SWIFT/BIC codes in Belgium: banks starting with V

Bank SWIFT codes for Belgium

Our directory contains 333 banks and other institutions in Belgium, with 651 SWIFT/BIC codes in total. You will need a SWIFT/BIC code mainly for payments across borders, and especially for payments in foreign currencies.

Look for the bank you need in the list and click through for all codes we have and the details a transfer needs. Below the list we explain how codes from Belgium are built, how to send money to Belgium at a fair price and what to check before you pay.

Verifying a SWIFT code from Belgium

Ask the recipient to send you the account details directly from their banking app. When the code you were given differs from our list, stop and ask.

Our SWIFT/BIC directory is based on public sources. Still, banks merge or retire codes and our data may lag behind. For a payment of any size, check the BIC with the recipient’s bank. GoldexPay is not a bank and is not affiliated with the banks listed.

Be wary of invoices containing changed bank details – a common fraud method. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about who owns the account – scammers use the codes of real banks.

Banks in Belgium starting with :letter

Here you see a filtered list: just banks in Belgium with a name starting with :letter. The totals mentioned above always refer to all banks in Belgium.

Some banks appear under their official name rather than the name on their app or website, so the letter can differ from what you expect. Try the full list for Belgium when you are not sure the exact name.

Belgium and the SEPA area

Because Belgium is in SEPA, a euro transfer to a bank in Belgium usually requires just the IBAN. Most banking apps do not require the BIC in that case.

A SWIFT code does matter when the currency is not euros. Euro payments within SEPA normally land by the next business day or faster with instant payments. Costs stay low provided everything stays in euros – conversion is what costs money.

Sending EUR to Belgium

Most accounts in Belgium are typically held in EUR. When you pay money in a different currency, the amount gets converted somewhere along the way.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, since every bank sets its own rate. In many cases you pay less if you send EUR straight away via a provider that converts near the mid-market rate so the receiving bank does not need to convert again. Exchange rates change all the time, so a quote is usually valid only briefly.

What the letters in a Belgium BIC mean

SWIFT/BIC codes use one international format: 8 characters. Characters one to four stand for the bank, characters five and six form the country code and the next two mark the location.

Whatever the bank, every code from Belgium share the same fifth and sixth letters: the ISO code of the country. A code with other letters in that position belong to a bank abroad.

An 11-character code adds a branch code. In most cases the head office code is fine, unless the recipient gives you a branch code.

The largest SWIFT network in Belgium: BNP Paribas Securities Services, Belgium

BNP Paribas Securities Services, Belgium tops the list for Belgium in SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office uses PARBBEBZXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

A large number of codes usually means that the bank registers branches and departments separately. Paying someone at BNP Paribas Securities Services, Belgium? Use PARBBEBZXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.

Bank or transfer service for Belgium?

What you pay for a payment to Belgium is made up of more than one component. There is the transfer fee, sometimes charges from intermediary banks along the way and, above all, the margin on the exchange rate.

The real cost is often in the rate, rather than in the fee – the bank builds a margin into its rate. Compare the bank’s rate with the mid-market rate.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a bank, mainly because of the rate. GoldexPay lists these providers next to each other, showing what actually arrives in Belgium.

Incoming international payments in Belgium

A sender in another country needs a few details from you, and missing ones are a common cause of delays. In practice that means: your name as your bank knows it, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and sometimes your postal address.

Find your bank in the list above and compare the code with your own bank details – your bank statement is the final word. You can add the name and city of your bank as well, since some payment forms ask for it.

What lands in your account is often lower than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee and your own bank may charge for processing, and if the money is converted, a markup on the rate comes on top. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

When does money sent to Belgium arrive?

A SWIFT payment to Belgium typically takes one to a few business days, depending on the currency, the route and the banks involved. Public holidays in either country can add a day or more, because banks do not process payments on those days.

A growing number of banks use SWIFT gpi for faster and traceable payments. Each gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to see where the money is. Keep your transfer receipt until the recipient confirms; a bank needs it to start a trace.