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EU mobility rights
Moving within Europe does not mean starting from zero with your bank account, payments or mobile phone. EU rules protect several everyday services across borders, but some rights are designed for temporary travel rather than permanent relocation.
EU rights
Banking & payments
Mobile & roaming
Driving licence & car
Under Article 9 of the EU SEPA Regulation, employers, utility providers, and landlords cannot refuse your bank account simply because it’s based in another EU country. In real life, “IBAN discrimination” is still common: automated payroll systems, tax portals, and local gym forms frequently reject non-domestic IBANs. You are not legally required to open a local bank account, and if a provider refuses yours, you can cite EU Regulation 260/2012 or report them to the local national competent authority.
| Situation | Legal Right & Cost | Real-World Expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Euro transfer across EU | Identical fees to local transfers | Should be free or low-cost via SEPA |
| Non-Euro transfers | Transparent fees required | Expect bank exchange markups |
| Receiving salary/income | No extra cross-border fees | Full amount credited without deductions |
The Trap: When paying by card or withdrawing cash in a non-euro EU country, terminals often offer “Dynamic Currency Conversion” (DCC) to charge you in your home currency.
The Reality: Sometimes merchants and ATM operators use this to apply hidden conversion markups of up to 10% on top of the transaction.
The Better solution: The terminal must display the conversion rate, but you should always choose the local currency of the country you are in to let your home bank process the rate instead.
You cannot port a mobile number across national borders (e.g., from a French operator to a Spanish one), as number porting only exists within the same country. However, keeping your home SIM active on a minimal or prepaid plan is practically essential during a move. You will need your original number to receive critical two-factor authentication (2FA) SMS codes from home banks, revenue services, and legacy contacts until your move is fully complete.
Be aware that if you keep your original SIM long-term while living abroad, your home operator can legally apply EU fair-use surcharges after 4 months, though they generally cannot force you to cancel your line. To avoid unexpected fees while keeping your number, convert your account to a low-cost prepaid plan, turn off data roaming on that SIM, and use a local provider for daily data and calls. And if you plan to move to another country, start migrating your 2FA verification to your local number within the first 4 months.
Your Right: “Roam Like at Home” (a European Union regulation) lets you use your domestic data and calls across the EU with no extra fees during temporary travel.
Real-World Reality: This rule is strictly designed for travel, not living abroad. Carriers monitor presence over rolling 4-month windows; if you spend more time abroad than at home, extra surcharges kick in.
Action Plan: Rely on your home plan only during your initial move (up to 4 months); switch to a local provider as soon as you secure a local address or tax ID to avoid surprise surcharges.
EU/EEA Licences: Fully valid until their printed expiration date. A swap is optional, becoming mandatory only if your licence is lost/damaged, expires, triggers a local traffic penalty, or lacks a printed expiration date (mandatory swap within 2 years of residence).
Non-EU Licences (e.g., Australia, Canada): Valid strictly for a temporary grace period after taking up residence, usually 6 months (e.g., Germany) or 1 year (e.g., France).
The Reciprocity Trap: If your country/state has a bilateral exchange agreement, you must request a swap before the grace period expires. If you miss this deadline or if no reciprocity agreement exists, your licence becomes invalid: you lose the legal right to drive and must pass the full local driving test (theory and practical) from scratch.
What’s Allowed: Driving your foreign-plated car temporarily while transitioning into your new country.
What’s Not: Driving on foreign plates past your legal grace period once you are a registered tax resident.
The 6-Month Milestone: Within 6 months of establishing residence, you must re-register the vehicle, fit local licence plates, update your car insurance to a local provider, and pass a local roadworthiness test. Personal property imports are exempt from VAT and import duties, provided you have owned and used the car for at least 6 months prior to moving. Missing the 6-month deadline risks heavy fines, impoundment, or auto insurance invalidation in an accident.
If you think your rights are violated you can turn to SOLVIT for public administration roadblocks, ECC-Net for consumer disputes, FIN-NET for financial service conflicts, or your host country’s National Enforcement Authorities for systemic IBAN or telecoms issues.