SWIFT/BIC codes in Australia

Finding a SWIFT code in Australia

Here you will find codes for 608 institutions in Australia, 1063 codes in all. A BIC shows every bank in the chain exactly which bank should receive an international payment.

Pick a bank from the list to see the head office code and any branch codes along with tips for payments to and from that bank. Below the list you can read how a code from Australia is put together, how to send money there at a fair price and how to check a code before you pay.

Transfer times to Australia

How fast money arrives in Australia is determined by a few things: the currency, the number of banks in between, daily processing deadlines and time zones. Payments made late in the day or just before a weekend or public holiday usually go out the next business day.

A growing number of banks are connected to SWIFT gpi, which lets them follow a payment from bank to bank. Every payment carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR, which the sending bank can use to trace it. Specialist transfer services usually provide a status online, which makes it easier to see where the money is.

Sending AUD to Australia

Australia pays in the Australian Dollar, code AUD. Money sent in a different currency is converted into AUD before it reaches the account, and whoever converts it chooses the rate.

Who does the conversion has an effect on the final amount. Often it is cheaper if you send AUD directly through a transfer service with a good rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert. With bigger transfers, even a small difference in the rate can be worth more than the fee.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Australia

Have the recipient send you their bank details straight from their banking app. A wrong code may lead to a delay, a payment being sent back or extra fees – compare it with the code in our list.

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes using publicly available data and check our list regularly. Banks reorganise, close branches and retire codes – a directory can be a step behind. Treat this list as a reference rather than the last word; the recipient’s bank details are leading. GoldexPay is an independent comparison site and has no link to the banks in this list.

Watch out for payment requests with a new account – a common fraud method. Before paying, confirm changed details by phone.

SWIFT codes in Australia: banks under :letter

You are looking at a selection: just banks in Australia with a name starting with :letter. The counts in the introduction always cover the whole country and not only this selection.

If the bank you need is missing here, try another letter: banks are often registered under their full legal name. Use the full list for Australia if you are not sure the exact name.

Bank or transfer service for Australia?

If you send money to Australia via a regular bank, the fee you see is rarely all of what you pay. You pay a transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the exchange rate markup when currencies differ.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee. Compare the rate you are offered against the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

For many currency pairs, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay lists these providers side by side, showing the amount that reaches the recipient before you commit.

Receiving money in Australia from abroad

When you are waiting for money from abroad in Australia, send the payer a complete set of details. In practice that means: your full name as your bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and usually your address.

Your bank’s code is in the list on this page, yet the version on your own statement or in your banking app is leading. Some sending banks also want your bank’s address, so keep it at hand.

Expect that the incoming amount is smaller than what the sender paid. Fees for incoming transfers vary from bank to bank. For business payments, state who bears the costs.

Paying a bank in Australia from abroad

Since Australia does not belong to SEPA, an international payment normally goes through SWIFT. That means the payment always needs the SWIFT/BIC code of the receiving bank in addition to the account details.

Not every country uses IBAN numbers; in that case the local account number is used instead. Check with the recipient exactly which details their bank needs for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. SWIFT payments can pass through correspondent banks, each of which may deduct a fee.

What the letters in a Australia BIC mean

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long. Characters one to four identify the bank, the fifth and sixth characters are the country code and the next two mark the location.

No matter which bank, all Australia codes share the same country code in positions five and six. A code with a different country code belong to another country – a quick way to catch mistakes.

An 11-character code adds three characters for a branch. Choose a branch code just when the recipient explicitly gives you one; otherwise the head office code is the safe choice.

Most SWIFT codes in Australia: BNP Paribas Services, (Australia Branch)

In our data, BNP Paribas Services, (Australia Branch) has the most SWIFT/BIC codes in Australia. The head office uses PARBAUS1066 – the code most transfers need.

Many codes often reflects separate codes for branches, departments or services – it says nothing about the size of the bank as such. Unless a branch code is given, PARBAUS1066 is fine for transfers to this bank.