batch SCTs, for example, or should only correct technical errors made by banks, e.g. duplicate sending. This AOS is only for the use of banks; they cannot use it on behalf of their customers. For more information, please follow the link to AOS - SCT Reversal. The Change Account Identification (CAI) is a value-added service allowing registered participants to exchange the ISO20022 XML Identification Modification Advice (acmt.022.001.02) messages. The purpose of these messages is to let transaction initiators become aware of their counterparties who have changed their account. SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) management Creditor Identifier for SDD French SDD Creditor Identifiers have 13 characters (also known as Identifiant Créancier SEPA or ICS ) Country code Check digit 2 numbers Business code (set yourself) 3 letters Your French legacy creditor ID (Numéro National d Emetteur NNE) 6 numbers Position 1 and 2 Position 3 and 4 Position 5 to 7, default ZZZ Position 8 to 13 25 SEPA Country Sheets - France
French SDD Creditor Identifiers have 13 characters (also known as Identifiant Créancier SEPA or ICS ) FR 12 ZZZ 123456 Source: European Payments Council In France, a SDD Creditor Identifier can be requested at RBS. Your Creditor Identifier will be created by the French central bank (Banque de France) based on a request from RBS. Non resident companies that currently have a French NNE need to apply for the Creditor Identifier in their home country. Comparison of legacy and SDD Scheme Legacy Direct Debit (Prélèvement and Prelevement accéleré) SEPA Direct Debit Core SEPA Direct Debit Business to Business File format CFONB160 XML Pain.008.001.02 XML Pain.008.001.02 Supportive of SDD No Yes Yes Debtor and creditor account details Legacy accounts and bank codes ( R.I.B. ) and no IBAN IBAN accounts and BIC codes IBAN accounts and BIC codes Eligible debtors Consumer and business, but only in France Consumer and business, in 32 SEPA countries Business only, in 32 SEPA countries Micro enterprises Not applicable Not applicable Seen as business Mandates Creditor holds a paper direct debit request, debtor bank holds a paper authorisation Creditor holds a paper version Creditor and debtor bank hold a paper version Mandate migration Yes, to Core Yes, from legacy Never, always new mandate required Mandate check by bank Checked by debtor bank Not required Debtor bank obliged to check every transaction against the mandate, before debiting 26 SEPA Country Sheets - France
Scheme Legacy Direct Debit (Prélèvement and Prelevement accéleré) SEPA Direct Debit Core SEPA Direct Debit Business to Business Frequency Recurring mainly One-off and recurring One-off and recurring Delivery timelines for debit on day D D-4 standard D-2 express (accéleré) D-5 for first/one-off D-2 for recurrent/last D-1 RBS cut-off time on delivery day* 16h00 CET 09h00 CET (from June 2013) 09h00 CET (from June 2013) Pre-notification timelines 15 business days prior to day D, unless otherwise agreed 14 calendar days prior to day D, unless otherwise agreed with debtor 14 calendar days prior to day D, unless otherwise agreed with debtor Refund rights Consumers: 8 calendar weeks after D Businesses: 8 calendar weeks after D (13 months for unauthorised debits) Consumers: 8 weeks after D Businesses: 8 weeks after D (13 months for unauthorised debits) Businesses: none (13 months for unauthorised debits) Returns (by debtor bank) From D to D+7 From D to D+5 From D to D+2 Reversals (by creditor) From D to D+8 (called cancellation request). Can only be executed by the bank. From D to D+5 From D to D+5 Clearing and settlement National clearing EBA Step 2 EBA Step 2 *Cut-off times are applicable for those formats/channels that support legacy scheme in the country. Reason code usage At the moment of writing all reason codes to be used in exception handling R-transactions, as set out in the SEPA rulebook, can be used in France. Exception handling of legacy Direct Debit collections In relation to legacy collection files initiated prior to the migration end date and resulting in exception (R-transaction) after 1 February 2014, we know the following. Post migration returns and rejections of legacy direct debits will be settled in legacy format. 27 SEPA Country Sheets - France
Mandate management Legacy mandate migration In France, all valid legacy mandates can be migrated to the SDD Core Scheme without requiring a new signature from your counterparties. The use of the SDD Business to Business Scheme requires a new compliant mandate. The migration rules only apply to recurrent direct debits previously processed in the legacy direct debit (Prélèvement and Prélèvement accelere) schemes, migrating to the SDD Core Scheme. The French committee for banking standards have proposed to start the Unique Mandate Reference with ++, which will indicate that it is a migrated mandate. Use of this rule is a decision for each creditor. First SDD Core Collection Instruction The first SDD collection based on a migrated legacy mandate requires the sequence type FIRST. Then, depending on your SEPA Creditor ID, you might need to use true in the amendment indicator filed, as follows: 1. If your French legacy Creditor ID, previously used for national transactions, is embedded in your SDD Creditor ID (as 6 last digits), then you can leave the amendment indicator default value as false. Your legacy mandates will migrate with the first SDD collection. 2. If your SEPA Creditor ID does not include your legacy Creditor ID, then you should use the value true in the amendment indicator field as follows: Field 2.50 AmendmentIndicator This field takes the value true and is followed by information in field 2.51. Field 2.51 AmendmentInformationDetails This field includes the list of mandate elements which have been modified. Field 2.53 is mandatory if its value has been modified. Field 2.53 OriginalCreditorSchemeIdentification This field includes the value: former creditor-id (Numéro National d Emetteur). This data is used by the debtor s bank in order to link the migrated mandate to the previous mandate, which enables a check on whether the debtor has placed a block on this creditor. 28 SEPA Country Sheets - France
Additional mandate requirements Mandate Legacy DD Fields SDD Fields Unique Mandate Reference Not applicable Mandatory should start with ++ for migrated mandates Name of the debtor Mandatory Mandatory Address of the debtor Mandatory Optional Postal code/city of the debtor Mandatory Optional Debtor s country of residence Not applicable Optional Debtor s account number IBAN Legacy account ("R.I.B." format) Mandatory The BIC code of the debtor bank Not used (legacy code Banque and legacy code Guichet used as part of the R.I.B ) Mandatory Creditor company name Mandatory Mandatory Creditor s identifier Mandatory (NNE) Mandatory (ICS) Creditor s address street and number Mandatory Optional Creditor s postal code and city Mandatory Optional Country of the creditor Not applicable Optional Type of payment Recurrent mainly Mandatory one off allowed Signature place Not applicable Optional Date and signature(s) Mandatory Mandatory Additional attributes for information only: Debtor identification code Not applicable Optional Name of the Debtor Reference Party Identification code of the Debtor Reference Party Name of the Creditor Reference Party Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Optional Optional Optional 29 SEPA Country Sheets - France
Mandate Legacy DD Fields SDD Fields Identification code of the Creditor Reference Party Not applicable Optional Underlying contract identifier Not applicable Optional Contract description Not applicable Optional RBS offers you translation and enrichment of your legacy mandates to SEPA standards, as well as a full life cycle mandate management tool, as part of RBS SEPA Accelerator. To learn more about these services please contact your RBS representative. 30 SEPA Country Sheets - France
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