Opening a Xoala account is designed to take five minutes for individuals and a single business day for companies. This guide walks through the sign-up flow, what KYC documents to have ready, and how to fund the account once verification clears.
Before you start
Have these to hand before you begin. The flow doesn’t time out, but pausing to dig out a document mid-verification is the most common reason a sign-up stalls.
- A valid government-issued ID (passport, national ID card, or driver’s licence)
- Proof of address dated within the last 3 months (utility bill, bank statement, or rental agreement)
- A working phone number for two-factor authentication
- For business accounts: company registration documents, beneficial owner IDs, and a brief description of your operating model
Create your account
Head to xoala.com and click Open Account. Choose Personal or Business depending on what you’re setting up. The two flows diverge after the first email step.
- Enter your work email and create a password (12+ characters; we enforce it).
- Confirm the verification link emailed to you. The link expires after 15 minutes — check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive within a minute.
- Choose your home country. This determines which Xoala entity holds your account and which regulator oversees it.
- Set up two-factor authentication using an authenticator app (Authy, 1Password, Google Authenticator). SMS is supported but app-based is strongly recommended — here’s why.
Verify your identity
Verification happens in two passes: an automated document check (usually under 60 seconds) and, for business accounts, a manual review by the KYC team.
Document check
Upload your ID and proof of address. The automated check validates the document format, runs anti-tamper detection, and matches the data against the details you entered. If anything fails, we’ll tell you exactly what to re-submit.
Selfie liveness
You’ll be prompted to take a short video selfie. This is a liveness check, not a face-match — it confirms a real person is in front of the camera. The footage is encrypted and deleted after verification completes.
Add your first deposit
Once verification clears, your account is live. You’ll see your dedicated IBAN under Accounts → Details. There are three ways to fund it:
- SEPA Instant — settles in 10 seconds across the EEA. Free for amounts up to €100,000.
- SWIFT — settles within one business day for inbound transfers from outside the EEA. A £7 receiving fee applies for amounts under the equivalent of €1,000.
- Debit/credit card — settles within minutes. A small processing fee (~1.5%) applies; use it for one-off top-ups, not recurring funding.
Common issues
“Document not accepted”
The most common causes are: photo too dark, edges cropped, ID expired, or proof of address older than three months. Re-take in better light, confirm the dates, and re-submit.
“Address mismatch”
The address on your proof of address doesn’t match what you entered. Update the address field in Settings → Personal info and re-submit.
“Stuck in ‘Pending review’”
Business accounts under manual review typically clear within 1–3 business days. If yours has been pending longer, email [email protected] with your account ID.
What to do next
With your account live and funded, here’s a sensible order of operations:
- Order a virtual card and a physical card from Cards → Issue new.
- If you’re a business, invite your team and set per-user spending limits.
- Hook up the API if you’re integrating Xoala with your own product — sandbox keys live under Developers → API keys.
- Familiarise yourself with the dispute, fraud and freeze controls. You hope you never need them, but knowing where they are matters.