SWIFT/BIC codes in Afghanistan

Finding a SWIFT code in Afghanistan

On this page you find the SWIFT/BIC codes of 18 banks in Afghanistan. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mostly when making payments across borders, and especially for payments in foreign currencies.

Pick a bank below to view its head office code and any branch codes. The rest of this page explain the structure of the codes, the cost of transfers and how to avoid mistakes before a payment.

How reliable is this list?

Ask the recipient to copy the account details directly from their online banking. A wrong code may lead to a delay, a returned payment or additional charges.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is compiled from publicly available sources and is updated regularly. Institutions reorganise, close branches and change codes. For any payment that matters, confirm the code with the recipient. We are a comparison site for money transfers, not a bank.

Watch out for invoices with a new account, especially when they come by email. A valid BIC says nothing about who owns the account.

SWIFT transfers to Afghanistan

Afghanistan is outside the SEPA area. Payments from abroad usually go through the SWIFT network.

Depending on the country, accounts are identified by a domestic account number instead of an IBAN. The recipient’s bank often has instructions for payments from abroad, and it is worth following them to the letter. Before it arrives, a payment may pass through correspondent banks that take a fee.

Receiving money in Afghanistan from abroad

A sender in another country needs several details about your account, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. Share the account holder’s name, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and your address, which some banks require.

Look up the bank in the list on this page to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. Some sending banks also want your bank’s address.

Expect that the amount credited is smaller than the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank. On invoices, agree who bears the costs to avoid a shortfall.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Afghanistan

Bank identifier codes follow one international format: 8 characters. Characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six are the country code and characters seven and eight mark the location.

No matter which bank, all Afghanistan codes have the same fifth and sixth letters: the ISO code of the country. A code with a different country code belong to a bank abroad, even if the bank name looks familiar.

When a code ends in XXX, it refers to the main office, and the 8-character version leads to the same place. Use a branch code just if the recipient explicitly gives you one.

Which bank in Afghanistan has the most codes?

Among the 18 institutions we list, Bank Alfalah Limited (Afghanistan - Kabul Branch) has the most SWIFT/BIC codes of all banks in Afghanistan. Its head office code is ALFHAFKAXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

A large number of codes usually means separate codes for branches, departments or services. Unless the recipient asks for a branch, the head office code ALFHAFKAXXX works for transfers to this bank.

Bank or transfer service for Afghanistan?

If you send money to Afghanistan through your bank, the stated fee is rarely all of what you pay. On top of the fee, intermediary banks can deduct a charge, and when the money is converted the bank often applies a less favourable rate than the actual market rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest cost item. An easy check: put the rate you get against the mid-market rate and work out the difference on your amount.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is cheaper than a bank. GoldexPay compares the amount that arrives in Afghanistan across services.

Tracking a payment to Afghanistan

An international transfer to Afghanistan typically needs anywhere from one to several business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Public holidays in either country add extra days.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Each gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR. Keep the payment confirmation until the recipient confirms.