SWIFT/BIC codes in Botswana

Bank SWIFT codes for Botswana

In Botswana our database holds 46 SWIFT/BIC codes. You need such a code mostly for payments across borders.

Every bank is listed with its own page with its main code and if there are any, codes for branches and departments. Further down you can read how a code from Botswana is put together, how to send money to Botswana at a fair price and how to check a code before you pay.

How reliable is this list?

The best place to find the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank. When the code you were given differs from our list, do not guess.

We gather SWIFT/BIC codes from public sources and update our list from time to time. Even so, banks merge or change codes. Before any payment of any size, check the code with the recipient’s bank. We are a comparison site for money transfers.

Scammers regularly send payment requests carrying new bank details. A real SWIFT code tells you nothing about whether a request is genuine: criminals use real codes too.

What the letters in a Botswana BIC mean

SWIFT/BIC codes follow the same format worldwide: 8 characters, sometimes followed by three more. It starts with a four-letter bank code, then a two-letter country code and a two-character location code.

In every code from Botswana, letters five and six show the two-letter ISO code of Botswana, which makes these codes easy to recognise. When those two letters point to another country, you are looking at a bank in another country.

If the last three are XXX, it means the main office. For most transfers the head office code is fine.

Getting paid from abroad into an account in Botswana

If you expect money from abroad in Botswana, send the payer all details at once. In practice that means: your full name exactly as it appears on the account, your account number or IBAN, the BIC of your bank and usually your address.

Your bank’s code is in our list. Some sending banks also want your bank’s address; it does no harm to include it.

The amount you receive is often lower than what was sent. Intermediary banks may deduct a fee, and if the money is converted, an exchange rate margin applies. Agree with the sender who covers the fees, especially for larger amounts.

What a transfer to Botswana really costs

When you send money to Botswana with your bank, the fee you see is only part of the cost. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent banks can deduct a charge and, if currencies are converted, the bank usually uses a rate below the actual market rate.

The markup on the rate tends to be the biggest cost item, even though it is not listed as a fee. Compare the rate you are offered with the mid-market rate. The difference is your real cost.

For a lot of routes, a transfer service is less expensive than a traditional bank transfer. GoldexPay compares what recipients in Botswana receive with different services, so you can pick the cheapest route.

Tracking a payment to Botswana

An international transfer to Botswana usually needs anywhere from one to several business days. Payments made after the cut-off time or just before weekends and holidays usually start a business day later.

A growing number of banks use 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. Keep your transfer receipt; a bank needs it to start a trace.

International payments to Botswana and the BIC

For Botswana you will usually need the BIC, because the country is outside the SEPA area. Without it, your bank cannot send the transfer.

In some countries, the account is identified by a local account number instead of an IBAN. Ask the recipient exactly which details their bank needs for payments from abroad – many banks give clear instructions for this. SWIFT payments sometimes go via one or more intermediary banks and fees can be taken along the way.

Which bank in Botswana has the most codes?

Of all banks we list for Botswana, Standard Chartered Bank Botswana LTD. has the most SWIFT codes. Its head office code is SCHBBWGXXXX, which is the code to use when no branch is specified.

Practice differs in how many codes they register – a high count is not a measure of size. Making a payment to Standard Chartered Bank Botswana LTD.? Go with SCHBBWGXXXX except when a specific branch code is requested.