You can register a usable existing signed SEPA mandate for Mollie through PayRequest. The customer mandate form accepts the account holder, IBAN, signature date, and optional BIC and mandate reference. Keep the signed authorization yourself and verify that it covers the collecting business and intended payments. Registering an IBAN does not create or repair customer consent.
This guide is for agencies and service businesses that already have signed authorizations, or are moving recurring collections into PayRequest. It explains the difference between an authorization document, a Mollie mandate record and the subscription schedule that uses it.
A signed document, a mandate record and a schedule are different
The signed document is the evidence of the customer's authorization. The provider mandate is the record used to initiate an eligible debit. The subscription defines the amount and timing of those collections. Moving one does not automatically move the others.
For example, a customer may have signed a monthly website-maintenance mandate on paper, while no customer or mandate record exists in the connected Mollie account. You need to register the usable authorization and configure the monthly subscription separately. A document saved on your computer is not a live billing schedule.
Mollie's mandate endpoint supports creation of SEPA Direct Debit mandates for IBANs, including the signature date and a custom mandate reference. Its documentation warns that the reference should be unique because some banks decline duplicates. This API capability does not determine whether a particular old authorization is valid for a new collecting business.
Which route should you use?
Use this decision table before opening the registration form. It is an operational checklist, not a finding about the legal validity of an individual document.
| Your situation | What to check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Signed mandate for the same collecting business | Scope, signature evidence, account details, revocation and intended recurring payments | Register the usable mandate and verify provider status |
| Valid mandate already in the connected Mollie account | Correct customer, bank account and available mandate record | Select the existing valid mandate in the customer's subscription |
| Mandate from another creditor or a changed business identity | Whether it can cover the new collection arrangement | Confirm the transition requirements; request fresh authorization where needed |
| Revoked or invalid mandate | Actual provider status and customer instruction | Stop using it and obtain fresh authorization |
| IBAN on an invoice, with no signed mandate | Evidence of authorization is missing | Send an authorization link before collecting |
If the mandate is already available in PayRequest for the right Mollie customer, use that record rather than registering the same authorization again. Avoid creating a second billing arrangement while the old one still collects.
How to register a signed mandate in PayRequest
Connect the intended Mollie account, open the customer record and use its mandate controls. Choose the route for an already signed mandate and enter the details from the authorization.
| PayRequest field | What to enter | Review before saving |
|---|---|---|
| Account holder | Name of the authorized bank account holder | Do not substitute the agency contact's name |
| IBAN | Bank account on the signed mandate | Match the original and check typing |
| Signature date | Date the customer signed | Use the real date, not today's import date |
| BIC, if supplied | Bank identifier where applicable | Match the account information |
| Mandate reference, if supplied | Reference identifying the authorization | Preserve a clear, unique reference and check migration requirements |
The current PayRequest registration form requires the name, IBAN and signature date; BIC and reference are optional form fields. That does not make a reference or evidence policy unnecessary. Review the returned mandate details and retain the information needed to identify the authorization.
After registration, PayRequest stores the returned Mollie mandate record and refreshes the customer's mandates. Check that the intended record is valid and available for the recurring subscription. The signature date records the original authorization; it does not backdate a collection or create a subscription automatically.
You remain responsible for retaining the signed evidence. Do not describe manual registration as a PDF upload or as PayRequest independently certifying the document. The current workflow registers the authorization details with Mollie.
When should you send an authorization link instead?
Send a fresh authorization link when the customer has not authorized direct debit, the mandate is revoked, the details cannot be verified, or the old mandate cannot cover the intended creditor and payments. This also avoids silently relying on an IBAN collected for a different purpose.
PayRequest's customer controls can send a link where the customer enters their IBAN directly or uses an available payment method to authorize. A first-payment route may establish a mandate, but it is not the only route for SEPA. Mollie's recurring support guidance explains the option of creating a SEPA mandate when a first payment should not be repeated.
Keep the customer-facing request specific: name the collecting business, service, agreed amount, monthly frequency, intended first date and cancellation contact. Confirm the valid mandate before activating automatic collections.
Avoid duplicate collections during the move
Use a private migration ledger with one row per agreement. Record the customer, old collector or system, last period already paid, old schedule's effective stop date, new provider mandate reference, new first billing date and the person who checked the transition. Store banking details only in the appropriate restricted systems.
For a fictional €650 monthly SEO retainer, suppose the old arrangement has already collected for October. Plan the new subscription for the November period and confirm the old arrangement will not also charge November. A valid new mandate does not cancel the old schedule.
Run these checks before enabling the new subscription:
- Identify the last service period already paid.
- Confirm what will stop the old collector and when it takes effect.
- Match the customer and authorization to the intended Mollie account.
- Verify the new mandate status.
- Configure the amount, monthly interval and future start date.
- Review the actual next billing date and communicate the collection schedule.
- Reconcile the first confirmed new payment with the agreed period.
Where the old arrangement uses another creditor, review the migration and notice requirements before stopping or recreating collections. Do not treat technical acceptance by an API as proof that the creditor transition is correct.
Do French IBANs need a different PayRequest workflow?
Eligible French bank accounts can use the SEPA Direct Debit route. The customer needs a usable mandate and your Mollie live profile must be enabled for the method. A country prefix does not waive those checks.
An agency collecting from business customers should also confirm the actual scheme it is using. A business payer does not by itself turn a standard SEPA collection into the separate SEPA B2B scheme. Use Mollie's supported method and applicable agreement when explaining refunds, disputes and authorization to the client.
Does registration change the collection costs?
An existing signed mandate does not remove provider processing fees or exception charges. As checked on 1 October 2026, PayRequest Business costs €20 per month and standard payments have no PayRequest transaction fee with an active paid plan. Mollie's fees, applicable taxes and any individually agreed account rate remain separate. Custom-work commission payments retain a separate 2% fee capped at €25 per payment.
For the full client setup, follow monthly Mollie payments without a webshop. To start, explore PayRequest SEPA Direct Debit and contact the team with your account email for Business activation.
Editorial note: AI assisted with this article and its illustrative cover. The field descriptions were checked against PayRequest's mandate-registration code and customer controls. The decision table and migration ledger are original planning aids; no live mandate migration or individual legal validation is claimed.
