If you receive a message from the bank asking to “update data,” many people’s first reaction is suspicion: fraudsters, technical error, or “I don’t need this.” In fact, this is a mandatory check that Tatra banka (Tatra banka) has gradually started for all clients, and if ignored, the bank may limit services. For Ukrainians who often receive social benefits or salaries into their accounts, this is a real risk of temporarily losing access to money.
What the bank actually wants
This is about a procedure banks call KYC — from English Know Your Customer (KYC), “know your client.” It is not suspicion about a specific person or a signal of a problem with the account, as explained by Bratislavak.sk. Periodic data updates are a requirement of Slovak and European legislation, including Law No. 297/2008 on protection against money laundering. The goal is to protect the financial system from money laundering and terrorism financing.
“Slovak and European regulation establishes the obligation for banks to regularly update data about their clients. Tatra banka implements a solution that combines the legal requirement with maximum client comfort,” explained the bank’s spokeswoman Simona Miklošovičová.
Requirements will only get stricter. From July 2027, new European regulation will come into force, requiring all EU banks to verify each client at least once every five years. So it’s worth getting used to such messages — they will become regular.
How the check is done
In most cases, you won’t need to go to a branch. Tatra banka itself verifies data through state registries and reliable external sources. If some information is missing, the client gets a short electronic questionnaire directly in the Tatra banka mobile app or internet banking. Filling it out takes a few minutes, mostly choosing from ready-made answer options, and fields needing attention are marked in orange, writes Finsider.
They may ask to check or update the following data:
- contact information;
- source of income;
- purpose of using banking services;
- country of tax residence;
- confirmation that you act on your own behalf, not for another person.
A personal visit to the branch is needed only in two cases: if the ID document (ID card or passport) has expired, or if the permanent residence address has changed — the bank employee must verify the new document.
Important: the bank does not send requests to everyone at once. Notifications come gradually — via app notification, internet banking, or SMS. So if your neighbor already got one but you haven’t, that’s normal.
What happens if you ignore it
The consequences are direct: the bank has the right to limit services to a client who did not update data after the request. The reason is simple — without current information, the bank risks sanctions from regulators, so they cannot skip this step for you. The bank published details on its website.
In practice, restrictions may mean blocked cards or accounts — and restoring access later will take much more time than five minutes on the questionnaire.
What Ukrainians with accounts at Tatra banka should do
First, check if there is a message about updating in the Tatra banka app — especially if you opened the account several years ago or changed documents, address, or phone number. Second, fill out the form only in the official app or internet banking: the bank never asks to follow links from SMS or enter data on third-party sites. If you get an SMS with a link — it is almost certainly fraudsters who like to disguise as such “checks.” Third, if your passport or ID used to open the account has expired, don’t wait for a request — update the document at the bank in advance.
