SWIFT/BIC codes in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Finding a SWIFT code in Bosnia & Herzegovina

For Bosnia & Herzegovina we have 33 SWIFT/BIC codes, spread over 32 banks. Each code points to an institution or one of its branches and tells other banks where an international payment should go.

Select the bank below to see its head office code and any branch codes along with tips for payments to and from that bank. Further down we explain how codes from Bosnia & Herzegovina are built, how to send money there at a fair price and how to check a code before you pay.

Why a transfer to Bosnia & Herzegovina needs a SWIFT code

Since Bosnia & Herzegovina does not belong to SEPA, an international payment is usually sent as a SWIFT payment. That means the payment always needs the BIC of the receiving bank, together with the account number or IBAN.

Depending on the country, the account is identified by a local account number rather than an IBAN, sometimes with an extra bank or branch code. Ask the recipient exactly which details their bank requires for incoming international payments – many banks give clear instructions for this. SWIFT payments can pass through one or more intermediary banks.

The cheapest way to send money to Bosnia & Herzegovina

If you transfer money to Bosnia & Herzegovina via your bank, the fee you see is rarely all of the cost. On top of the fee, correspondent banks can deduct a charge, and when the money is converted the bank usually uses a rate below the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate: banks convert at a rate with a margin built in. Check the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

For a lot of currency pairs, a specialist provider turns out to be cheaper than a bank – mostly thanks to the exchange rate. GoldexPay lists these providers next to each other, showing the amount that reaches the recipient before you commit.

The largest SWIFT network in Bosnia & Herzegovina: Centralna Banka Bosne I Hercegovine

Centralna Banka Bosne I Hercegovine leads our list for Bosnia & Herzegovina in the number of SWIFT/BIC codes. The head office uses CBBSBA22XXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

Practice differs in how many codes they register, so the count is not a ranking of size. Unless the recipient asks for a branch, CBBSBA22XXX is fine for a payment to Centralna Banka Bosne I Hercegovine.

Tracking a payment to Bosnia & Herzegovina

There is no single delivery time for transfers to Bosnia & Herzegovina: some arrive the same day or the next. Transfers sent after the cut-off time or on a weekend or public holiday often go out a business day later.

Many banks are connected to SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer carries a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to see where the money is. Save your transfer receipt until the money has arrived – you will need it if something goes wrong.

Recognising a SWIFT code from Bosnia & Herzegovina

A SWIFT code is 8 or 11 characters long and follows a fixed pattern. It starts with four letters for the bank, followed by two letters for the country and a two-character location code.

In every code from Bosnia & Herzegovina, characters five and six are the two-letter ISO code of Bosnia & Herzegovina, which makes these codes easy to recognise. When those two letters do not match Bosnia & Herzegovina, the code belongs to a bank somewhere else – worth double-checking.

The optional last three characters stand for a branch or department; XXX is used for the head office. In most cases the head office code is what you need.

Check the code before you pay

The most reliable source for the BIC is the recipient’s own bank details – an invoice, a statement or a screenshot from online banking. When the code you were given differs from the code listed here, do not guess: check with the recipient or the bank.

We collect bank codes from publicly available data and check them regularly. Even so, banks merge or change codes, so information can be out of date. Treat our data as a starting point, not as the final word. GoldexPay is a comparison service.

Be wary of invoices containing changed bank details. Before paying, verify a change of bank details by phone on a number you know.

Receiving money in Bosnia & Herzegovina from abroad

A sender in another country needs a few details about your account – incomplete details often cause delays. That means: your name as your bank knows it, your IBAN or account number, the BIC of your bank and, often, your address.

Look up your bank in the list above to check its code – your bank statement is the final word. Certain banks also want the name and address of your bank, so keep it at hand.

The amount you receive is often less than the amount sent. Correspondent banks can take a fee, and when currencies differ, an exchange rate margin applies. Make clear with the sender who pays which costs before the money is sent.