Wise account for Ukrainians: how to open and get verified

Wise is a UK money transfer and multi-currency account service run by Wise Payments Limited, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference 900507). What you can use depends on the country you live in: for an address in Ukraine, Wise's availability page lists international transfers, while Ukrainians living in the EU or the UK get the feature set of their country of residence. We prepare the verification package and help you answer Wise's requests. The decision to open an account is made by Wise.

Why hand it to a team. Most delays come from mismatches: a name spelled differently in the passport and in the address document, a paper residence permit, an address proof older than three months. We check the package against Wise's published requirements before submission.

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Can I open a Wise account in Ukraine?

Wise shows features by country. For residents of Ukraine, its availability page lists sending money worldwide, from 30 currencies to 103 currencies. Features such as account details and cards depend on the country of your registered address, so a Ukrainian living in Germany or Poland sees the feature set of that country.

If the passport you used for verification was issued by a different country from the one in your address, Wise checks your right to live there. It accepts a valid residence permit card (paper permits are not accepted), a long-term visa valid for more than 90 days, and some refugee and asylee documents. Until this check is complete, Wise may limit features such as ordering a card, adding a currency or sending a transfer.

Documents Wise accepts for verification

Identity

• Passport: photo page only.
• National ID card: plastic card, both sides.
• Photo driving licence (not accepted for residents of Europe).

The document must be valid, the full name, date of birth, document number and MRZ must be visible, and the photo must be clear.

Address

• Utility bill, bank or credit card statement, council tax bill, issued within the last three months.
• Rental agreement showing the address, your name and the landlord's name, both signatures and the tenancy dates.

Wise does not accept mobile phone bills, PO box addresses, documents from Revolut, MoneyGram or Western Union, or Wise's own statements as proof of address.

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Why Wise declines applications

A refusal or a long review usually comes down to one of three things: the details in the form do not match the documents (a different spelling of the name, an outdated address); the activity is described so generally that Wise cannot tell what payments will go through the account; or the client profile falls outside Wise's rules for that country or type of activity. That is why we check the documents and the activity description before the first submission.

Wise Business for a foreign company

For a business account Wise verifies the company and its ultimate beneficial owners: every individual who owns or controls 25% or more of the shares or voting rights, or controls the board. Each owner provides an ID with name, photo and date of birth. Wise aims to respond within five working days. Ukrainian entrepreneurs often open Wise Business for a company registered abroad, for example after company registration in the UK.

After the account is open

For large incoming payments Wise may ask about the origin of funds; the answer is built from contracts, invoices and statements. A business should also expect questions about tax residence and about reporting the foreign account in the country where it pays tax.

Related services

Sources: wise.com: Feature availability (Ukraine); wise.com Help: How does Wise verify my identity?; wise.com Help: How do I verify my country of residence?; wise.com Help: How do I verify my address?; wise.com Help: How does Wise verify Ultimate Beneficial Owners?.

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