A classic SEPA transfer to Revolut that gets stuck for three days without explanation, a bank advisor vaguely mentioning “security checks”: this situation has become common since French banks tightened their anti-money laundering filters on transfers to neobanks. Resolving this type of blockage rarely happens with just one phone call, and the procedure depends as much on your bank as on the type of transfer chosen.
Instant SEPA transfer to Revolut: the workaround that works
Before trying to negotiate with your bank, you can test a simple technical solution. Instant SEPA transfers bypass the vast majority of blockages affecting standard transfers. According to a UFC-Que Choisir study published in April 2026, users report execution in less than 10 seconds, compared to delays of 2 to 5 days for a classic transfer (when it is not outright rejected).
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The reason lies in the circuit taken. A standard transfer goes through processing queues where banking algorithms apply risk filters. These filters often classify Revolut IBANs as “high risk”, triggering a manual check or an automatic rejection. The instant transfer, on the other hand, uses a separate channel with real-time controls that generate fewer false positives.
To understand in detail the transfer issues to Revolut and their causes from the bank’s side, several factors come into play, from internal scoring to the country of issuance of the IBAN.
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In practice, check in your banking app if the “instant transfer” option is available. Most major French banks offer it, sometimes with a small fee of a few cents to one euro. This fee is negligible compared to several days of blockage.
Blockage on the first transfer: what La Banque Postale and Société Générale do
The quarterly report from the ACPR published in April 2026 confirms a clear trend: La Banque Postale and Société Générale have increased systematic blockages on first transfers to neobanks. The pattern is almost always the same.
- The transfer is initiated online or via the mobile app, then remains in “processing” status beyond the normal one business day timeframe
- No notification is spontaneously sent to the client to explain the blockage, despite the PSD3 obligations that came into effect at the end of 2025
- A call to customer service resolves the situation in the majority of cases, with the advisor manually validating the operation after identity verification
This brings us to a concrete friction point: the first transfer to a Revolut IBAN almost always triggers an alert. Subsequent transfers generally go through without difficulty, as the beneficiary is then recorded as “known” in the system.
If you are a client of these two banks, anticipate. Make a first low-amount transfer, call your advisor immediately to report the operation, and wait for validation before sending larger amounts.
PSD3 warning obligation: what your bank must tell you before a rejection
Since the end of 2025, the European PSD3 directive requires banks to issue a prior warning before rejecting a transfer to a valid IBAN. This rule has reduced unjustified rejections by about one third according to ACPR data.
In practice, responses vary on this point. Some banks send a text message or a push notification asking to confirm the operation. Others simply leave a message in the secure messaging of the client area, which no one checks in real-time.
Always check your online banking messages after a transfer. If your bank has blocked the operation without notifying you through any channel, you have leverage to contest. Mention the PSD3 directive in your written complaint: the compliance departments of banks are sensitive to this, as a failure exposes them to ACPR sanctions.
Writing an effective complaint in case of rejection without notification
Send a letter or a message via the client area specifying the date of the transfer, the amount, the recipient IBAN, and the fact that no warning was sent to you. Explicitly request the reason for the rejection. The bank has 10 business days to respond to a written complaint.
If the response is unsatisfactory or absent, contact the banking mediator. This process is free and the mediator generally rules in favor of the client when the bank has not fulfilled its notification obligation.
Lithuanian IBAN or French Revolut IBAN: which one works better
Revolut now assigns French IBANs (FR) to its new clients in France, but many users retain a Lithuanian IBAN (LT) from their initial registration. This distinction has a direct impact on the rejection rate.
The algorithms of French banks treat an FR IBAN as a classic domestic transfer, with lighter controls. A Lithuanian IBAN, on the other hand, triggers filters reserved for cross-border transfers, even if the amount is modest.
- If you have an LT IBAN on Revolut, check in the app if an FR IBAN is available for your account. Migration is often possible without closing the account
- Provide the FR IBAN to your issuing bank: a French IBAN significantly reduces automatic blockages
- For transfers from Nordic banks (Sweden, Denmark), the Lithuanian IBAN goes through without friction, as these institutions do not classify it as high risk
This technical detail alone resolves a good portion of the problems faced by French users of Revolut. Changing the IBAN takes a few minutes in the app and avoids hours of discussion with your traditional bank’s customer service.
One last point to keep in mind: public holidays and May bridges create windows where classic transfers are purely suspended. A transfer initiated on a Friday before a bridge will only be processed the following Tuesday, which has nothing to do with a Revolut blockage but generates the same frustration. The instant transfer, however, works 24/7, including weekends and public holidays.